{"id":12984,"date":"2013-06-28T09:18:32","date_gmt":"2013-06-28T08:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theinjurylawyers.co.uk\/injury-lawyers-blog\/?p=12984"},"modified":"2013-06-28T10:25:12","modified_gmt":"2013-06-28T09:25:12","slug":"slipped-on-a-grape-in-supermarket-compensation-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theinjurylawyers.co.uk\/injury-lawyers-blog\/2013\/06\/28\/slipped-on-a-grape-in-supermarket-compensation-claims\/","title":{"rendered":"Slipped on a Grape in Supermarket Compensation Claims"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"supermarketEvery time I see one of these claims come in to the office, the first things that runs through my head is how common and classic these types of accidents are. General supermarket slipping accidents are of course common in general, but for some reason, grapes seem to be one of the biggest culprits of supermarket slipping accidents<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it\u2019s because they can easily end up falling out of a bag or out of a box, and their size is probably fairly difficult to spot on the floor. But despite its small size, they can be a horrendous slipping hazard when stepped on<\/strong>. You might not have thought it, but as I\u2019ve said, we take on a lot of grape slipping claims<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The injuries can be fairly severe. Aside from the obvious broken bones from landing hard on a supermarket floor, you could easily stretch and rupture ligaments and tendons in areas like your back, ankles, or knees, which in the worst case scenarios can leave you needing surgical intervention. All because of just a grape!
\n<\/p>\n

So what can you do if you slip in a supermarket because of a merciless grape? Are you entitled to make a claim for personal injury compensation<\/a>?<\/p>\n

The applicable law is the Occupiers Liability Act<\/strong> \u2013 this puts a duty on the occupier of a premises, i.e. the supermarket company, to take all reasonable steps to make sure that all traffic routes inside the store are safe to sue by visitors. So if you slip, are they in breach of this duty and can you make a claim as a result?<\/p>\n

Normally to succeed with a claim, we must prove breach of duty \u2013 i.e. we must prove that the supermarket company has breached the Occupiers Liability Act. But the key part in these claims is that phrase \u201creasonable steps\u201d \u2013 so what is classed as reasonable steps?<\/p>\n

Commonly a regime of inspection and maintenance will be used by the supermarket to check all aisles and areas of the store on a frequent basis and clear away any hazards like grapes on the floor. If they have a system of inspection and maintenance and they have upheld it, they can defend the claim very easily on the basis that they have \u201ctaken all reasonable steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

So whether you have a claim or not generally comes down to whether the supermarket has upheld a system of inspection and maintenance. Sadly for you, if they have, it doesn\u2019t matter how injured you are, they can defend the claim.<\/p>\n

This makes these types of cases quite risky to take on. We can normally assist on a No Win, No Fee basis<\/a>, but the following helps:<\/p>\n