By Cat Way. Last Updated 3rd July 2024. Accidents on council property, whether as a result of poorly maintained equipment or areas like damaged pavements are more common than you might think. If you are a council employee who has suffered an accident in the workplace, whether because of poor maintenance to property or equipment, or even a lack of appropriate training, or a member of the public who has suffered an injury because of poorly maintained council property, then you might be able to seek compensation for your injuries. Your council solicitor will need to be able to prove that in failing to carry out proper maintenance or fulfill their duty of care to their employees that the council has been negligent.
Whether you have had a slip, trip or fall on property owned by the local council or whilst working as a council employee that has resulted in an injury, that is the result of someone else’s negligibility, then looking for a solicitor that specialises in council accidents could be a wise move. They should be able to talk you through the details of your accident and help you to begin the process of making a compensation claim.
Select a Section
- What Is A Council Accident Solicitor?
- The Council’s Responsibilities
- How Long Do You Have To Claim For A Council Accident?
- Common Claims Handled By Our Council Accident Solicitors
- How Much Compensation Could I Claim With A Council Accident Solicitor?
- No Win No Fee Council Accident Solicitors
- Contact Our Team Today To Start Your Council Accident Claim
What Is A Council Accident Solicitor?
A council injury solicitor is a solicitor who has specific experience related to pursuing council accident compensation claims. Becoming a solicitor takes years of diligent training. Someone who wants to follow a career as a solicitor will need to graduate with a law degree before training for a minimum of three years; if they have a non-law related degree then they will need to train for over four years. Anyone who has not graduated from university will need to undergo a minimum of six years of training. Once a solicitor has completed all of this training they will then need to apply to the SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority) to be listed on the register.
Often a qualified solicitor may choose to specialise in one particular area of the law. Council Personal injury solicitors work in one such area which offers fantastic career opportunities to anyone seeking to do good for the benefit of others. Each case that a solicitor works on will afford them valuable experience. Experienced council accident solicitors will have a wide a varied knowledge base gained from a selection of different types of cases.
Choosing council claim solicitors to handle your case can give you the best possible chances of a good outcome from your claim for compensation. Any accident that occurs in the workplace comes under the remit of personal injury law but also carries with it its own complexities, as do those accidents that occur on council owned property.
The Council’s Responsibilities
Under the Highways Act 1980 it is the responsibility of the council to maintain and care for the public services, walkways and any properties that they might own. The council have a duty of care to try to prevent accidents and injuries from occurring on their properties and as a result of using their services. They are liable for any injuries that are caused when a defect that they might reasonably be held responsible for is the cause of an accident.
The council should prove that they have taken reasonable care by having a proper inspection and repair system in place, if however, an issue has been there for a significant length of time without them doing anything about it then this may not be considered reasonable. Likewise, if the issue has been reported to them they should deal with it in a reasonable amount of time.
Unfortunately, the way in which different councils approach these responsibilities can be very varied, whilst everything must be done within a reasonable timeframe this can vary significantly from one council to another. One factor that often plays a significant part in this is the size of the area they cover, areas with a larger footfall are likely to be inspected on a more frequent basis. Budget constrains will of course also have an impact on how often a council might carry out their inspections, however this does not exclude them from being responsible for injuries caused by a lack of inspections and appropriate maintenance.
How Long Do You Have To Claim For A Council Accident?
There is a 3-year time limit in place following the date of an accident in which a submit compensation claims against local councils in the UK, however the sooner after the incident a claim is submitted the better as the details will be fresh in everyone’s mind. If after this time you discover that an injury you have sustained was caused by your accident then it may still be possible to take some kind of action against the council.
The main thing is to act quickly if you feel that you have a good case for a claim. We will never advise you to pursue a claim if we do not feel that you have a case, however it is important to remember that if you do want to claim then the sooner we begin the process the better.
There is no set timeframe for the length of time that an accident claim against the council will take, this will vary from case to case depending on the complexity of the accident and your injuries.
Common Claims Handled By Our Council Accident Solicitors
There are a huge number of potential council related accidents just waiting to happen, after all the council are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of a huge number of public building and spaces. There are some types of accidents that are more common than others and amongst the most common types of accidents that we pursue compensation claims for are:
Slips, trips and falls – These are most possibly the most common types of council related accident injury claims that we see. In many cases this type of accident can result in serious injury. Amongst the most common causes of these accidents are slips on wet surfaces that have not been adequately marked with a warning cone, trips over paving slabs or pavement edges that are uneven and raised more than they should be creating a trip hazard of unsafe areas of poorly maintained paving that have the potential to cause a fall, leaving you with a good case for a claim against council paving. There are council slip trip injury solicitors who specialise in this type of injury.
Injuries in council run buildings – poorly maintained equipment in council run buildings such as schools, parks or even libraries have the potential to lead to an accident that could result in injury.
Car accident injuries – Poorly maintained roads can be pitted with potholes, where these are deep they have the potential to lead to a road traffic accident which can result in serious injury.
Injuries at work – If you are a council employee there is the potential for an accident to occur in the workplace where the council have not put the correct safety procedures and training in place, where equipment is poorly maintained or even where there is a slip, trip of fall hazard that could lead to yu suing the council after a fall as a result of simply trying to do your job.
Whether your accident is one of the more common ones listed above or something completely different we are on hand to offer you advice and help you start a compensation claim
How Much Compensation Could I Claim With A Council Accident Solicitor?
If your personal injury compensation claim succeeds, you will receive general damages. This head of claim addresses your injuries and the way they affect your daily life.
When a personal injury solicitor or another legal professional values this head of your claim, they might refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This document provides guideline compensation amounts for various injuries at different severities. In the table below, we have included some of the amounts listed in the 17th edition of the JCG.
Please only use this table as a guide. Also, note that the first entry does not come from the JCG.
| Injury Type | Compensation Bracket | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries With Financial Losses | Up to £1,000,000+ | Severe |
| Brain Damage | £344,150 to £493,000 | Very Severe |
| £183,190 to £267,340 | Moderate (i) | |
| Neck | In the region of £181,020 | Severe (i) |
| Hip & Pelvis | £32,450 to £47,810 | Moderate (i) |
| Back | £15,260 to £33,880 | Moderate (ii) |
| Arm | £8,060 to £23,430 | Simple Forearm Fractures |
| Shoulder | £9,630 to £15,580 | Moderate |
| Leg | Up to £14,450 | Less Serious (iii) |
| Wrist | In the region of £9,070 | Uncomplicated Colles' fracture. |
You may also be entitled to claim special damages. This compensates you for the financial losses you endured because of your injuries. For example, if your accident resulted in a broken leg, you may not be able to drive anymore. In this case, you could potentially recoup the cost of taxis or alternative travel to work and hospital appointments under special damages.
Special damages could also compensate you for the cost of:
- Over-the-counter medicines.
- Prescriptions.
- Mobility aids.
- Childcare.
- Domestic help.
It’s important to remember that you must provide proof of your losses in order to claim under this heading. Receipts, bank statements and invoices could all be used as evidence.
Contact our advisors today to find out how a council accident solicitor from our team could help you.
No Win No Fee Council Accident Solicitors
Once our advisory team have assessed your potential claim and decided you have valid grounds to proceed, they can put you in touch with one of our highly knowledgeable and experienced council accident solicitors.
Our solicitors can offer their services under a specific type of No Win No Fee contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement or “CFA.” Instructing a solicitor to represent you under such an agreement comes with many benefits, such as:
- No fees to pay for the solicitor to start working on your case.
- There will similarly be no fees for that work during the actual claim.
- Finally, should you lose your claim, you will not incur any fees for the work done on the claim.
If you win your council accident claim, you will receive personal injury compensation. A percentage of this compensation will be taken by the solicitor as their success fee. However, since caps the maximum this percentage can be, you will keep most of the compensation you receive.
Contact our advisors today to see whether you may be eligible to make a claim with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors against the council.
Contact Our Team Today To Start Your Council Accident Claim
If you are in need of any further information regarding the claims process including how it works when you make a claim against the council then give us a call on 0800 073 8804. Our friendly and professional advisors are always available to answer any questions that you might have and they are happy to offer you free, no-obligation advice. Once we have answered any questions that you might have, if you feel ready to begin a claim we will be ready to stand with you every step of the way, in order to achieve the compensation pay-out you are entitled to.
Useful links
- Guide to claiming council accident compensation – If you are considering making a claim then this link will take you to a very practical guide on the process for making council and local authority compensation claims.
- Help with pavement injury claims – This link to the government website allows you to visit your local authority website for important information if you are looking at making a claim for compensation for injuries caused by roads or pavements.
- Report a problem with a pavement – The local authority are responsible for the upkeep of the pavements, this link to the government website takes you to the appropriate place to report a problem with the pavement in your vicinity.
- Slip, trip claims guide – Slips and trips are some of the most common accidents that happen. This handy guide has some useful information on claiming compensation for this type of accident.
Further Useful Guides
- Read our guide on finding Stockton-On-Tees Personal Injury Solicitors and find out more about the personal injury claims process.
- If you are looking for Sutton In Ashfield Personal Injury Solicitors and would like to learn more about the benefits, our guide could help.
- Our article offers more information on Sutton Personal Injury Solicitors and can give you more insight into the compensation claims process.
- Swansea Personal Injury Solicitors
- Personal Injury Solicitors Tamworth
Thank you for reading our guide on claiming with a council accident solicitor.
