Supermarket injury
compensation claims

If a supermarket injury has set you back, we'll help you move forward

Shopping at a supermarket is a routine task, but it can sometimes lead to injury. Whether it's a slip on a wet floor, an injury from a poorly placed sign, or an accident in the car park, injuries in supermarkets can be serious.

If your life, or the life of a loved one, has been affected by a by an injury sustained in a supermarket or other retail premises, we can help. Whether your injuries were caused by a slip or trip, fall or other incident, you may be entitled to claim compensation. Claims can compensate you for medical expenses, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.

You can make a No Win, No Fee compensation claim for an accident in a public place with the help and support of a personal injury solicitor.

1/3 or all major injuries are from slips and trips - you are not alone

Every year, thousands of customers and employees sustain injuries in shops and supermarkets, with incidents like slips, trips, and falls being common due to wet floors, falling objects, or inadequately maintained aisles.

Slips and trips (which are common on slippery supermarket floors) are responsible for over 1/3 of all reported major injuries (hse.gov.uk).

Common supermarket injuries include:

• cuts and bruises
• lacerations
• torn ligaments
• broken and fractured bones
• head injuries

If your accident was caused by negligence on the part of a supermarket or member of staff, you may be able to claim financial compensation.

If you decide to make a supermarket injury claim, your personal injury solicitor will take you through every step of the claims process. Your solicitor will be with you until you win your claim and get the compensation you need to move forward.

Am I eligible for supermarket injury compensation?

You will be able to claim compensation if you've been injured or diagnosed with an illness in the last three years and it wasn't your fault.

Find out online if you can claim with our injury claim calculator. Or you can call 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor. Find out in minutes if you have a claim.

Is a claim still possible if I am partly liable?

Ascertaining who is liable for an accident is not always straightforward and can often involve blame on both sides.

In our 2024 Public Liability Injury Claimant Survey, 17.45% of respondents said they either were unsure of which party was responsible, or believed they were partially responsible for their injuries.

When fault on both sides caused a claimant's injuries, this is called 'contributory negligence'. In these situations, compensation may still be payable on the basis of a split liability agreement.

Read more:

Can I claim if I feel I was partly responsible for my accident?

How long do I have to make a supermarket injury claim?

In most cases, you have up to 3 years from the date of your accident or injury to start a claim.

For an injured child, the three-year limitation period begins on their 18th birthday, giving them until they are 21 to start a claim.

How much compensation can I claim for a supermarket injury?

The amount of money you could claim for your injury will depend on:

• the seriousness of your injury, and
• any financial losses or costs you have incurred.

At the start of your claim, your solicitor will consider the many ways your injuries have affected your life. Your solicitor will take these considerations into account to calculate the correct compensation award.

General damages

General damages are awarded for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA).

Awards for general damages are set by the Judicial College (judiciary.uk) and published in their guidelines for personal injury awards.

How is compensation calculated if I have multiple injuries?

Special damages

Special damages is compensation awarded to cover any financial losses and expenses you incur as a result of your supermarket injury or negligent medical treatment. These damages aim to put you back in the financial position you would have been in, had your injury not occurred.

Special damages will also cover your medical treatment expenses, that might include pain medication and physiotherapy.

Read more:

A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim

The impact of psychological injuries

Although psychiatric injuries are less obvious than physical injuries and illness, mental health conditions can be no less debilitating.

Our 2024 Public Place Injury Claimant Survey reveals the extent of psychological trauma, with 29.03% of claims involving a psychological injury, 70.97% of which related to a physical injury.

Depending on the injury, an accident in a supermarket may, for example, cause lead to social anxiety in public spaces (agoraphobia).

A specialist solicitor will consider psychological harm when calculating your compensation. Psychiatric injuries are recognised in the official guidelines for compensation, and the cost of treatment and other mental health support should be included in your compensation award or settlement.

Our compensation calculator can estimate your compensation for psychological injuries. Or you can call us on 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor.

Supermarkets owe you a legal duty of care

Customers

Supermarkets have a legal responsibility (duty of care) to keep customers safe from harm by taking all reasonable steps to prevent accidents on their premises.

This duty of care falls under the Occupiers' Liability Act 1957, which states that supermarkets must:

'...take such care as in all the circumstances of the case is reasonable to see that the visitor will be reasonably safe in using the premises for the purposes for which he is invited or permitted by the occupier to be there.'

Employees

As employers, supermarkets have a duty of care to keep their staff safe from harm.

This legal responsibility is covered by a range of legislation, primarily the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

This Act requires all employers to:

• Keep the workplace clean, tidy and safe.
• Provide you with suitable tools and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), to enable you to do your job safely.
• Ensure you are fully trained to safely do your job. You should also be fully trained in the use of tools, equipment and PPE.

Read more:

Making a work injury compensation claim.

How do these responsibilities work in practice?

Supermarkets must carry out regular risk assessments to identify possible dangers to both customers and staff.

Following the risk assessment, the supermarket must implement sufficient health and safety measures to prevent injuries occurring.

Some of the most common preventable hazards in supermarkets include:

• Wet floors - caused by weather, cleaning products or leaking freezers and chillers
• Spillages - from food and liquid products
• Items falling from shelves - due to incorrect placement
• Obstacles in aisles - such as stray trolleys or baskets as well as boxes, trays and roll cages used for stacking shelves

Supermarket employees are also at risk of injury from:

• Lifting heavy objects - without the right support or positioning
• Defective equipment or dangerous machinery - such as roll cages or lift trucks
• Poorly stacked goods - in a storeroom or unloading from a delivery van

As busy retail environments, supermarkets must have a system in place where floors, aisles and staff areas are regularly inspected, and hazards cleaned up or removed. If hazards cannot be dealt with immediately, suitable warning signs must be used to alert customers and staff. Alternatively, the area should be cordoned off.

If a supermarket fails to prevent you from suffering harm, the supermarket can be held liable.

If it can be established that the supermarket was negligent, a compensation claim should be possible.

The supermarket may argue that you were partly to blame and use ‘contributory negligence' as a defence. However, even if the supermarket can establish 'contributory negligence', a 'split-liability' agreement would still lead to a compensation settlement, albeit at a reduced rate.

What should I do after an accident in a supermarket?

If you, as a customer or member of staff, are involved in an accident, you should notify a member of the supermarket staff. The supermarket should record the incident in an accident book and administer any minor first aid required.

If possible, gather as much evidence as possible as this will be used to support your claim:

• Photographs of the scene
• Photographs of the injuries
• Witness details
• Store CCTV camera footage

Seeking medical attention for your injury is of paramount importance. Even if the injury is relatively minor, a visit to a GP or hospital will establish a medical record of the event.

What is the claim process?

At the start of a claim, your solicitor will:

• arrange for an independent medical assessment near your home
• work with you to gather any supporting evidence
• notify the supermarket's insurer of the claim

The supermarket will then either accepted or deny responsibility (liability) for your injury.

If liability is accepted:

If the supermarket accepts liability, the compensation amount will be negotiated and paid to you.

If liability is disputed or denied:

If the supermarket denies or disputes the claim, the process will take longer. When there has been an initial dispute or denial, claims are still usually resolved without going to court. Less than five per cent of claims go to court.

What happened?

Supermarket injury claims are usually referred to as public place, or occupiers' liability, claims. Click on the icons below to learn more:

Public places Work accidents Other accidents

Citations

Author:
Chris Salmon, Director

About the author

Chris Salmon is a co-founder and Director of Quittance Injury Claims. Chris has played key roles in the shaping and scaling of a number of legal services brands and is a regular commentator in the legal press.