By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 23rd September 2024. Welcome to our guide to making supermarket accident claims. If you have unfortunately been injured at the supermarket due to third party negligence, then you may consider pursuing a personal injury claim. If that is the case, you must take the right steps to ensure your compensation claim is as strong as possible and is dealt with by experienced personal injury solicitors.
In this guide, we will explain how to claim for a supermarket injury and will touch on areas such as compensation, No Win No Fee agreements, and negligence. We specialise in providing you with answers to questions such as: how much compensation for slipping on a wet floor? Could I claim with a personal injury solicitor? What evidence do I need to make a compensation claim?
If you’d like free legal advice on supermarket accident compensation claims or to proceed with your case, our personal injury advisers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. To reach them, you can:
- Call on 0800 073 8804
- Start your claim online
- Or chat with us now about your potential supermarket accident claims by using our Live Chat function.
You can also watch our video below which explains the key takeaways from our guide:
Select a Section:
- How Much Compensation Could I Receive For An Accident In A Supermarket?
- Can I Make A Supermarket Accident Claim?
- How Long Do I Have To Make A Supermarket Accident Claim?
- What Are The Causes Of Accidents In Supermarkets?
- Should I Report An Accident In A Supermarket To Staff?
- What Evidence Can Help Me Prove My Supermarket Accident Claim?
- How Legal Expert Can Help You Claim Compensation
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) On Making A Supermarket Accident Claim
How Much Compensation Could I Receive For An Accident In A Supermarket?
Compensation amounts when claiming for a supermarket accident can vary on a case-by-case basis. That’s because they are valued depending on the individual circumstances surrounding each case.
Generally, though, personal injury compensation payouts awarded in a successful supermarket accident compensation claim will include general damages, which provide compensation for the physical pain and emotional suffering caused by the injury.
Those responsible for assigning value to your injuries can refer to the guideline compensation brackets in the 17th of the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). Legal professionals often refer to this document when valuing compensation claims. You can find these in the table below. However, claims for injuries sustained in an accident in a supermarket will vary depending on the unique circumstances of each case. As such, these amounts are not guaranteed.
Please note that the top entry of this table has not been taken from the JCG.
| Injury | Notes | Guideline Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries And Special Damages | Multiple severe injuries alongside financial losses, such as lost earnings, pension contributions, and the cost of prescriptions. | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Brain and Head Injury | Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Brain and Head Injury | Moderate (i) | £183,190 to £267,340 |
| Neck Injury | Severe (i) | In the region of £181,020 |
| Leg Injury | Severe (i) | £117,460 to £165,860 |
| Leg Injury | Less Serious (i) | £21,920 to £33,880 |
| Amputation of Arms | One arm is amputated below the elbow. (iii) | £117,360 to £133,810 |
| Hand Injury | Total or Effective Loss of One Hand | £117,360 to £133,810 |
| Back Injury | Severe (ii) | £90,510 to £107,910 |
| Elbow Injury | Severely Disabling | £47,810 to £66,920 |
You could also receive special damages as part of your payout following a successful claim. This will only be awarded if you have received general damages. Special damages compensate for financial losses or expenses related to your accident and injuries, and can cover the cost of mobility aids, home adjustments, and lost earnings. However, you will need evidence to support your case, such as receipts, wage slips, and invoices.
For more advice on compensation for a supermarket accident compensation claim and how a personal injury solicitor could help you, you can contact our team of advisors for free today.
Can I Make A Supermarket Accident Claim?
As well as helping you understand how much compensation for a fall in a supermarket – or a similar accident – you could claim, our advisors can talk you through your case’s eligibility. This involves identifying if a legal duty of care was breached.
When you’re in a supermarket, the person or organisation that owns the property owes you a duty of care. This duty is set out by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 (OLA) and it compels the controllers of public spaces to take all measures that ensure the reasonable safety of any visitors on the premises.
This doesn’t mean that any accident in a supermarket automatically entitles you to seek compensation. Supermarket accident claims must show that:
- The supermarket’s owner owed you a duty of care under OLA.
- Their action or inaction led to that duty being breached.
- You suffered physical and/or mental injuries in an accident caused directly by that breach.
Stacking shelves correctly, properly signposting and clearing spillages and keeping unnecessary obstacles out of the aisles are all examples of steps supermarket staff can take to uphold the supermarket’s legal duty.
Simply call today and discuss your supermarket accident with an advisor to see if you have fair grounds to start a personal injury claim.
How Long Do I Have To Make A Supermarket Accident Claim?
Before we look at how much compensation for a fall in a supermarket you could get, we will look at the limitation period for supermarket accident compensation claims. You will typically have three years from the date of the supermarket incident that caused your injuries to start legal proceedings. This is set by the Limitation Act 1980.
However, the time limit is suspended for injured parties who cannot start their own supermarket accident claim. In these cases, a litigation friend could be appointed to begin legal proceedings at any time on behalf of the injured party.
The time limit is paused for children until they turn 18. Once they reach 18, if a claim has not been started on their behalf, they will have three years to begin proceedings.
Those who do not have the mental capacity to manage their own personal injury have a suspension applied to the time limit that lasts for as long as the injured party is without this capacity. If a claim hasn’t been started and they regain mental capacity, they will have three years from that date to start proceedings.
Call our advisors for free information about a supermarket accident compensation claim. If it seems like you have an eligible claim, they could help you get it started right away.
What Are The Causes Of Accidents In Supermarkets?
In order to make a valid supermarket accident claim, you’ll need to provide proof of negligence. This involves a third party owing you a duty of care and causing you to sustain harm as a result.
The following examples show how the person in control of a public space could breach the duty of care they owe you:
- If supermarket staff do not clear up a spillage or leak within a reasonable amount of time after becoming aware of it or do not cordon them off with wet floor signs, you could slip on a wet floor and sustain a shoulder injury.
- You could have a trip or fall accident if stock is left on an aisle floor.
- Items may fall from shelves if they are not stacked correctly or if the shelf is damaged, resulting in you sustaining a head injury.
In the next section, we’ll discuss how much compensation you could receive for supermarket accidents. However, if you are ready to speak to our advisors about making a compensation claim, please don’t hesitate contact us. Our advisors are free to talk 24/7 and can discuss supermarket accidents and compensation claims with you in further detail.
Should I Report An Accident In A Supermarket To Staff?
If you’ve been involved in an accident in a supermarket, you should report this to a member of staff. They may need to make an accident report. Additionally, it could help them make the area safe for other customers.
If you would like to make a supermarket accident claim, reporting the incident to a member of staff could help support your case. For example, they may have recorded the accident in a log book, which you could then request a copy of to submit. Additionally, it could help you gather witness contact details so they can provide statements further into the claims process.
The next section looks at a few more items that could help support your compensation claim.
What Evidence Can Help Me Prove My Supermarket Accident Claim?
To prove that your injuries were caused by someone breaching the duty of care they were responsible for upholding, you’ll need to acquire evidence to help support your claim. Below, we’ve compiled a short list of what you could gather. However, there are forms of evidence other than those listed below.
- Video footage – Your supermarket accident may have been captured on CCTV or a similar surveillance system. If so, you can request a copy of the footage to submit as evidence.
- Witness contact details – Those who saw how you were injured may agree to corroborate your story. A solicitor can help you gather a written statement if you know how to contact the witnesses in question.
- Medical records – These could provide details on the nature and extent of your injuries.
Contact us if you want to know more about evidence to support your claim for compensation after a supermarket accident.
How Legal Expert Can Help You Claim Compensation
The process of making a supermarket accident claim can seem complex, but working with a No Win No Fee solicitor can help the process seem simpler. Our personal injury solicitors offer a kind of No Win No Fee arrangement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Under an agreement such as this, a solicitor can help with your claim without taking a payment upfront for their legal services.
If your compensation claim succeeds, then your solicitor will deduct a success fee from your compensation award. This is taken as a small percentage, though this percentage has a legislative cap that allows you to keep the majority of your settlement. If your claim fails, then this fee won’t need to be paid.
A solicitor can be beneficial to supermarket accident compensation claims in a number of ways. For example, they can help you gather evidence, offer more information on how much compensation you could receive, and help you ensure that all areas of your claim are addressed.
To find out if you could be eligible to work with one of our solicitors or to learn more about supermarket accidents, contact our team of advisors today.
Contact Us
To get in touch:
- Call on 0800 073 8804
- Start your claim online
- Alternatively, chat with us now about supermarket accident claims by using our live chat function.
Thank you for reading our guide to making a compensation claim for supermarket accidents.
Read More
We have further guides on the subject of supermarket accident claims which you can read below:
- Slip at Work Claim – This guide explains how to claim when you slip at work.
- Claim for a fall in a supermarket
- Tesco Accident Claims
- Asda Accident Claims
- Morrisons Accident Claims
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) On Making A Supermarket Accident Claim
Below, you can find answers to questions we often get asked about making a supermarket accident claim
