Have you suffered an accident in a Morrisons supermarket? Did it happen because of the negligence of another party? If so, you could make a personal injury claim for compensation. It doesn’t matter if you visited Morrisons as a shopper or an employee, if it is possible to prove that the accident in question could have been avoided had the correct precautions been taken, you could have valid grounds to pursue a claim.
Our panel of expert solicitors specialises in assisting victims of third-party negligence. Whether this harm was the result of a supermarket trolley accident or a simple slip, trip or fall, you could receive a settlement.
To find out more about how our panel of solicitors could guide you through the claims process, please continue reading this guide. Alternatively, call our team of friendly advisors on 0161 696 9685 to discuss the next steps in your claim.
Jump To A Section
- A Guide To Personal Injury Claims Against A Morrisons Supermarket?
- What Is A Personal Injury Claim Against Morrisons?
- Common Types Of Supermarket Accident
- Tripping Or Slipping Accidents
- Defective Trolley And Roll Cage Accidents
- Illness Due To A Reaction To Allergens
- Being Hit By An Item Falling From A Shelf
- Work Accident Claims Against Morrisons
- How Else You Could Be Injured In A Supermarket
- Supermarkets Duty To Ensure Customers and Staff Safety
- Could I Claim Compensation For Financial Losses And Expenses?
- Calculating Personal Injury Claims Against A Morrisons Supermarket
- No Win, No Fee Claims For An Accident In A Morrisons Supermarket
- How To Make A Supermarket Injury Claim
- Contacting Legal Helpline
- Supporting Resources
A Guide To Personal Injury Claims Against A Morrisons Supermarket
Accident in a Morrisons supermarket
As highlighted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the retail industry is one of the largest employers in the UK. With around 3 million people working in this sector, there are several safety measures which must be taken into consideration on a daily basis to reduce the risk of an accident occurring. This includes basic risk assessments of the supermarket floor itself and manual handling training for all employees. By ignoring key responsibilities such as these, an accident which results from such neglect could be seen as reasonable grounds for a compensation claim.
To conduct a valid claim for compensation, it is firstly important to determine whether an act of negligence is to blame. As will be discussed in further detail throughout this guide, this could arise from:
- Slipping
- Tripping
- Falling
- Supermarket roll cage accidents
- Defective shelves
- Incorrectly stacked items
This list of hazards is not exhaustive, which means if you have suffered an accident type that is not mentioned in this article, it does not necessarily mean you are unable to make a claim. An adviser from our friendly team can lend their expertise and knowledge to help assess your unique circumstances.
What Is A Personal Injury Claim Against Morrisons?
A personal injury claim against Morrisons is a form of legal action which seeks to recover compensation for the victim of negligence. While in some cases, an accident can arise from genuine mistakes, others may result from the incompetent or reckless acts of another party. In these circumstances, it may be possible for the injured person to pursue a settlement for the pain and suffering experienced, as well as any financial losses or expenses, such as loss of earnings, medical fees and travel costs associated with the injury or illness in question.
To ensure supermarket personal injury claims are valid, your claim must meet certain criteria. Generally speaking, these criteria state that a solicitor must be able to prove:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care;
- There was a breach in the duty of care owed to you by the defendant;
- As a result of that breach, you suffered an injury or illness.
In addition to this, your claim must be conducted within the relevant personal injury claims time limit. This time limit is 3-years from the date of the accident, although there are strict exceptions to this rule. We always advise you to seek legal advice as soon as possible.
Common Types Of Supermarket Accident
Our panel of solicitors has received countless types of supermarket accident claims, many of which range in severity for those involved. It should be noted that no two cases are precisely the same, meaning that it would be seemingly impossible to describe every individual example in detail. However, in the following sections, this guide will touch upon some common examples of accidents at shops and supermarkets.
These sections will include the relevant information about what constitutes valid grounds for a compensation claim and what evidence you can gather yourself to strengthen your case. From wet floors to negligently stacked shelves, the following sections will provide you with useful information which may be similar to your circumstances.
Tripping Or Slipping Accidents
A slip, trip or fall accident could result from several different hazards in almost any environment. This is why it is of utmost importance for supermarket staff to maintain, at the very least, the minimum safety standards to reduce the risk of an accident occurring. However, these safety regulations are not designed to just keep shoppers safe. According to the HSE, 29% of all injuries reported in the workplace are the result of slips, trips and falls.
There are many ways in which a Morrisons in-store accident could arise from a slip, trip or fall. Below you can find some common examples of how such matters may occur.
Slips
An accident of this nature could happen for several reasons, though mainly it is seen to result from little or too much friction between a surface and the victim’s footwear. This matter may then become a question of negligence if the hazard isn’t rectified or correctly signposted to warn of the risk. Some frequent causes of slips include:
- Weather hazards
- Spillages (e.g. oils, water, juices, eggs)
- Ill-maintained surfaces (e.g. leftover cleaning products)
- Loose mats/rugs
- Icy pavements
Trips
If a surface is uneven, defective or improperly signposted it could cause a person to trip and fall. An injury at a supermarket could result from a number of different trip hazards, such as:
- Uneven surfaces/carpets
- Potholes
- Obstructions
- Poor lighting
- Improper housekeeping in communal spaces
If the above causes are neglected or ignored by staff, then the repercussions of such instances could be detrimental to a person’s health and wellbeing. As a result, the victim of such an accident could be made to suffer unnecessarily.
You can find more information about causes and prevention tips for slip, trip and fall accidents by clicking here.
Defective Trolley And Roll Cage Accidents
An accident in a Morrisons supermarket could also result from a roll cage or defective trolley. This type of incident could encompass several people at once if control over the roll cage is lost by the operator. A container commonly utilised on shop floors, a roll cage accident could surface at almost any given moment if negligently handled.
There are roll cage safety measures in place to uphold reasonable standards of care for both shoppers and employees. If the maintenance and responsibility of a roll cage are ignored, it could lead to a reduced level of control over the container, causing a serious accident. Even as an employee, if it can be proven that your employer has acted negligently, you could conduct a work accident claim if a roll cage is ill-maintained or poorly stacked.
By law, the operator of this equipment has a duty of care to ensure that it is loaded correctly and safely under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER). As a roll cage could weigh over 500kg, it is therefore important for the operator to have an understanding of how these containers should be stacked, transported and unloaded.
Illness Due To A Reaction To Allergens
As a food distributor, supermarkets are legally required to inform customers of any allergens which may be an ingredient in products as per rules set out in the EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation (EU FIC). This strict health and safety legislation must be abided by all food distributing establishments to ensure food hygiene is maintained at a reasonable standard. These standards are overseen by an acting body, known as the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
To ensure that customers are aware of allergy products in pre-packed food, an ingredients list must be included with allergens emphasised in some way or another each time they appear.
The FSA outlines 14 main allergens as an ingredient in pre-packed products. These include:
- Eggs
- Lupin
- Mustard
- Molluscs (E.g. oysters and mussels)
- Celery
- Gluten (E.g. wheat, rye, oats, barley)
- Fish
- Tree nuts (E.g. walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, macadamia nuts, pistachios, etc.)
- Peanuts
- Sulphur dioxide/sulphites
- Soybeans
- Sesame seeds
- Crustaceans (E.g. crabs, prawns, lobsters)
- Milk
Additionally, this also applies to additives and other substances which may be present in the final product. For more information about this, please click here to be redirected to the FSA website.
Being Hit By An Item Falling From A Shelf
Another duty of care owed to you is for employees to ensure supermarket shelves are correctly stacked. This means that not only should items be stacked correctly upon one another, but the shelves should not be overloaded or neglected if defective. If items are not stacked properly, either by overloading a shelf or neglecting unsteady items, a product could fall and stroke a customer standing below. A liquid product could also break and cause a spillage, leading to a slip and fall accident. If a customer is exposed to such a hazard, they could suffer several injuries as a result.
All supermarket owners are legally obliged to ensure that the premises are safe for those within it under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. This legislation covers both visitors to the supermarket and workers employed by the company. If you were made to suffer from a circumstance, such as those mentioned within this guide, you could pursue an accident in a supermarket claim to compensate you for your damages. A personal injury solicitor from our experienced panel could advise you on how to begin your claim today. Call us on 0161 696 9685.
Work Accident Claims Against Morrisons
A personal injury claim for an accident in a Morrisons supermarket is not limited to shoppers. If you suffered from an injury at work, you could be entitled to compensation. This could be for an injury sustained through lack of training in manual handling, failure to maintain your working area safely or your employer asking you to undertake a dangerous task with no consideration for personal protective equipment (PPE) or appropriate training. If you are concerned, however, about where you stand legally while pursuing a compensation claim, then you should not worry. As a legal advisor from our panel will explain to you, you are well within your legal rights to conduct a work accident claim against a Morrisons supermarket without fear of discrimination or termination of employment. In fact, it is illegal for any employer to dismiss an employee for making a claim. If they did so, they could be exposed to unfair dismissal litigation.
Your rights as an employee are protected under various pieces of legislation, including the Employment Rights Act 1996. This statute states an employer cannot dismiss a worker for pursuing a compensation claim against them.
How Else You Could Be Injured In A Supermarket
There are several other ways in which an individual could suffer harm following an injury in a Morrisons supermarket. For example, an accident in a supermarket car park could occur if another road user does not drive safely, though this depends on the nature of the accident in question. To claim compensation as a driver, you should seek to claim against the other driver’s insurance provider. However, if you were injured in a Morrisons car park because a light was broken and you tripped over, then your claim could be made against the company itself.
In this detailed guide, you can find more information about the car accident claims process.
Supermarkets Duty To Ensure Customers and Staff Safety
As previously mentioned, retailers owe a duty of care to those who are on their premises. It doesn’t matter if this is a shopper, employee or contracted worker visiting for a short amount of time, they are legally protected while on the retailer’s property.
Therefore, to uphold this duty of care, it is the retailer’s responsibility to implement various safety strategies to target certain hazards and maintain a safe working space. It is the employers’ duty to protect anyone who may be affected by the business and this must be achieved through reasonably practicable measures. To achieve such standards an employer must:
- Conduct routine health and safety risk assessments to identify hazards within the workplace.
- Provide suitable training for all employees to ensure their daily tasks are completed safely.
- Relay information about risks in the workplace and how they intend to protect employees from such dangers.
- Consult their employees on issues relating to health and safety, either directly or through an external safety representative.
In addition to this, it is a legal requirement under the Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989 (HSIER) to display an approved poster in each workplace, along with a copy of an approved leaflet which outlines the relevant health and safety laws in the UK.
Could I Claim Compensation For Financial Losses And Expenses?
The answer is: yes. If you succeed in a personal injury claim against Morrisons, your final compensation package may consist of two heads of claim: general damages and special damages.
General damages are designed to compensate you for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity experienced as a result of the injury. Special damages are intended to compensate you for any financial losses or expenses that you have incurred or will incur in the future. This can cover an array of expenditures, from travel and medication costs to lost wages and home adaptations. To find out more about special damages, call our team on 0161 696 9685.
Calculating Personal Injury Claims Against A Morrisons Supermarket
You may be wondering how much you could receive in compensation from your claim. While it may be useful to use an online personal injury claims calculator, you could receive a more accurate estimate of your potential settlement amount.
The table below outlines some examples of injuries based on the Judicial College Guidelines, a legal publication which details compensation awards made by the courts for different injuries. It should be noted that as each claim is unique, your compensation award may differ.
Injury Severity Amount Information
Shoulder Injury Severe £18,020 to £45,070 A severe shoulder injury could be considered as serious harm to the brachial plexus that causes significant neck and/or arm symptoms.
Shoulder Injury Serious £11,980 to £18,020 This bracket will include dislocations and/or damage to the lower part of the brachial plexus. As a result, these types of injuries to the shoulder will cause serious pain, along with aching in the neck, elbow, shoulder and forearm. The victim may also experience sensory symptoms.
Shoulder Injury Moderate £7,410 to £11,980 A frozen shoulder which has limited movement and causes significant discomfort may be considered as a moderate shoulder injury. These symptoms may persist for up to two years but may not be permanent.
Ankle injury Severe £46,980 to £65,420 An individual who experiences a severe ankle injury is likely to endure extensive damage to the soft tissue. In addition to this, there is a potential for deformity and risk of amputation.
Ankle injury Moderate £12,900 to £24,950 This type of injury has the ability to inflict serious ligamentous tears and fractures upon the sufferer. In a handful of cases, it is possible for the victim to be left with difficulty walking, residual scarring and mild irritation from the metal plates used to treat the injury.
Ankle injury Minor Up to £12,900 This injury will be less serious than those previously mentioned. Therefore, the settlement amount will be awarded to fractures, sprains and/or ligamentous injuries. The level of aching, scarring and pain will be of a minor degree.
Brain Injury Severe £264,650 to £379,100 A severe brain injury of this nature will hold life-altering repercussions for the victim. For example, this may be considered as limited-to-no movement, lack of communications or double incontinence. As a result, full-time assistance will be needed following this injury.
Brain Injury Moderate £140,870 to £205,580 An injury of this degree will likely cause a moderate to severe deficit to a person’s intellectual abilities. This will be further reflected through symptoms of personality change, limited mobility and thus a hinderance to employment prospects.
Brain Injury Minor £14,380 to £40,410 Although minor, cases of brain damage which are less severe than those aforementioned will display mild symptoms of harm, such as memory loss or distraction from day-to-day activities.
No Win, No Fee Claims For An Accident in a Morrisons Supermarket
Our panel of solicitors can give you the option of entering into a No Win, No Fee Agreement, also known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). The CFA is designed to offer claimants financial protection and the confidence to pursue the compensation they deserve. If you sign a CFA with a solicitor from our panel, you will not have to pay any fees upfront, nor will you have to pay any fees during your claim either. And if your claim is unsuccessful, you will not have to pay any of the fees your solicitor has incurred in pursuing your case.
If your claim is successful, your solicitor may seek a small contribution towards their costs. This is known as a ‘success fee’ and would be deducted from the compensation awarded at the end of the claim. Don’t worry, the success fee is legally capped! When you speak to a solicitor from our panel, they will confirm with you the details of the success fee. You can also contact us to find out more by calling us on 0161 696 9685.
How To Make A Supermarket Injury Claim
Our panel of solicitors has decades of experience handling personal injury claims of this nature. They will strive to win you the maximum amount of compensation possible and will guide you through the complexities of the legal process, explaining legal jargon along the way. And if ever you have a query or would like an update on your case, they’ll be on hand to take your call.
Contacting Legal Helpline
You could begin your claim today by calling our friendly team of advisers. Simply call us for free on 0161 696 9685 for a free, no-obligation consultation about your accident in a Morrisons supermarket. Our lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with an adviser waiting to take your call. Alternatively, you could enquire online by clicking here.
Supporting Resources
Thank you for reading this guide on claims for an accident in a Morrisons supermarket. Below you can find additional sources which may provide supporting information for your personal injury claim.
Employer’s Responsibilities
A guide by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on what responsibilities an employer will hold under employment law.
Shop Risk Assessment Tool
A risk assessment tool which allows low-risk shops to evaluate hazards quickly.
Head Injury Claims
Our detailed guide on how you could receive compensation following a head injury from an accident caused by third-party negligence.
Burn Injury Compensation Specialists
Were you the victim of a burn injury? Are you seeking free legal advice on how you could claim compensation for your suffering? If so, please read this guide.
Settlement Amounts For Elbow Injuries
Free legal advice on how elbow injury victims could receive maximum compensation.
Guide by HS
Edited by REG