Compensation for cut by shop shelf

Bartletts specialist personal injury lawyers in Wrexham, recently won significant compensation for a pensioner who was injured in a shop. The 80-year-old gentleman was shopping in a store in his local high street, when he caught his leg on sharp corner of a shelf. The shelf ripped through his trousers and caused a deep laceration to his leg. The gentleman’s leg started to bleed profusely and he was in a lot of pain. Paramedics attended the scene and the gentleman was taken to hospital by ambulance, where his wound was treated with glue and butterfly stitches. The gentleman was left with a permanent scar of three inches on his leg. When you visit a public place, like a shop, you should expect that the premises are safe and there are no obvious hazards that could hurt you. The shopkeeper has a duty under the Occupiers Liability Act to ensure the safety of lawful visitors and check that the risk of danger or injury is minimised. When our experienced personal injury solicitor contacted the shop about the accident, they initially denied responsibility. Our dedicated legal team were determined to establish the truth and discovered that the shop’s CCTV had captured the accident. The shelf was clearly protruding into the walkway and had a sharp edge, which was a foreseeable hazard the shop owner should have prevented. The shop had occupiers liability insurance in place, so we were able to successfully secure compensation for pain and suffering and compensation for permanent scarring from the shop’s insurance company on the gentleman’s behalf.