What to consider when claiming for a shopping centre accident
- Owners and operators of places accessible to the public must legally maintain a safe environment.
- Adults have 3 years from the date of injury to begin a claim. Injured children can claim anytime up to their 21st birthday.
- How much you can claim depends on your injury's severity and your expenses. Try our compensation calculator for an estimate.
- Claims can be pursued on a 'no win, no fee' basis, removing financial risk.
- Gathering evidence such as incident reports, photos, CCTV footage, and witness statements, will help your claim.
Slip, trip, or fall at a shopping centre? We're here to support your recovery.
Shopping centre injuries often occur due to spills, faulty escalators, elevator malfunctions, or the chaos of holiday sales. If you've been affected by such an accident, you may be entitled to compensation.
A personal injury solicitor can guide you through a No Win, No Fee claim for your public place injury, ensuring you get the financial support you need.
1/3 or all major injuries are from slips and trips - you are not alone
Many people visit shopping centres on a regular basis statistics show there are over 2.4 billion annual visits not only for shopping but for meeting friends, eating out, or watching a film. Shopping centres are designed to be comfortable and very safe environments, but with such a high number of visitors there is a potential for accidents.
Slips and trips (which are common in retail environments) are responsible for over 1/3 of all reported major injuries (hse.gov.uk).
If you decide to make a shopping centre 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.
How much compensation can I claim for a shopping centre accident?
The compensation you can claim for an injury at a shopping centre is based on:
- how severe your injury is,
- the effect of your injury on your daily routine and ability to work,
- any financial expenses or losses you?ve had due to the accident.
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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.
Special damages will be awarded for any lost earnings, loss of commission or bonuses, and loss of pension contributions. It may also be possible to claim for loss of future earnings, if the medical prognosis establishes that you won't be able to work for any period in the future.
These damages will also cover the cost of any medical procedures you might need to treat or recover from your shopping centre injury such as pain medication and psychological support.
Read more:
A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim
How is compensation calculated if I have multiple injuries?
Average shopping centre injury general damages compensation table
The following shopping centre injury payouts refer to the Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases, 17th Edition by the Judicial College (oup.com).
These tables are used by solicitors or by the courts as a starting point when calculating your compensation.
Please note: these average figures represent general damages only, and do not include any element of special damages (e.g. lost wages).
Ankle injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | Minor fractures, sprains, and ligament injuries with full recovery | Up to £15,250 |
| Moderate | A fracture or ligament injury with mild ongoing symptoms | £15,250 to £29,500 |
| Severe | Lengthy treatment required, and your ability to walk has been permanently affected | £34,740 to £55,540 |
Arm injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Forearm fracture(s) | Simple fracture to one or both forearms; | £7,330 to £21,300 |
| Less severe | Less severe injury to one or both arms, with onoing disability but good prospects for recovery | £21,300 to £43,460 |
Elbow injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery within 18 months | Simple fractures, cuts or injuries (e.g. tennis elbow) with no permanent symptoms | Up to £3,920 |
| Recovery between 18 to 36 months | Simple fractures, cuts or injuries (e.g. tennis elbow) with no permanent symptoms | Up to £7,210 |
| Recovery after 36 months | Simple fractures, cuts or injuries (e.g. tennis elbow) with no permanent symptoms or damage | Up to £13,970 |
Finger injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Relatively minor injury | Finger fractures that recover in under 6 months, and/or injuries with tenderness, pain in cold weather, or scarring | Up to £5,270 |
| Index finger fracture | Fracture fully heals, but with ongoing pain, disability and an increased risk of osteoarthritis | £10,110 to £13,570 |
| Serious injury | to ring or middle finger | £11,450 to £18,130 |
| Finger fractures | Fractures that cause deformity, affect sensation, and/or have a long term affect on your grip and ability to use your hand | Up to £40,760 |
Foot injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Modest | Simple metatarsal fractures, ruptured ligaments, or puncture wounds | Up to £15,250 |
| Moderate | Displaced metatarsal fractures, deformity and/or continuing symptoms, where further surgery is required | £15,250 to £27,730 |
| Serious | Injuries affecting your mobility, including fracture of both heels or feet, heel fusion, osteoporosis, ulceration and symptoms including deformity that requires a brace | £27,730 to £43,490 |
Knee injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | E.g. dislocation, torn cartilage or meniscus, that could cause future symptoms or weakness, or that exacerbated an existing injury | Up to £15,250 |
| Moderate | More serious knee injuries with a greater risk of future symptoms, pain and weakness | £16,460 to £29,050 |
| Serious | E.g. a leg fracture that extends to the knee joint, or injuries that cause constant pain and restricted movement, and/or a risk of osteoarthritis or future knee surgery | £29,050 to £48,210 |
Leg injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Simple tibia or fibula fracture | Simple fracture with full recovery | Up to £13,140 |
| Simple femur fracture | Simple femur fracture with no damage to articular surfaces | £10,110 to £15,620 |
Neck injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | Soft tissue injury | £2,720 to £8,750 |
| Moderate | Fracture or dislocation injuries, or worsening of existing conditions, including wrenching, disc lesions and cervical spondylosis | £27,730 to £42,700 |
| Serious | Severe fractures, dislocation, soft tissue damage, ruptured tendons, and/or chronic disability | £50,450 to £62,120 |
Pelvis and hip injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | Injury with no residual disability and complete recovery in under 2 years | £4,380 to £13,970 |
| Moderate | Ongoing symptoms but no major disability | £13,970 to £43,460 |
| Serious | Including fracture of acetabulum and injuries with a risk of future hip replacement surgery or leg instability | £43,460 to £58,250 |
Shoulder injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Soft tissue injury | Soft tissue injury with recovery in under 1 year, causing considerable pain | £2,720 to £8,750 |
| Clavicle fracture | Injuries causing some pain and disability, e.g. a displaced, fractured clavicle | £5,710 to £13,580 |
| Moderate | Soft tissue injury with recovery in under 2 years, and/or limited shoulder movement or frozen shoulder | £8,750 to £14,160 |
Wrist injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lesser | Relatively minor soft tissue injury or displaced fracture, with a full recovery within 12 months | £3,920 to £5,260 |
| Moderate | Uncomplicated Colles' fracture | Around £8,250 |
| Moderate | Fracture or soft tissue injury with complete recovery | £6,750 to £11,480 |
Claiming compensation for psychological injuries
Although psychiatric injuries are less obvious than physical injuries and illness, mental health conditions can be no less debilitating.
Our 2025 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 shopping centre may, for example, cause anxiety in public environments (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.
Do I qualify for shopping centre injury compensation?
Yes, you are entitled to make an injury claim for a shopping centre accident, if:
- you were made ill within the last 3 years, and;
- someone else was responsible, and;
- they owed a duty of care to prevent harm.
Find out online if you can claim with our injury claim calculator. Alternatively, you can speak to a claims advisor on 0800 376 1001 and find out if you have a claim in minutes.
Am I still eligible to claim if I was partially responsible?
Determining legal responsibility for a claimant's injuries can involve myriad factors.
In our recent 2025 Public Liability Injury Claimant Survey, 17.45% of respondents believed they may have been partly (or wholly) responsible for their injuries.
Even if your actions or negligence played a role in the accident, you could still be eligible for compensation. Cases with shared fault (contributory negligence) frequently settle through 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 start a shopping centre injury claim?
For most injury claims, you have up to 3 years from the date of your injury to start the claims process.
The 3 year limitation period does not apply to minors (under 18s). A parent, guardian or litigation friend can start a claim on a child's behalf up to their 18th birthday and the child has until their 21st birthday to claim for themselves.
What are the most common accidents?
Slips, trips and falls wet floors or spillages; escalator falls; entrance door accidents all may cause injury to a visitor. Cuts from sharp edges or broken objects, or bumps from large machinery may be sustained. Centre fittings and promotional materials may fall on visitors.
The range of injuries may include:
- Broken bones
- Cuts
- Whiplash
- Concussion
Who is responsible for visitor safety?
The Occupiers' Liability Act 1957 (legislation.gov.uk) states that an 'occupier' of premises has a common duty of care to all visitors to ensure that they are reasonably safe when on the premises.
The term 'premises' includes a wide range of both open and enclosed properties, from playgrounds and shops, to offices, farms and petrol stations.
In the case of shopping centres, it is usually a centre's management who are considered to be the occupier and responsible for their visitors' health and safety.
Who is to blame for an accident within a shop in a shopping centre?
Within a shop, it may be either the operator of the shop or the centre's management who are responsible, depending on the circumstances of the accident.
For example, a trip over a negligently place shop display would likely be the fault of the shop owner, but liability for an accident involving an automatic door or escalator within a shop may belong to the centre management responsible for maintenance.
Does the law apply to trespassers?
The 1957 Act applied to people who had been invited or otherwise given permission to visit a premises, such as shoppers or delivery workers. Later Acts (legislation.gov.uk) and case law have broadened the application of the duty of care to protect people who do not have permission to be on the premises, e.g. trespassers.
Today, owners and occupiers must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of anyone who could reasonably be on the premises, including people who have not been given permission to be there.
What can I claim compensation for?
Any compensation claim will take into account loss of earnings, expenses incurred as a result of the accident, and pain and suffering sustained.
However if a claimant has contributed to his own injuries by ignoring warnings for example crossing a cordoned off area, or deliberately going the wrong way on an escalator any compensation may be reduced due to his contributory negligence.
Who do I claim against?
Although in many cases it is clear that the accident was caused by the negligence of the shopping centre (the occupier), accidents may also be caused by independent contractors working on the maintenance of the area.
In these cases, providing the occupier has taken steps to satisfy himself that the contractor was competent, then the occupier may not be liable for that contractor's negligence. Similarly, individual shops have some responsibility for their own premises, and may be liable.
Establishing who to bring a claim against may be complicated. Your solicitor will investigate the matter and they will gather evidence to determine who is at fault.
What was the cause of your shopping centre injury?
Shopping centre injury claims are usually referred to as public or occupiers' liability claims. Click on the icons below to learn more:
Can I make a no win, no fee shopping centre injury claim?
Yes. With no win, no fee, you can claim shopping centre injury compensation without financial risk. If your claim isn't successful, you pay nothing. If you win, you only pay a pre-agreed percentage of your compensation.
Get expert advice now
Interested in talking to an injury specialist about your claim?
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Occupiers Liability Act 1984 (reviewed: 27/07/2024)
Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 (reviewed: 27/07/2024)
Author:
Howard Willis, Personal injury solicitor
About the author
Howard Willis qualified as a solicitor in 1984 and has specialised in personal injury for over 25 years. He is a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and is a recognised Law Society Personal Injury Panel expert.