By Cat Grayson. Last Updated 5th July 2023. If you’ve been involved in a wet floor accident, you’ll no doubt be aware of how painful and serious the injuries can be. You may not realise, but if the accident happened because the responsible party had failed to meet their duty of care then you may be eligible to begin a personal injury claim for compensation.
If you want to begin a claim today, please call Advice.co.uk on 0161 696 9685 and we’ll start by assessing the merits of your claim for free and if you would like to know more first, then please carry on reading this useful article.
Select A Section
- A Guide To Wet Floor Accident Compensation Claims
- How Much Compensation Do You Get For Slipping On A Wet Floor?
- What Is A Wet Floor Accident?
- Common Causes Of A Wet Floor Accident
- Does It Matter If There Was A Sign In Place?
- How Do We Establish The Defendant’s Liability For Your Injuries?
- I Slipped On Wet Floor In A Supermarket, Can I Claim Compensation?
- Wet Floor Accidents In The Workplace
- Wet Floor Accidents In A Public Place
- Other Locations You Could Have A Wet Floor Accident
- Common Injuries Caused By Wet Floor Slip Fall Accidents
- Wet Floor Accident Back Injuries
- Wet Floor Accident Hand, Arm And Wrist Injuries
- Wet Floor Accident Head Injuries
- How Long Do I Have To Make My Personal Injury Claim?
- How You Can Make A Wet Floor Accident Claim
- No Win No Fee Claims For Wet Floor Accidents And Injuries
- How Our Advisors Can Help You
- Contacting Our Specialist Advisors
- Additional Information
A Guide To Wet Floor Accident Compensation Claims
Wet floor accident claims guide
Sometimes, when you see someone slipping over, you may think that they have not really injured themselves, but the problem is that these types of accidents can lead to some very serious injuries.
A wet floor accident that occurs in places like shops, schools, cafes, supermarkets and even in your workplace can lead to compensation claims if the operator of the building was negligent in any way.
This guide will cover topics such as how much compensation you could receive, common wet floor injury types, how you can make your claim, common places that slip and falls happen and how no win no fee claims can help.
It is important to note that you should seek medical treatment or assessment for any wet floor injury as it will be difficult to claim compensation without any medical records that demonstrate the severity of your injuries and the impact they’ve had on you.
If you’ve been involved in any type of fall because you slipped on a wet floor, then carry on reading this guide to answer questions like “Can you sue if there is a wet floor sign” and “How much compensation do you get for slipping on a wet floor?”
How Much Compensation Do You Get For Slipping On A Wet Floor?
You may be wondering, ‘how much compensation do you get for slipping on a wet floor?’ We can’t offer an average compensation payout for a wet floor accident. This is because compensation for personal injury claims is calculated on a case-by-case basis, with consideration given to the unique circumstances surrounding each claim.
However, we can help you get a broader understanding of what your potential compensation could be made up of and how legal professionals calculate compensation in personal injury claims.
If you’re awarded compensation after being injured in a wet floor accident, the settlement can be made up of two heads, which are general damages and special damages. General damages are awarded to every successful claimant, and this head of claim covers your injuries and the effect that they will have on your life going forward.
Below, you can find some guideline figures for general damages as outlined by the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This document provides guideline compensation brackets for different injuries, but these amounts are not guaranteed.
| Injury | Details | Compensation amount |
|---|---|---|
| Neck Injury - Severe (ii) | Disc damage and fractures in the cervical spine which cause a severe disability. | £65,740 to £130,930 |
| Neck Injury - Moderate (i) | Dislocations or fractures which cause immediate severe symptoms and may require spinal fusion. | £24,990 to £38,490 |
| Leg Injury - (b) Severe (iii) Serious | Serious compound or comminuted fractures, or injuries to joints or ligaments resulting in instability with prolonged treatment. | £39,200 to £54,830 |
| Leg Injury - (c) Less Serious (i) | Fractures from which an incomplete recovery is made. The person may be left with a limp. | £17,960 to £27,760 |
| Back Injury - Moderate (i) | Could include compression/crush fractures of the lumbar vertebrae causing a risk of osteoarthritis and chronic pain | £27,760 to £38,780 |
| Back Injury - Minor (i) | Soft tissue injuries with recovery expected within about two to five years. | £7,890 to £12,510 |
| Wrist injuries - (c) | Wrist injury that causes persisting stiffness and pain. | £12,590 to £24,500 |
| Whiplash Injury with Psychological Injury | Symptoms lasting 18-24 months | £4,345 |
| Whiplash Injury | Symptoms lasting 18-24 months | £4,215 |
Special Damages
Special damages are the head of claim that addresses the way your injuries have impacted you financially. For example, if you can no longer work as a result of your injuries, then you may be able to claim back your lost earnings under this heading.
Special damages can also help you recoup the cost of:
- Home adjustments
- Prescriptions
- Domestic help
- Childcare
To claim under this heading, you must be able to provide evidence of your financial losses. As a result, it can be helpful to keep any bank statements, receipts, or other documents illustrating your losses.
For more information on claiming compensation for injuries caused by a wet floor, contact our team of advisors today.
What Is A Wet Floor Accident?
Defining a wet floor accident isn’t that tricky as it’s quite self-explanatory: a slip or fall because of some type of liquid on the floor.
The trickier part is to understand how somebody else could be liable for the accident. Any personal injury solicitor will look for 3 things to determine if you have a good chance of successfully claiming compensation or not:
- That the defendant (whoever you find responsible for the accident) owed you a duty of care;
- That they breached their duty of care in some way;
- And that, because of the breach, you sustained injuries.
Most public places owe a duty of care to anybody who is on their premises to ensure that they are safe and not injured while on site. The same is true of employers who owe all staff a duty of care to protect them while in the workplace.
Common Causes Of A Wet Floor Accident
There are a number of reasons why a floor could be wet and lead to an accident including:
- Water is a common liquid that can lead to a wet floor accident and can occur for many reasons.
- Drinks spills can happen in places like restaurants, schools and workplaces.
- Cleaning can leave a floor wet
- Roof leaks can lead to an excessively wet floor
- Burst pipes
- Other liquids such as oil, grease and cleaning products
- Refrigeration leaks such a defrosted freezer
Any of these, and other reasons, can lead to wet floor accident claims as long as you can prove that somebody else is liable for the accident causing pain and suffering which we will cover in more detail later in this guide.
Does It Matter If There Was A Sign In Place?
|Wet floor warning sign
It goes without saying that if you fall over because you weren’t paying attention, then you wouldn’t be able to claim compensation. The same is true if there are enough warning signs, highlighting the risk of the wet floor, in multiple prominent positions around the wet floor.
However, if there was only a single sign, the signs weren’t adequate or in places, they could be seen properly then you may still be able to make a claim for compensation.
Obviously, if no signs are in place at all, then you should be able to make a claim for any injuries you sustained.
How Do We Establish The Defendant’s Liability For Your Injuries?
Liability for a slip or trip on a wet floor can be proven in many cases because:
- No warning signs or poorly placed signs were used.
- If a spillage hasn’t been cleaned up in a timely manner.
- In a workplace, if a leak has occurred but the root cause has not been repaired in a timely manner.
Essentially, negligence is proven when somebody has failed to meet their duty of care by failing to take action when necessary. If you’re unsure if liability can be proven following your accident, then call one our trained advisers who’ll assess the details of your claim and let you know if you can proceed to make a claim.
I Slipped On Wet Floor In A Supermarket, Can I Claim Compensation
Supermarkets have a responsibility to ensure that staff, customers and visitors are safe while in their supermarkets.
As large employers, supermarkets have written health and safety policies to ensure that staff know what to do in the event of a spillage, leak or when cleaning the supermarket. That doesn’t mean accidents don’t happen though as staff may not follow procedures that they’ve been trained in.
If you’ve slipped on a wet floor in a supermarket and it was caused by a spillage that hasn’t been cleaned up in a timely manner or cleaners have left the floor wet but used inadequate signage and you have been injured, then you could make a claim for compensation.
Wet Floor Accidents In The Workplace
Any employer in the UK has a duty of care to its employees to ensure they remain safe while at work. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, they must ensure risk assessments are undertaken regularly and have health and safety procedures in place that all staff should be trained in and adhere to at all times.
Some jobs are at risk of wet floors just because of the nature of the work but that doesn’t mean an employer would not be to blame for any accident. If risks are highlighted then the employer should ensure that additional safety equipment is provided, handrails put in place or anti-slip features like mats or shoes are provided.
If you’ve slipped on a spillage, leak or cleaned floor at work causing pain and suffering then you could seek compensation if it was caused because somebody failed to follow the health and safety procedures (such as not using the correct signs).
Wet Floor Accidents In A Public Place
Any public place, such as a shop, restaurant, pub, school, supermarket or hotel has a duty of care to all visitors and staff to ensure they are safe while on their site (so long as they had a right to be there).
Wet floors should be dealt with in a timely manner by either cleaning them or restricting access to them by cordoning them off if the cause cannot be stopped straight away.
Claims can be made for slips inside and outside of an establishment, such as the car park or foyer areas.
Other Locations You Could Have A Wet Floor Accident
We’ve briefly mentioned some of the places where a wet floor accident can occur but here is a more comprehensive list of where your injuries could be caused by a wet floor:
- Shops
- Restaurants
- Buses and Trains
- Supermarkets
- Schools
- Workplaces
- Hotels
- Cafes and Pubs
- Fast food outlets
- Airports
- Train stations
Basically, any public place where you are entitled to be could be claimed against if your injuries were caused by a negligent act.
Common Injuries Caused By Wet Floor Slip Fall Accidents
Over the next few sections, we’ll cover the common types of injuries that are caused by wet floor accidents in more detail. We can help with any type of injury, so even if yours isn’t listed, don’t worry.
Wet Floor Accident Back Injuries
Any injury to the back, following a fall, is potentially life-changing in that it could lead to restricted movement or pain for the rest of the victim’s life.
Some of the more common types of back injuries that can occur following a wet floor slip include:
- Ligament damage
- Muscle damage
- Soft tissue damage
- Prolapsed discs
- Fractured discs
- Nerve damage
- Loss of mobility
- Loss of sensation
- Damaged spinal cord
If you’ve suffered any of these back injuries and you believe the accident was caused by somebody else’s mistake, then give our team a call to discuss your options.
Wet Floor Accident Hand, Arm And Wrist Injuries
Following a slip on a wet floor, the most common thing to do is to put your hands out to prevent the fall. This protects other parts of your body but can lead to injuries to the hands, arms and wrists and can leave long lasting effects.
Common types of injuries include:
- Broken fingers
- Sprained wrists
- Fractured wrists
- Tendon damage
- Ligament damage
- Broken or fractured arms
- Elbow fractures
- Dislocation of the shoulder
- Broken collar bone
There are many more injuries that can occur as well as these, so don’t worry if your injury is not listed, these are just a sample of the more common injuries.
Wet Floor Accident Head Injuries
Slipping on a wet floor and banging the head during the fall, either against the floor, wall or some form of furniture can lead to serious head injuries which should be assessed immediately by a doctor, as some injuries aren’t immediately visible.
Some of the injuries that can occur include:
- Concussion
- Skull fractures
- Broken teeth
- Brain damage
How Long Do I Have To Make My Personal Injury Claim?
As with all personal injury claims, wet floor accidents have strict time limits in place which must be adhered to, otherwise, the claim will automatically be invalid.
There are exceptions to the table.
The current time limits for lodging your claim are:
| Type of Claim | Time Limit |
|---|---|
| Accident At work | 3 years from the date of the accident or the knowledge of the injury. |
| Personal injury claim (accident in public place) | 3 years from the date of the accident or the knowledge of the injury. |
| Personal injury claim for a child (under 18) | 3 years from their 18th birthday if they claim themselves. |
We advise contacting a personal injury specialist as soon as possible following your accident so that they have plenty of time to prepare your claim and to gather as much supporting evidence as possible.
How You Can Make A Wet Floor Accident Claim
To make a wet floor injury claim, you could contact Advice.co.uk straight away. Our panel of solicitors is dedicated to ensuring that every client we take on receives as much compensation as their injury deserves.
We start off by listening to the details of your claim including how the accident happened, where it happened and how it’s affected you. Then assess if we agree that the other party involved was responsible.
If we agree that your case has a good chance of success, we’ll connect you with a personal injury solicitor that works on a no win no fee basis who’ll begin your claim for you.
No Win No Fee Claims For Wet Floor Accidents And Injuries
No win no fee solicitor: This means that you don’t pay your solicitor at all if they don’t win you any compensation. If they do win your case, then they’ll retain a portion of your compensation (a maximum of 25% is allowable) as a success fee which covers the cost for their service.
We only work with no win no fee solicitors because we believe it is the fairest way to make a claim and also reduces the stress and risk involved with making a claim.
How Our Advisors Can Help You
Our team are friendly and professional and able to help you with free legal advice. We can even help if you’re not ready to begin your claim right away. We can guide you on what steps you need to take next. We could also advise what evidence you might need before beginning your claim.
When you contact us, we’ll follow the following process:
| Get in touch with our advisers by phone, email or post | We'll assess your claim with you | If you're happy (and we agree your claim is valid), we'll begin your claim |
Contacting Our Specialist Advisors
Now that you’ve read this guide about wet floor accident compensation, we hope you’re ready to begin your claim. If you are, then you can contact us by:
- Calling our team directly on 0161 696 9685 and one of our specially trained advisers will take the details of your claim.
- Emailing us brief details about your accident to [email protected]
- Or you can use this easy online form to send us the relevant information about your accident.
We only work with no win no fee solicitors to ensure clients have a stress free claim.
When you contact us, we’ll offer a free, no-obligation, initial consultation of your claim. Then we’ll provide an honest assessment of whether you’ll win compensation or not.
Additional Information
Hopefully, this guide has provided you with all of the information you require about claiming compensation. For your information, we’ve provided the links below to other relevant guides:
How Do I Know if I’ve Broken a Bone? – an NHS guide detailing the main symptoms that help identify if you’ve broken a bone.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – the legislation that is provided by the government to ensure all employees are safe at work.
Head Injuries and Concussion – another guide from the NHS about head injury assessment and treatments.
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