I Tripped Over A Loose Wire, Could I Claim Compensation?

I Tripped Over A Cable Or Tripped Over A Wire, Could I Make A Claim?

By Lewis Lennon. Last Updated 28th April 2023. If you have tripped over a loose wire you may be able to seek personal injury compensation providing you can show negligence on the part of someone else.

Trips and slips are among the more common personal injury claims. Whether at work or in a public area, if you tripped over a loose wire, you may have grounds to sue for compensation.

You may have tripped on a network cable, rope, chair, electrical cable, or a structural cable. After your accident, you could have sustained a minor injury, or you may have suffered more serious injuries, like multiple fractures, when you tripped.

Tripped over a loose wire could I claim compensation guide

Tripped over a loose wire could I claim compensation guide

Your employer has a duty to ensure the workplace is safe. Additionally, private landowners, local authorities and the council owe you a duty of care, too. If you tripped over a loose wire due to their negligence, you must be able to prove this in order to make a claim.

Our guide explains how to prove negligence and we provide advice on the level of general damages and special damages you could claim. We also offer essential information on how you could be represented by a No Win No Fee lawyer.

Further information on claiming compensation if you tripped over a loose cable or wire can be found in the sections below. If you prefer, you can speak to a member of our team by calling a specialist adviser on 0161 696 9685.

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A Guide To Tripped Over A Loose Wire Compensation Claims

If you tripped over a loose wire and suffered injuries, you could seek compensation by making a personal injury claim. If the incident happened in the workplace, you could pursue a claim against your employer. To do this, you must be able to show they breached their duty of care towards you.

That said, a contractor or another third party could also be deemed liable. An example of this is if an external company was carrying out work for your employer in the workplace, causing you injury.

When it comes to an injury sustained in a public place caused by a trip over a loose wire, your claim would be against the landowner or a local council. You must prove negligence on their part for a claim to be upheld. However, if some work was being done by a contractor on public land and you tripped over a loose wire, then your claim would be made against the contractor.

Our guide offers essential advice on your right to seek compensation and how to prove liability. We provide estimates of the compensation awarded for specific injuries, which are classed as general damages. We also look at what special damages are and what your compensation award could cover.

Lastly, our guide explains how you could be represented by a No Win No Fee lawyer once your case has been thoroughly assessed. To find out whether you have a valid tripped over a loose wire claim, please speak to a member of our team today.

Tripped Over A Wire Compensation Calculator

The injuries you suffer if you tripped over a loose wire may be minor, but they can also be quite serious. The level of compensation awarded depends on the severity of the injury you sustained.

Below, we have included a table that shows amounts paid out in general damages for specific injuries. These amounts are based on the Judicial College Guidelines and do not include any other expenses that might be included in your claim. These are covered in the following section.

Type of injuryDetailsGeneral Damages Awarded (Judicial College Guidelines)
Injury to a handSerious£29,000 to £61,910
Injury to a handLess serious£14,450 to £29,000
Injury to a handModerate£5,720 to £13,280
Injury to thumbVery serious£19,600 to £35,010
Injury to thumbSerious£12,590 to £16,760
Injury to neck (ii)Moderate£24,990 to
£38,490
Injury to back (ii)Moderate£12,510 to £27,760
Injury to toeModerateUp to £9,600
Injury to elbowMinor - moderateUp to £12,590
Head injuryMinor injury to head or brain £2,210 to £12,770

Types Of Expenses You Could Be Compensated For

General damages are awarded to compensate you for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity. You can be awarded special damages for losses and expenses you incurred because of your injuries. As such, you could include the following in a tripped over a loose wire claim:

Loss of earnings

  • Any loss of earnings you incurred during the time you were off work recovering from your injuries.

Loss of future income:

  • Lost future income can be claimed if your injuries are so severe that you cannot carry on working.

Medical expenses:

  • The cost of prescriptions, private treatment and any other medical costs linked to your injuries which are not covered by the NHS.

Care costs:

  • If you require assistance around the home while you recover from your injuries, the cost of this can be claimed back in special damages. It is worth noting that even if a family member takes care of you, the cost can be claimed.

Travel expenses:

  • You can claim travel expenses incurred to get to hospital appointments, or to solicitor appointments. You can also claim any parking fees you had to pay when attending these appointments.

Because special damages are based on ‘actual’ losses and expenses, you must provide proof to support these. This could be relevant receipts and other documentation.

For further advice regarding special damages you can include in a tripped over a loose wire claim, please get in touch with an adviser today.

What Is A Tripped Over A Loose Wire Accident?

You could be injured in the workplace or in a public area if you tripped over a loose wire. You may have tripped over heavy-duty cabling on a pavement, or it could have been structural wires that caused you to trip.

All wiring must be correctly placed or protected to reduce the risk of injury to anyone. This applies to permanent or temporary wiring, whether in the workplace or in a public area.

If the wiring causes a hazard or obstruction and as a consequence, you tripped over a loose wire, you could have grounds to sue for compensation. For further advice please get in touch with one of our advisers on the telephone number at the top of the page.

Causes Of Tripping Over Wires And Cables

If you tripped over a loose wire while you were at work, the incident could have been caused because your employer was negligent. In other words, your employer did not ensure the workplace was safe. This constitutes a breach of duty of care.

It could be that a contractor was carrying out work and failed to set up enough protection around some wiring. Should this be the case, you may be able to claim against the contractor due to their negligence.

If you sustained an injury because you tripped over a loose wire in a public place, your case would be against the party responsible. You must show a local authority or the landowner were negligent and that they neglected their duty of care. This could give you grounds to sue for compensation by making a personal injury claim.

For free legal advice, please get in touch with one of our specialist advisers today.

Claim Time Limits When Claiming For An Injury Caused By Tripping Over A Loose Wire

After tripping over some cables, you might be wondering whether you could make a personal injury claim. As previously stated, you will need to prove that negligence occurred to be eligible to pursue compensation.

If you are eligible, you’ll need to start your personal injury claim within the time limit set out in the Limitation Act 1980. Generally, you have three years from the date of your injury to start your claim.

However, in certain circumstances, there are exceptions to this time limit. The three-year time limit is paused for a minor who was injured after tripping over a loose wire until their 18th birthday. A court-appointed litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf during this time. Once they turn 18, they will have three years to start a claim if one has not already been made.

The time limit is suspended indefinitely for someone who does not have the mental capacity to make their own claim. Again, a litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf. However, if they were to regain this mental capacity, they will have three years from this date to start their claim if one has not already been made.

Get in touch if you have any questions about the limitation period for personal injury claims. They could also inform you whether you have enough time to start your claim.

Injuries Caused By Tripping On A Cable Or Wire

If you tripped over a loose wire, the injury you suffer may only be minor, but you could also sustain something a lot more serious. Some of the most common trip injuries are:

  • Sprains – wrists and ankles
  • Abrasions
  • Soft tissue damage
  • Broken bones
  • Fractures
  • Cuts
  • Torn ligaments and tendons
  • Internal bleeding
  • Head injuries
  • Back injuries
  • Spinal injuries

If you suffered an injury not listed above, please get in touch with an adviser to find out whether you have a valid tripped over a loose wire claim.

Tripped Over A Cable Or Wire At Work

All employers in the UK owe their staff a duty of care as set out in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulation 1992, amongst other legislation.

Your employer must make sure there are no trailing cables that present hazards in the workplace. They must also regularly carry out risk assessments so they can set in place all reasonable measures to reduce the risk of accidents happening.

If your employer failed in their duty to keep the workplace free of hazards and you were injured as a result, you could have grounds to sue. If you tripped over a loose wire placed by a contractor working on a job for your employer, you may be able to seek compensation from them.

Employers duty to create a safe working environment

As previously mentioned, employers in the UK owe the people who work for them a duty of care. Employers must abide by the laws that protect employees, other staff and the general public who visit a workplace. Failure to do so which results in an injury, could entitle you to seek compensation by filing a personal injury claim.

The laws that employers must abide by in the UK are:

If you tripped over a loose wire in the workplace and you believe the incident happened due to employer negligence, please get in touch today.

Loose Wires And Cables In Supermarkets

If you tripped over wires and cables in a supermarket that presented a hazard, you could have grounds to claim compensation. All wiring and cables in supermarkets must not present any sort of risk or hazard to shoppers or staff.

When a cable is left running across a supermarket floor, causing you to trip and fall, the supermarket could be deemed negligent and held liable for your injuries. As a result, you could have grounds to make a personal injury claim.

For free legal advice on pursuing a tripped over a loose wire claim, please speak to a member of our team today.

Tripped Over A Cable Or Wire In A Public Place

The occupier of a public space owes the general public a duty of care according to the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. This is to ensure public areas are safe for you to use and be in.

Who the occupier of a public space is isn’t specified in the Occupier’s Liability Act. However, it should be someone with control over a space who could have reasonably predicted that an accident could have happened. This might be a landlord or a business owner.

The duty of care held by the occupier includes taking all reasonably practicable steps to make sure the space can be used safely by the public for the purpose intended. This includes making sure no trailing wires, whether permanent or temporary, are found in an area the general public can use.

If you tripped over a wire in a public place, you could have grounds to sue for compensation, providing you can prove third party negligence.

Public liability claims

Landowners, local councils, and authorities should hold Public Liability Insurance, though it isn’t a requirement by law. This insurance is designed to protect people and businesses, as well as non-commercial organisations, against injury claims and damage for which they could be found legally responsible.

If you tripped over a loose wire and injured yourself in a public space, you could file a public liability claim to seek compensation. For further advice, please get in touch with a member of our team today.

How To Claim If You Tripped Over A Loose Wire

f you tripped over a loose wire whether at work or in a public place, you could have grounds to sue for compensation. That said, you must prove third party negligence for a claim to be upheld. As such, you must gather as much evidence as you can, which includes:

  • Photos of where the accident occurred, paying special attention to the wire you tripped over
  • Photos of your injuries
  • Witness statements together with their contact details
  • A medical report of your injuries, which should be as detailed as possible
  • Make a note of all your out-of-pocket expenses and hold on to all the receipts

If you tripped over a loose wire at work, make sure there is a record in the Accident Book. If there is no book, send a personal email or letter to your employer detailing your injuries. You should also make sure you keep copies for your own records

The more evidence you can provide, the stronger a tripped over a loose wire claim would be. It also means a lawyer is likely to agree to take on your case on a No Win No Fee basis.

Tripped Over A Loose Wire No Win No Fee Claims

Seeking compensation by making a personal injury claim can prove expensive if you choose the representation of a solicitor who charges an hourly rate. This is why many injured parties do not pursue a claim against a negligent party.

However, there is an option to seek the legal services of a No Win No Fee lawyer. Signing a Conditional Fee Agreement (the formal term for a No Win No Fee agreement) means the funding for legal representation is taken care of.

In short, you do not have to pay a No Win No Fee lawyer an upfront fee and there are no ongoing fees to pay, either.

Other benefits of signing a No Win No Fee agreement with a lawyer include:

  • You pay the success fee to the lawyer out of the tripped over a loose wire compensation you receive
  • If you lose your claim, you do not have to pay anything to the lawyer who acted on your behalf

If you have any questions about working with a No Win No Fee lawyer, please get in touch with one of our advisers today.

Contact Us

To speak to a member of our team and to receive free legal advice, please get in touch which you can do in the following ways:

  • Talk to a specialist adviser by phone on 0161 696 9685 – lines are open 24/7
  • Fill out our online contact form by clicking here
  • Use our Live Chat for an immediate answer

More Information On Slips, Trips And Falls

Information on best practices within the NHS on slip, trip and fall prevention can be found on the link below:

Slip, trip and fall prevention

Advice on Health and Safety at work:

Health and Safety in the workplace

At the link below, you’ll find our guide to proving liability for an accident at work:

Proving liability for an accident at work

Our guide below covers spinal injury claims:

Spinal injury compensation

Our guide below will give you advice if you’ve been in an accident at work during your probation period:

Compensation during probation period guide

Thank you for reading our guide on how to claim if you’ve tripped over a loose wire.