How To Claim Compensation For A Personal Injury In A Supermarket

You might be wondering when you could claim for an accident in a supermarket. To have good grounds for a personal injury claim, you will need to prove that:

The person in control of the space owed you a duty of care.
They breached this duty.
As a result, you suffered an injury.

When you are in a public place, such as a supermarket, the person in control of that space owes you a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 (OLA). This means that they have to take steps to ensure your reasonable safety while using the space for its intended purpose. If they fail to do so, and this causes you to suffer an injury, then you may be able to make a claim.

Our team of advisors are here to help if you’d like to learn more about supermarket accident claims. Get in touch today to find out if you could be eligible to claim, or read on to learn more about the personal injury claims process.

Time Limits For Supermarket Accident Claims

If you are eligible to claim for your supermarket accident, you must begin your claim within the time limit. The Limitation Act 1980 sets this as three years from the date you suffered your injuries.

However, there are some exceptions to the three-year limit. For example, minors under the age of eighteen cannot claim for themselves until their eighteenth birthday. Then, they will have until their twenty-first birthday to start their claim. Otherwise, a litigation friend can begin legal proceedings on their behalf.

The time limit will also freeze for those who do not have the mental capacity to make their own claim. In these cases, a litigation friend can claim on their behalf. The limitation period will only reinstate if a supermarket accident compensation claim has not already been made and the claimant recovers the needed capacity.

Speak with one of our advisors regarding any questions about the limitation period for supermarket accident claims.

Common Types Of Accidents In A Supermarket

There are various types of injuries you could suffer in an accident in a supermarket. These include:

If the supermarket was aware of a spillage and did not take any steps to ensure your reasonable safety, such as putting up a wet floor sign in a timely manner, this could result in you slipping on a wet floor. Such an accident can cause various injuries, such as a broken ankle.
Poor housekeeping in a supermarket could lead to accidents such as slips, trips and falls because of clutter and obstructions in walkways. As part of its duty of care, a supermarket should take reasonable action to address any potential obstructions left on the floor, such as packaging or broken glass. If the latter is not cleared, then parties injured in a subsequent accident may suffer cuts and lacerations.
Objects falling from a height could result in a head injury. Such an accident could happen in a supermarket if shelves are not stacked safely. Alternatively, the shelving may be unsafe, and if the supermarket does not take any steps to fix it, this could result in objects falling or a collapse of the shelving, which causes injuries.

To discuss whether you’re eligible to start a supermarket accident claim, connect with one of the advisors from our team today.

What Are The Most Popular Supermarkets In The UK?

The UK is home to a number of different supermarket chains. Here are the most common:

Tesco
Asda
Lidl
Aldi
Marks and Spencer
Waitrose
Iceland
Farmfoods
Heron Foods
Home Bargains
Morrison’s
The Co-Operative

The same legal rules apply to all supermarkets, regardless of size. If you’d like to check if you can sue a supermarket for an injury, get in touch with us for free today

Gathering Evidence To Support A Supermarket Accident Claim

In order to be eligible to make a personal injury claim following an accident in a supermarket, you must be able to prove that your injuries occurred due to a breach of a duty of care owed to you. This is known as negligence.

Collecting sufficient evidence could help prove the injuries you suffered along with liability. Some examples of evidence that could help support your supermarket accident claim include:

Videos of the incident, such as from CCTV.
The contact details of anyone who saw the accident so they can give a statement later into the claiming process.
A copy of your medical records, which illustrate the nature of the injuries you suffered along with what medical treatment you required.
Photographs of the accident scene and any visible injuries you suffered.

If you need any help with how to claim, please get in touch with our advisors. They can give you free advice about how to gather evidence.

Examples Of Compensation Payouts For An Accident In A Supermarket

Settlements for successful supermarket accident claims could consist of two parts: general and special damages.

General damages compensate you for the pain and suffering you experienced as a result of your injuries. Those responsible for valuing this part of your claim may refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) for guidance. These guidelines provide a list of compensation brackets for different types of injuries.

Our table below looks at a few figures for injuries that could be relevant to an accident in a supermarket. As every claim is different, these values are only to be used as a guide.

The top entry in this table has not been taken from the JCG.

Type of Injury/ Body Part	Level of Severity	How Much Could You Claim?	Further Comments
Multiple Severe Injuries With Financial Losses	Severe	Up to £1,000,000+	Compensation for multiple injuries that are severe plus special damages such as a loss of earnings.
Brain/Head Injury	Very Severe Brain Damage	£344,150 to £493,000	Little or no response to environment, little or no language function and double incontinence. There may be some ability to follow basic commands and recovery of sleep and waking patterns.
Arm Injury	Severe	£117,360 to £159,770	The injuries will fall short of amputation but will still be incredibly serious and leave the claimant little better off than if the arm had been lost.
Hand Injury	Serious Damage To Both Hands	£68,070 to £103,200	Serious damage to both hands. There will be a significant loss of function and permanent cosmetic issues.
Knee Injury	Severe (ii)	£63,610 to £85,100	Leg fractures that extend into the knee joint. This will cause permanent pain alongside other issues.
Back Injury	Moderate (ii)	£15,260 to £33,880	Could include disturbance of muscles and ligaments. It could also involve the exacerbation of a pre-existing condition.
Foot Injury	Serious	£30,500 to £47,840	Injuries leading to the risk of future arthritis or continuous pain from traumatic arthritis. There will also be a need for prolonged treatment and risk of fusion surgery.
Wrist Injury	Less Severe (c)	£15,370 to £29,900	Less severe injuries where the result is still some form of permanent disability.

You may also be awarded special damages. Special damages are awarded to compensate for the financial losses caused by your injuries. Here are a few examples of expenses you could be compensated for:

Medical costs, including prescriptions, mobility aids and therapy
Expenses for adaptations made to your home, such as installing a stairlift
Loss of earnings for time spent off work to recover. This could include pension contributions.
Care and nursing costs

You should submit proof of your expenditure, such as receipts, invoices, wage slips or bank statements otherwise you may not get compensated for them.

If you have any questions about how a personal injury claim could be valued, speak with one of our team members. You can also read a case study here which goes over a claim which involved a spillage slip and fall accident and the compensation received by the client.

How Can Solicitors Help With Supermarket Accident Claims?

If you choose to instruct a solicitor to help you claim compensation for an injury sustained in a supermarket accident, they could offer services such as:

Helping you gather evidence to support your case
Sending correspondence regarding your claim on your behalf
Negotiating a fair settlement
Calculating the value of your payout
Ensuring your claim is brought forward within the correct limitation period

Our solicitors can offer services similar to those above. They also have experience handling supermarket accident claims and can guide you through each stage of the claims process to help you secure a settlement.

Furthermore, they offer a nationwide service meaning you don’t have to choose a solicitor based on their location and can instead opt to instruct a solicitor with expertise in public liability claims from Advice.

If you have any other questions about the benefits of working with a solicitor when claiming compensation, please get in touch using the number above.

How To Claim Compensation For A Personal Injury In A Supermarket With A No Win No Fee Solicitor

If you have valid grounds to claim for an accident in a supermarket, then you could have your case reviewed by our advisors. If they determine you do have a strong claim, then they may connect you with a No Win No Fee solicitor here at Advice.

Our solicitors can support a personal injury compensation claim under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Such an agreement typically means that you don’t have to pay your solicitor for their work either at the start of your claim or while it’s being processed.

Another benefit is that you also won’t have to pay your solicitor for their services if your claim goes ahead but it’s unsuccessful. If your case is successful, then your solicitor will take what’s called a success fee. This means they’ll take a small, legally capped percentage of the compensation awarded to you.

Contact our advisors on the phone or online today to learn more about making a supermarket injury claim with a No Win No Fee solicitor. To reach them, you can:

Call 0161 509 2856
Contact us using our online form.
Or you can use our 24/7 live chat service.

Further Advice On How To Claim Compensation For A Personal Injury

NHS Guide To Falls – Information about the causes of falls and what to do if you have a fall.
Marks and Spencer Personal Injury Claims – Information on accidents in M&S stores and how you could claim compensation if you’ve been injured.
Aldi Personal Injury Claims – Guidance on what to do if you’ve been injured in an Aldi supermarket and how you may be able to claim compensation.

We hope you found this guide helpful. If you have any further queries about claiming compensation after an accident in a supermarket with a personal injury solicitor, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Meet the Team

Gemma Shields

Chartered Legal Executive | Road Traffic Accident Claims Specialist

Gemma Shields is a CILEx qualified legal professional with over a decade of experience in road traffic accident claims, including pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist cases. She provides clear, compassionate legal support to clients across England and Wales.