I have been told that claiming compensation for tripping on a road is now very difficult. How can I tell if I will be able to recover compensation for my injuries?
It is true that claiming compensation for tripping on a road is not always straightforward, but if you have suffered an injury for which you were not entirely to blame, and the accident was caused by the negligence of a third party, you should be entitled to make a claim for compensation.
In recent years many claims for road trip injury compensation have been made against local authorities for injuries resulting from a failure to maintain roads to an acceptable standard. Local authorities are faced with rising costs and reduced funding, putting them under increasing financial pressure. It is perhaps understandable that standards of maintenance fall as a result and repairs are delayed. However, even with these financial constraints, the local authority still has a responsibility to make repairs in a reasonable time frame and should not place the public at an excessive risk of tripping and falling due to poorly maintained roads and pavements.
Even when the local authority is responsible for an accident, liability for the injury is often denied. This can be seen as a cost cutting measure, and one which helps to deter fraudulent claims from being made. When liability is denied it does not necessarily mean that is will be difficult to recover road trip injury compensation, only that it is important to build a strong case against the local authority. This means that it is more important than ever that sufficient evidence of negligence is collected to support a claim and prove negligence.
There are a number of ways that negligence can be proven in a claim for a trip and fall on a road. If you recorded the contact details of eye-witnesses to the accident, statements can be taken to support your claim. Returning to the scene of the accident to take photographs of the hazard that caused your trip and fall can also help to build a strong case. The dimensions of the hazard should also be measured and recorded to help determine that the hazard represented an unacceptable trip injury risk.
A claim for a trip and fall on a road will certainly be difficult if you have not followed the correct procedures after the accident. You must have sought medical attention promptly and had your injuries treated by a doctor. A compliant must also be made to the local authority about the hazard which caused your trip and fall. The local authority must be notified of the accident and given the opportunity to take action to prevent further accidents from occurring.
Claiming compensation for tripping on a road can certainly be made easier with the assistance of a personal injury lawyer. A lawyer is in the best position to identify the third party responsible and to prove that an accident has been caused by negligence. If a claim is possible, a lawyer will make sure that a strong case is prepared to maximise the probability of getting a quick resolution to your claim. We therefore recommend speaking to a lawyer about your case as soon as possible.