Could I Claim For My Injuries When I Slipped On A Wet Floor?

By Mary Nora. Last Updated 6th December 2022. This guide contains information about what to do if you are thinking of making a personal injury claim after you’ve slipped on a wet floor. In order to pursue a valid personal injury claim, you must have been owed a duty of care at the time of the incident. We explain more about where and when you are owed a duty of care and the personal injury claims process as we go through this guide.

A business man slips on a wet floor beside a yellow wet floor sign

The following sections contain information about who could claim for slipping on a wet floor, what injuries you could sustain, how slipping hazards should be removed or reduced, the compensation that could be awarded and how a No Win No Fee solicitor could help you through the claims process.

Read on for more information about claiming compensation after you slipped on a wet floor. Alternatively, you can get in touch with our advisers to discuss the details of your potential claim. Get in touch with us by:

  • Calling us at 020 3870 4868
  • Contacting us via the live chat feature below
  • Filling in our online contact form with your query

Select A Section

  1. Could I Claim If I Slipped On A Wet Floor?
  2. Preventing Slips And Falls On Wet Floors
  3. What Injuries Could You Suffer By Slipping On A Wet Floor?
  4. Average Payout For A Slip And Fall In The UK
  5. Talk To Our Team If You Slipped On A Wet Floor

Could I Claim If I Slipped On A Wet Floor?

If you slip and fall in a work bathroom, supermarket aisle, or another public area, you may be wondering, ‘can I claim for slipping on a wet floor?’ The fact is that personal injury claims rely upon the concept of negligence.

To bring a successful personal injury claim, you must be able to show the following criteria are true of the circumstances surrounding your injury:

  1. You were owed a duty of care; employers, road users, occupiers of a public space, and medical professionals all owe a duty of care at certain times.
  2. This duty of care was breached, and
  3. As a result of their action or inaction, you sustained harm in the form of a physical or psychological injury.

Together, these three elements make up what is called negligence. If your claim demonstrates these criteria, you may be able to claim compensation for your injuries. Read on to learn more about legislation that is relevant to duty of care, or get in touch with our advisers to ask about your specific circumstances.

Preventing Slips And Falls On Wet Floors

Certain laws are in place to protect people in different situations. For example, The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 applies a duty of care on employers to ensure that they take reasonably practicable steps in keeping the work environment safe from avoidable accidents.

A similar piece of legislation, called The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, states that visitors are owed a duty of care when they are using a public space for its intended purpose. Those who control this space, known as the ‘occupiers’, must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of these visitors.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the regulatory body that governs workplace safety in Britain. It was set up to provide rules and guidance so that work-related illness, injury and death are prevented.

To learn more if you slipped on a wet floor at work or in a public place, contact our advisers. They can provide insight into the merits of your claim and offer advice about what to do next.

An older man in a business shirt lays injured on the ground after slipping on a wet floor

What Injuries Could You Suffer By Slipping On A Wet Floor?

Slipping on a wet floor can cause a number of injuries, ranging from severe to minor. But, as we talked about in the past section, you need to be able to prove that your accident and subsequent injuries were caused by someone else’s negligent actions. 

Slipping on a spillage or a wet floor that wasn’t properly cleaned up or signposted could cause:

  • Head injuries: If you were to slip on a wet floor and hit your head, this could have devastating consequences, including severe brain damage and paraplegia.
  • Bruises, sprains, and lacerations: Hitting the floor after slipping can result in significant and painful bruising and could even cause cuts and lacerations. It could also cause soft tissue injuries, such as a sprained ankle.

These are only a few examples of how a slip, trip, or fall injury could occur. To learn more, get in touch with our team, or keep reading.

Average Payout For A Slip And Fall In The UK

To make a valid slip and trip claim, someone must have breached their duty of care, resulting in your injury. You might be able to make a slip and trip claim if you slipped on a wet floor due to someone else’s negligence.

The compensation payout you might receive in a successful claim could include general damages and special damages. General damages covers the pain and suffering you experienced as a result of your injuries.

The bracketed figures from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) guide solicitors when they are calculating general damages. However, they cannot be considered the average payout for slip and fall in the UK, as every case is calculated according to the individual circumstances.

Please note that the first figure has not been taken from the JCG.

Injury TypeCompensation BracketNotes
Multiple Serious Injuries And Special DamagesUp to £1,000,000+Multiple serious injuries as well as financial losses, like lost earnings and travel costs.
Paraplegia (b)£219,070 to £284,260Award considers the presence or risk of increasing paralysis, the extent of the individual's pain and independence, as well as life expectancy and depression.
Moderately Severe Brain Injury (b)£219,070 to £282,010Injury that leads to very serious disability of a physical or cognitive nature. Substanital dependence on others and need for full-time care.
Moderate Brain Injury (c) (i)£150,110 to £219,070Award will consider the amount of personality change, intellectual deficit, and sensory impairment caused by the injury.
Chest Injuries (b)£65,740 to £100,670Traumatic injury that leads to permanent damage, physical disability, impairment of function and reduction of life expectancy.
Severe Knee Injuries (i)£69,730 to £96,210Disruption of the joint, damage to the ligament and osteoarthritis, with lengthy treatment, considerable pain and need of future treatment.
Severe Knee Injuries (ii)£52,120 to £69,730Leg fracture that affects the knee, causing constant pain.
Severe Leg Injuries (b) Very Serious (ii)£54,830 to £87,890Award considers the severity of mobility problems, need for mobility aids, length of time to heal, treatment time, and level of deformity.
Hand Injuries - Serious Damage to Both Hands (b)£55,820 to £84,570Permanent disability and significant loss of function.
Hand Injuries - Serious Hand Injuries (e)£29,000 to £61,910Injuries that reduce the function of one hand to about 50% its former capacity.

You could also receive special damages to reimburse you for financial losses your injuries have caused you. These could include items like:

  • Loss of earnings
  • Loss of future earnings
  • Medical expenses, such as prescriptions
  • Travel expenses incurred while travelling to and from medical appointments

To learn more about how to calculate special damages after you slipped on a wet floor, get in touch with our advisers today.

Talk To Our Team If You Slipped On A Wet Floor

If you’re worried about the cost of hiring legal representation, we may be able to help. The solicitors on our panel may offer you a type of No Win No Fee agreement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

Using this agreement, you won’t have to pay for a solicitor’s services up front or during the process of claiming. Instead, you will only pay a small percentage of your final compensation amount, and only if your claim is ultimately successful. This amount is capped by law.

To learn more about the steps you can take after you slipped on a wet floor, contact our team of advisers. You can get in touch by:

  • Calling us at 020 3870 4868
  • Contacting us via the live chat feature below
  • Filling in our online contact form with your query

Wet Floor Accident And Injury Claim Resources

More guides that may be of interest:

We hope you’ve found useful information in this article about claiming compensation if you slipped on a wet floor. If you have any more questions, contact us using the details above.