Can I make a personal injury claim for an accident in supermarket?

All supermarkets are legally obliged to ensure their stores are clean and safe. If they fail to uphold this responsibility and, as a result, you have an accident causing injury, you will be able to claim compensation for the injuries you sustained and other financial losses incurred due to the accident.

It is, however, not that easy.

Firstly, you must be able to prove what caused your accident. It is probable that you slipped on food or liquid which was dropped onto the floor by a member of the public or staff. It may well be a straightforward matter of seeing what you stepped on, but occasionally I have had clients who have said that nothing was visible other than a “greasy substance”.

Under these circumstances, you should try to identify the hazardous area to a member of staff as soon as possible after your accident so that you can prove why you slipped. It is simply insufficient to think that you have a valid claim just because the accident took place on their premises.

Once you have identified why you have slipped over, the supermarket may have a defence.

If the supermarket has a strict regime of inspection and cleaning procedures in place, then it is usually very hard to prove that they have been negligent. Only if their staff do not adhere to the regime will the supermarket will be liable.

You must prove that the supermarket staff had either failed to notice the risk posed to customers as a result of the food or liquid on the floor, or, if the danger was spotted by staff, they did not clean or cordon off the area in question within a reasonable length of time.

I have found that the availability of CCTV footage can be invaluable in proving how long the danger existed – and this has helped me win compensation for my no-win no-fee clients. If it can be shown that the shop floor was left without attention by staff for an unreasonable length of time and, as a result of this neglect, you fell and sustained an injury, your claim will likely be successful.

If you have been in a supermarket accident and would like to discuss your personal injury claim on a no-obligation consultation then please get in touch with me. I will be happy to discuss all aspects of your personal injury claim to decide the best way to proceed.

I am a London-based solicitor at Goodge Law and an expert in securing compensation for people who have been injured in accidents that were not their fault. I work on a no win-no fee basis so you will never have to fund any part of your personal injury claim.