Injury claim against the council succeeds at trial
Taunton based injury specialist, Carly Sylvester, has recently succeeded at the trial of an injury claim against the council after her client fell on a concrete slipway at the beach. If you wish to make an injury claim against the council then contact us for a free case assessment and details of no win, no fee funding.
Our client had visited this particular beach before and used the slipway many times. At the top of the slipway, there were a number taps which were constantly in use by visitors to clean sand off their feet. As she made her way down the slipway, she lost her footing on the wet surface, fell, and hit her head. She was knocked unconscious for 5 minutes. When she regained consciousness, she noticed that algae was also present on the slipway.
She contacted our free legal helpline for guidance on seeking compensation. We told her she had a valid claim and agreed to deal with the case on a no win, no fee basis.
The council denied responsibility for the accident on the basis that there had not been any previous incidents there and that the slipway was used by an RNLI lifeboat station. However, following the accident, the council arranged for a soak-away drainage system to be installed and had the slipway jet washed and scrubbed to remove any algae.
These cases usually settle out of court, but in this instance the council dug its heels in and we had no alternative but to take it to trial. Our assessment of the case was proved to be correct when the Judge said that while the council had risk assessments in place for the beach and surrounding area, it did not include the slipway and that was irrelevant that no accidents had previously occurred. Our client therefore succeeded in her injury claim against the council and was awarded compensation for her injuries.