Public Place Accident Solicitors
If you were injured in a shop, restaurant, public car park, on a pavement, or in any public space — the occupier owes you a duty of care. When they fail it, you are entitled to compensation.
Occupiers' liability claims arise from accidents in shops, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, leisure centres, hospitals, schools, and on local authority land — including pavements, parks, and public car parks. The Occupiers' Liability Acts 1957 and 1984 impose a duty on occupiers to take reasonable care that visitors — and even uninvited visitors in some circumstances — are reasonably safe. Where that duty is breached and injury results, a claim is available. A solicitor will establish the failure and pursue the insurer for full compensation.
Types of Public Place Accident Claim
Occupiers' liability and public place accidents — the legal duty owed and what your claim involves.
The key question in every public place accident claim is whether the occupier took reasonable care to make the premises safe for visitors. A solicitor will identify the inspection regime, the hazard, and the failure — and pursue the claim on your behalf.
Slips and trips in shops and supermarkets
A liquid spillage on a shop floor, a raised floor mat, a poorly maintained surface, or inadequate lighting — all can make a shop floor dangerous. The occupier must have a system of regular inspection and cleaning to identify and deal with hazards. The key question is not simply whether the hazard existed, but whether it had been present long enough that a reasonable inspection regime would have identified it. A solicitor will obtain the store's inspection records and CCTV footage to establish how long the hazard was present before the accident.
Pavement and highway tripping accidents
Local authorities have a duty under the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the public highway in a reasonable state of repair. A pavement defect — a cracked or raised slab, a pothole, or a sunken gully — that exceeds the relevant threshold (typically 25mm for a trip hazard) may give rise to a claim against the highway authority. The authority can rely on a section 58 defence if it can show it had a reasonable system of inspection — but that defence is only available where the system was actually carried out. A solicitor will obtain the authority's inspection records and challenge the adequacy of the system.
Accidents in restaurants, hotels and leisure facilities
A wet floor in a restaurant or hotel corridor, an uneven surface in a leisure centre, inadequate safety around a swimming pool, or inadequate supervision of sports activities — the occupier owes a duty of reasonable care to all visitors. Where staff mopped a floor without putting out warning signs, or a hazard was known and not remedied, the occupier is likely to be liable. A solicitor will identify the specific failure in the system and pursue the insurer for full compensation including lost earnings, medical costs, and the injury itself.
Accidents in parks, car parks, and council-owned premises
Local authorities and councils are occupiers of parks, car parks, leisure facilities, libraries, and other council-owned premises — and owe the same duty of care as a private occupier. Potholed car parks, inadequate lighting, broken playground equipment, and unguarded holes on public land can all give rise to a claim against the local authority. A solicitor will identify the authority responsible, assess the claim, and manage the pre-action protocol for public liability claims against local authorities.
School and children's accident claims
Schools owe a duty of care to pupils in their care — both as occupiers of the premises and as supervisors of the children's activities. Where a child is injured due to an unsafe surface, defective equipment, inadequate supervision, or a failure to enforce safety rules — the school authority may be liable. Claims by children have a modified limitation period — the 3-year clock runs from the child's 18th birthday, not the date of the accident. A solicitor will advise on the limitation position and assess the strength of the liability case.
Evidence preservation in public place claims
Evidence in public place accident claims deteriorates quickly — CCTV footage is typically overwritten within 28 days, spillages are cleaned, defects are repaired. A solicitor will write to the occupier immediately on instruction to preserve all CCTV footage, cleaning records, inspection records, accident report forms, and witness details. Without this evidence, claims that should succeed can become difficult to prove. Taking legal advice quickly — and having a solicitor send the preservation letter immediately — is the single most important early step in a public place accident claim.