Here at The Injury Lawyers we deal with many claims whereby people have sustained injury as a result of slipping on a wet floor. This most commonly occurs on premises such as supermarkets, shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs, as examples. You could slip on a wet floor whilst at work or whilst out doing your shopping. A wet floor is a hazard and whoever is responsible for the land or premises in question (the occupier) may be negligent and have to pay compensation to injured victims.
When floors are cleaned such as in a supermarket or shop, a wet floor sign should be deployed and displayed prominently. Displaying a clearly visible wet floor sign could be enough for the supermarket or shop to escape liability if someone slips and sustains injury.
If a wet floor sign is not erected and a person slips, sustaining injury, then it will be very difficult for the occupier to escape liability. A wet floor sign should always be erected after floor cleaning to warn people of the danger.
The law governing this area is the Occupiers Liability Act. Under this Act occupiers of premises or buildings must take reasonable steps to protect you from hazards or risks. As soon as a floor becomes wet, say for example because of a spillage or because it has just been cleaned, precautions should be taken. The most obvious precaution would be to erect a wet floor sign to warn people of the specific danger. Other measure could include cordoning an area off (this is perhaps more applicable to spillages). It may me more difficult to win a claim if a wet floor sign is present, but it does not mean that you have no chance of winning. There could be a dispute regarding whether a wet floor sign was present or not at the time of the accident. There are also other considerations such as whether or not the wet floor sign was clearly visible.
Slipping on a wet floor can be embarrassing and you could sustain a whole range of injuries. You could fall onto your hand, back etc. You could sustain head injuries, strains, fractures etc. Every case is different. With this type of accident you may not even realise that you sustained injury right away. Perhaps you feel OK immediately after the accident but you experience the onset of pain within 10 minutes, an hour, or even 24 hours. It is quite common to not notice pain immediately as often the shock and embarrassment takes over any physical pain.
If you have been injured as a result of slipping on a wet floor, you may be entitled to recover compensation. Do not hesitate to contact The Injury Lawyers today to discuss a potential claim.
