By Cat Stardew. Last Updated 15th April 2024. If you suffered injuries because no wet floor sign was displayed in a public place, you might be eligible to make a claim. In this guide, we will look at the relevant eligibility criteria for pursuing compensation.
We will look at some of the circumstances that could lead to a personal injury claim and how much your injuries could be worth. This guide will also highlight the benefits of working with a solicitor and what it means if you work with a legal representative under a No Win No Fee agreement.
Continue with this guide to learn how to approach your claim. Additionally, if you’re looking to speak to someone about claiming after no wet floor sign was displayed, contact our advisors using the following details.
- Call 0161 696 9685
- Make an online enquiry
- Use the live chat
Select A Section
- What Could You Claim If No Wet Floor Sign Was Displayed?
- Criteria To Make A Personal Injury Claim For Slips And Falls
- What Evidence Is Necessary To Support A Claim For A Slip Or Fall On A Wet Floor?
- If No Wet Floor Sign Was Displayed And You Slipped, How Could You Be Injured?
- Why Contact Us To Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
- Learn More About Your Rights If No Wet Floor Sign Was Displayed
What Could You Claim If No Wet Floor Sign Was Displayed?
You can seek personal injury compensation for physical and psychological injuries after no wet floor sign was displayed through general damages. This head of a claim is valued by legal professionals using the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This publication displays compensation brackets for general damages as a guideline.
Below, you can see examples from the JCG. These should not be taken as guarantees, however. The circumstances of your individual claim will impact how much you receive.
Compensation Guidelines
| Injuries | Compensation Figures | Description of Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries With Financial Losses | Up to £300,000+ | Compensation for suffering multiple serious injuries and their financial losses such as lost earnings, medical expenses and travel costs. |
| Severe Back Injury (a) (i) | £111,150 to £196,450 | Spinal cord damage leads to severe pain and disability with incomplete paralysis. |
| Moderate Back Injury (b) (i) | £33,880 to £47,320 | Constant pain and discomfort are caused by injuries such as lumbar vertebrae compression. |
| Very Severe Ankle Injury (a) | £61,090 to £85,070 | Unusual ankle injuries, such as transmalleolar ankle fractures with extensive soft-tissue damage. |
| Severe Ankle Injury (b) | £38,210 to £61,090 | Where treatment is extensive and lengthy and residual disabilities are significant. |
| Wrist Injury (a) | £58,110 to £73,050 | The function of the wrist is completely lost. |
| Wrist Injury (c) | £15,370 to £29,900 | Some permanent disability with persisting pain but the retention of some useful movement. |
| Achilles Tendon Injury (a) | In the region of £46,900 | Muscle cramps, swelling and restrictive movement. |
| Moderate Knee Injury (b) (i) | £18,110 to £31,960 | Dislocations and torn cartilage cause minor instability and mild future disability. |
| Modest Foot Injury (g) | Up to £16,770 | Ruptured ligaments, simple metatarsal fractures and the like give rise to aching, permanent pain and a constant limp. |
| Serious Toe Injury (d) | £11,720 to £16,770 | Crush injuries or fractures of the toes causing some permanent disability with discomfort. |
Special Damages
If you’ve suffered financial losses as a result of your injuries, you could claim special damages. This can cover:
- Loss of earnings
- Care costs
- Medical bills
You should provide evidence in support of your special damages claim, which could include invoices and receipts. Speak with one of our advisors to see how much your claim could be worth.
Criteria To Make A Personal Injury Claim For Slips And Falls
In order to claim compensation for injuries sustained in a slip and fall when no wet floor sign was displayed, you would need to show that it was caused by negligence. Negligence is a breach of duty of care that causes harm. You must show that you were injured in order to make a personal injury claim. Below, we will look at the duty of care that you’re owed at work and in a public place.
Accidents at work
Employers have a duty of care towards those who they employ. They need to take reasonably practicable steps to prevent injury from occurring. If you were hurt in an accident at work caused by employer negligence, you could be entitled to claim.
One of the things an employer should do to adhere to this duty of care is to make employees aware of hazards, including a wet floor.
Public place accidents
Under the Occupier’s Liability Act 1957, the party in control of a public place has a duty of care to keep the public safe when they’re using the space for the intended purpose. Their duty of care means that they need to ensure the reasonable safety of visitors to the space. For example, the owner of a shop might have a duty of care towards you while you’re in the space, whereas the local council could be responsible for your safety while you’re in a library that they maintain.
You’re not automatically entitled to claim just because there was no wet floor sign and you fell as a result. For example, if you were in a supermarket and someone dropped a bottle of milk and you slipped on it within 10 seconds of it being dropped, you might not be able to claim. This is because it may not be considered reasonable for a wet floor sign to have been put out in such a short timeframe.
If you would like an assessment of whether you could have a valid claim, then speak with a member of our team today for free advice. You could be connected with a legal representative from our panel.
How Long Do You Have To Make A Claim After Slipping On A Wet Floor With No Sign?
If you want to make a personal injury claim after slipping on a wet floor with no sign, you must start proceedings within three years of suffering your injuries. This time limit applies to all personal injury claims, and is outlined in the Limitation Act 1980.
However, in some circumstances, you may be able to start your claim outside of this time limit. For example, if you were injured while under the age of eighteen, then the time limit doesn’t begin until you turn eighteen. At any time before then, a litigation friend can claim on your behalf. If no claim is made during this time, then you can start a claim for yourself from the date of your eighteenth birthday up until you turn twenty-one.
The time limit is also suspended for those who lack the mental capacity to make a personal injury claim for themselves. In these cases, the time limit is frozen indefinitely, and a litigation friend can make the claim on their behalf. If they recover the needed capacity and no claim has been made, then they will have three years from the date of their recovery to start proceedings for themselves.
To learn more about the personal injury claims time limit and how it could affect your claim for compensation, get in touch with our team of advisors today.
What Evidence Is Necessary To Support A Claim For A Slip Or Fall On A Wet Floor?
It is vital that you provide evidence when making a claim for compensation. This could include:
- CCTV footage of the accident
- Photographs of your injuries and of the wet floor with no wet floor sign in place
- Medical evidence, including doctors’ reports and copies of scans
- Contact details of witnesses that can support your claim so they can be approached for a statement
You could also be asked to attend an independent medical assessment. This will confirm that your injuries were consistent with the accident you were in. Working with a solicitor from our panel could mean that you can attend this locally to you, reducing the need for you to travel.
You may also find it useful to speak to a legal professional for advice on making a claim. Our advisors can explain how to successfully start the claims process. Call us today for free legal advice.
If No Wet Floor Sign Was Displayed And You Slipped, How Could You Be Injured?
If no wet floor sign was displayed, then an injury could occur in a number of ways. For example:
- A customer in a supermarket drops a bottle of oil by mistake, causing it to spill. A member of staff is told about this but ignores the issue, and a customer slips and sustains a head injury.
- A spillage has not been cleaned up properly but despite this, the wet floor sign is not removed. The resulting slip, trip or fall causes an ankle injury.
These are just examples; you might still be able to claim even if your circumstances don’t match those above. For further guidance on the validity of your claim, contact our advisors today.
Why Contact Us To Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
One of the personal injury solicitors from our panel may be able to work with you through a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which is a type of No Win No Fee agreement. With a CFA, you’re typically only required to pay at the end of a successful claim. This “success fee” is taken from your compensation award with a legal cap, ensuring that the majority of the award is forwarded to you.
Additionally, your solicitor will provide you with legal representation for the duration of your claim with no necessity to pay upfront or ongoing success fees. You also don’t pay them for their services if you’re not awarded compensation.
If you would like to know more, why not call our advisors today? You could be connected with a solicitor from our panel if our advisors can see a good chance of your claim succeeding.
How To Contact Us
Our advisors are available 24/7 to answer any questions you may have about making a claim if no wet floor sign was displayed. For free legal advice, get in touch today.
- Call 0161 696 9685
- Make an online enquiry
- Message us directly through the live chat
Learn More About Your Rights If No Wet Floor Sign Was Displayed
You can find more of our personal injury guides here.
Furthermore, the following sources can provide you with more information.
- GOV – Report a pavement problem
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – Preventing slips and trips
- GOV – Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
If you still have questions about making a claim after no wet floor sign was displayed in a public place, contact our team today.
Written by FJA
Published by FS