If you have been injured in a shopping centre accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be able to claim compensation. All public premises have a responsibility to ensure that the environment is safe and free from hazards.

If a visitor or an employee is injured while on the premises, this could be because management or other members of staff have failed to fulfil this duty of care. If you have been injured due to the failings of management, you may be able to claim compensation as a result.

Responsibility

It is the responsibility of the owners of the shopping centre, and of the individual stores, to ensure your safety while you are on their premises. To do this, there are certain guidelines and procedures that all staff members should follow to decrease the likelihood of an accident occurring.

If you work as an employee, you should have received proper training to ensure your safety in the workplace – such as training about manual handling if you unload and carry stock. Employees should also be trained about safety procedures, like what action to take if they notice a health and safety hazard.

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If these procedures are not followed or you have not been properly trained about how to follow them, this could result in an accident occurring. If you have been injured in an accident which was caused by a lack of training or a failure to uphold health and safety standards, you may be able to claim compensation.

Accident Types

Certain types of accidents are more likely to occur in a shopping centre than others. Some common shopping centre accident types include:

• Slip, trip and fall accidents – this sort of accident could occur due to a wet floor which hasn’t had a sign placed next to it, a liquid spillage, uneven steps or damaged flooring.
• Falling object accidents – you could be injured by an object falling from a shelf and hitting you. This sort of accident can happen to customers but it more commonly effects employees in the stock room.
• Fall from height – shopping centres are usually large and there are usually multiple floors. You could potentially be injured due to falling over a barrier or falling off an escalator. Similarly, you could be injured as an employee, perhaps while stocking shelves.
• Manual handling accidents – if you work in the shopping centre, you could potentially be injured while moving stock around if you haven’t received proper manual handling training.

If you have been injured in any of the accident types listed above or any other type of accident, you could be eligible to claim compensation.

What To Do

If you have been injured in an accident while in a shopping centre, there are certain steps that you should take to ensure your safety and to build your case. These steps include:

• Photographs – you should take photographs of the accident scene and of any visible injuries that you have. These photographs can be used as evidence later to support your claim.
• Tell a manager or member of staff – if you are an employee, you should inform your superior that you have been injured in an accident. Similarly, if you are a customer, you should inform the nearest member of staff that an accident has occurred and that they should report this to a manager.
• Witness details – you should take the contact details of any witnesses who are present. They may later decide that they don’t want to make a claim. However, for now it is a good idea to collect the contact details of everyone who saw the accident occur.
• Get medical attention – if you are badly hurt you should ask someone to call an ambulance for you, preferably a member of staff. Even if you are not badly hurt, you should still visit A and E or a doctor’s surgery at the earliest convivence. This step will help to ensure your health but it will also begin to create a record which shows that an accident has occurred.

There are usually three-year time limits for making a personal injury claim. This countdown begins on the date that the accident occurred. Therefore, you should contact a personal injury solicitor as soon as possible to claim.

Amount of Compensation

The amount of compensation awarded is unique to each specific case. Compensation amounts are mainly determined by assessing the amount of pain and suffering that someone has experienced due to their injuries. Similarly, compensation also assesses whether any loss of function has occurred due to the incident. For example, if you are unable to complete tasks as you would prior to the incident then it may be possible to account for this through compensation. To view general compensation estimates for different injury types, visit our compensation calculator.

Compensation will also take financial losses into account. If you have had to pay for treatment, have lost income due to being unable to work or have incurred any other costs, then it may be possible to recuperate these through compensation.

Making Personal Injury Claims

If you have been injured due to an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to compensation. First Personal Injury solicitors are available to assist you and ensure that you get the compensation you deserve.

First Personal Injury work with both families and individuals across England and Wales, leading them on their legal journey and helping them claim compensation after an accident or injury. Contact our specialist team to begin the claims process, either by phone on 0800 808 9740 or through our online form.