Ms N was walking up to the counter to pay for her petrol in a garage shop when she slipped on an area of the floor that was wet and fell over, wrenching her lower back and straining ligaments. It later transpired that a previous customer had dropped a carton of milk while waiting to pay, and despite the fact that staff had cleaned up the spillage they had made no attempt to dry the floor, instead leaving it in a slippery and hazardous state. No warning signs were in place to inform customers about the treacherous state of the floor, and Ms N later stated that she had no idea that it was wet and slippery as she was walking across it.
After the incident, Ms N required assistance to walk from the garage shop to her car, and was driven home by her sister. The next day she saw her GP who diagnosed damage to soft tissues in her lower back. She was forced to take two weeks off work due to her inability to walk properly, and required ongoing physiotherapy to regain strength and flexibility in her lower back.
Our Legal Advice
Despite writing to the owners of the garage to complain, Ms N did not receive a reply, which upset her and prompted her to seek legal advice. Bartletts Solicitors subsequently agreed to take on her claim on a no win no fee basis, and contacted the garage’s parent company and their insurers stating that the wet and slippery state of the floor at the time Ms N was visiting the garage premises had caused her to slip over and injure herself, and that this was a clear breach of the duty of care they owed our client under the terms of the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957.
We pointed out that staff at the store should have dried the floor after cleaning it, rather than leaving it to dry naturally. Had this not been possible, wet floor warning signs should have been placed nearby to alert customers about the danger. The garage owner’s insurers acknowledged full liability for the accident relatively quickly, with our client later receiving a cheque for £3,750 in compensation.
Customer Knocked Over at Petrol Station
Our firm recently represented a pedestrian injured in a collision with a vehicle at a petrol station. Mr G was walking across the petrol station forecourt after paying for his fuel, when he was reversed into and knocked over by a teenage driver who had failed to look in his wing mirrors before pulling out. The incident was captured on the station’s CCTV, and the footage later proved crucial in convincing the driver’s insurers that their policyholder had been at fault for the accident.
Staff at the petrol station administered basic first aid until an ambulance arrived, and Mr G was taken to hospital where he was treated for a fractured ankle, extensive bruising to his lower leg and minor head injuries. He later went on to make a full recovery, but suffered weeks of pain, incapacity and inconvenience as a result of the accident.
Mr G subsequently contacted our firm for legal advice, and we agreed to take on his claim on a no win no fee basis. In correspondence with the motorist’s insurers, we noted that their policyholder had only passed his test a few weeks before the accident and was an inexperienced driver.
We requested, received and reviewed the CCTV footage of the accident, which showed Mr G walking across the forecourt in a normal manner before the driver’s vehicle reversed into him. This proved the motorist’s culpability for the incident, as he would not have reversed in such a way had he checked his wing mirrors properly. The insurers acknowledged that the driver had failed to exercise due care and attention, and our client later received £4,500 in compensation.
Customer Slipped in Service Station Toilets
A recent client of Bartletts received compensation from a major motorway service station operator after an accident on its premises. Mr B entered the toilets at the service station, but could not use either of the two urinals as they both appeared to be blocked and had buckets underneath them to prevent leaking. After exiting one of the cubicles, Mr B slipped and fell awkwardly, twisting his ankle and banging his shoulder and head against a cubicle door.
One of the urinals had overflowed, and water was flooding onto the floor creating a slipping hazard. Mr B reported the situation to a cashier at the service station, and the toilets were closed by staff shortly afterwards. Mr B was in considerable pain and discomfort following the incident, and his ankle swelled up overnight, forcing him to see his GP the next day who diagnosed a partially torn lateral ankle ligament.
Mr B subsequently contacted Bartletts Solicitors having read about a similar case we had handled previously involving a slipping accident at a petrol station. Having assessed his case, we offered Mr B a no win no fee agreement, and he instructed us to begin a claim against the station’s parent company.
We argued that it had breached the duty of care it owed our client by exposing him to the foreseeable risk of injury due to the failure to deal with the blocked and leaking urinals. Mr B had taken a photograph of the water flowing from one of the urinals onto the floor, and this was important in proving the hazardous state of the toilet at the time he was using it. After a few months of correspondence we were able to win an admission of liability and negotiate a compensation settlement totalling £3,500.
Compensation for Being Burnt by LPG at Petrol Station
Mr D was visiting a petrol station to fill up his car with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) when he had difficulty attaching the nozzle of the fuel hose pipe to his car, as the retractable hose reel would not stretch far enough. After moving his vehicle closer to the pump, Mr D was able to connect the pipe and fill up his car’s tank without any problems.
However, once he released the safety catch to remove the pipe, the retractable reel pulled it violently sideways and the cut-off mechanism on the nozzle failed to operate, meaning that LPG poured out onto the ground and over Mr D’s arm. As his arm was stinging, Mr D applied cold running water from a nearby tap, but his arm was still sore and within a few hours had begun to turn red and blister. He saw his GP the same day and was told that the LPG had caused a cold burn.
Mr D decided to seek legal advice after finding out that his problem with the LPG fuel hose had happened to other motorists. Our firm advised Mr D that he had strong grounds for claiming compensation, and agreed to take on his case against the petrol station’s owners on a no win no fee basis.
We subsequently wrote to the company’s insurers, arguing that it was well known that LPG can cause the filters of fuel pumps to become clogged up, limiting the efficient flow of fuel, which in turn can cause the cut-off mechanism on the nozzle to stop working. The pump had not been adequately maintained by the owners of the petrol station, and their negligence in failing to inspect and unclog the filters had directly caused Mr D’s cold burn injury. Once liability was acknowledged we were able to negotiate a compensation settlement totalling £3,750.
Petrol Station Accident Compensation Claims
Both petrol station employees and visitors are broadly protected under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, which requires that station owners take all ‘reasonable’ measures to ensure their premises are ‘reasonably safe’ for their ‘lawful visitors’. This will involve formulating and enforcing an adequate system of inspection, cleaning and maintenance.
The basic principle for employees is that hazards should be eliminated as soon as they become evident. Our solicitors are specialists at claiming compensation for slipping accidents at petrol stations, and any other injuries caused by the negligence of a petrol station’s management or staff.
Make a free compensation enquiry today
For specialist advice on your personal injury claim, call us now on Liverpool 0151 227 3391 or Chester 01244 645830 or Wrexham 01978 360056 or complete a Free Online Enquiry and we will soon be in touch.
