You may well receive an injury on the road due to a pot hole when walking 
over it or on the pavement due to a pot hole or a protruding pavement. You 
may also slip or trip when visiting premises, either commercial premises 
or residential. 

Slip/trips can often happen inside premises where articles are negligently      
left on surfaces or when surfaces are not properly cleaned causing 
tripping. There are numerous laws and regulations governing the 
responsibility of owners and occupiers of property in respect of the duty 
they owe to people visiting the property. In some extreme cases, it is even 
the case that a person who is trespassing on someone else’s property 
may be able to recover damages for injuries incurred. 

The recovery of personal injury for slipping/tripping accidents is quite a 
complex procedure. Particularly in regard to slipping or tripping on 
pavements as often the responsible authority will argue that they have a 
proper system of inspection in place and if they successfully do this then 
they may well be able to avoid liability. 

We will be able to fully assist you in an assessment of your claim but 
would advise you of the following in respect of any slip or trip:-

1.  If possible, please photograph the area without delay taking at least      
     three angles of the area on which the slip/trip occurred, if possible in 
     colour. Also take a photograph to confirm the location of the defect in 
    the area (a panoramic view).

2.  If you are able to take photographs then try to make sure that you use
    a ruler to measure the height of the protrusion or the depth of the hole.      
    As a general rule for there to be a claim, the defect on the pavement 
    must be over 1 inch in height. This should be shown in the 
    photograph.

3.  It is most important, particularly with pavement and outdoor slips, to     
    try and obtain witness evidence to confirm the slip/trip actually occurred.      
    Unfortunately, due to a number of fraudulent claims being brought, 
    insurers are very wary of slip/trip claims and will often insist on 
    independent witness evidence. We therefore advise that you obtain the 
    names and address of anybody who witnesses the incident.

4.  Please ensure that you report the matter as soon as possible to the 
    appropriate authority and bring it to our attention if you wish us to assist 
    you. 

5.  It is important that you do seek medical advice if you sustain injury      
    as a result of a slip/trip. Please remember that whatever is said to the 
    Doctor or the Hospital at the time of seeking this advice may well be 
    recorded in the medical records that are prepared at the time of the 
    examination. Medical Practitioners do have a duty of confidentially, 
    this duty might be overruled by the Court in the event that a claim is 
    made.

We have substantial experience in dealing with such claims and are sure 
that we will be able to assist.
   
Accident not your fault ?

Providing that the accident is clearly not your fault, we will act for you 
under the terms of our Conditional Fee Agreement. This will ensure 
that you have no legal costs to pay. These will be recovered in full 
from the other part.

Legal Expense Cover

Sometimes, you will find that you already have legal expense cover to 
bring a claim. Please remember that it is your right to choose a Solicitor 
that you wish to represent you in the conduct of your claim. You may use 
the Solicitors that will be nominated by your insurance company but 
clearly their obligation will be to the insurance company who refer the 
work to them. 

Independence

We are totally independent and will be your Solicitor acting in your 
interest. We believe that it is in your interest to instruct your own Solicitors 
who are independent of insurance companies. 

Expertise

We are members of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel and have 
been vetted by The Law Society to ensure that we can deal with personal 
injury claims to the highest standards. We have recovered millions of 
pounds for thousands of clients and have been dealing with personal 
injury claims for over 30 years. 

Damages to be Recovered

Please note that we are fully conversant with all heads of damage to 
which you will be entitled and will include the following in the claim:-

•    Damages for personal injury. The value of which will vary on the 
     nature   of the injury and on how long recovery lasts and whether 
     the injury stops  you from working or pursuing other activities. 

•    Loss of earnings of loss of profit if you are self employed.       

•    Insurance excess if you are comprehensively insured.       

•    Any costs that you can reasonably argue that were incurred as a 
     result of the accident. This can include the cost of people 
     assisting  you in your day to day living if you were injured and are 
     unable to attend to your normal tasks.      

•    Damages for psychiatric and mental problems caused by the 
     accident. The assessment for this head of damage is complex 
     and you will be fully advised.      

•    Other losses that might be necessary to include such as if you 
     are away from work for a considerable amount of time then this 
     may effect your pension, also you may find that your job 
     prospects are effected. There are a number of technical heads 
     of damage which you will be fully advised of as appropriate.      

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE CAN ACT FOR YOU ON A 
“NO WIN NO FEE”  BASIS IF WE FEEL THAT YOUR CASE HAS 
A GOOD CHANCE OF SUCCESS. 

This means that we will recover costs from the other party. 

BE WARNED

A lot of accident management companies who claim to have expertise in the 
conduct of personal injury claim are simply selling your claim to Solicitors. 
Often, they will require you sign credit agreements to obtain expensive 
insurance which would not be recoverable from the Defendants and will 
have to come out of your damages. Some companies even make 
administration charges and take a percentage of the damages for dealing 
with the claim. This will not happen with ourselves as we have the experience 
and competence to properly deal with the claim that you make.
       

or
use our accident assessment form
or
e-mail:legal@bellandco.co.uk

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