Our guide to using a compensation calculator for public liability claims explains how personal injury compensation could be awarded to reflect physical injury, emotional suffering and possibly also financial losses you experienced after being hurt in a public accident when the occupier is at fault.
To be successful, a compensation claim first has to be valid. We lay out the eligibility criteria you must meet and provide some examples of when accidents happen due to third-party negligence on public premises to give you an idea of when it is possible to make a public liability injury claim.
Furthermore, we discuss positive action you could take to help your case, including gathering relevant evidence and getting dedicated support from a solicitor on a No Win No Fee basis.
If you have any questions after reading this guide, just reach out to our friendly team today. You can also find out if you can make a claim for your public place accident with the help of one of our panel’s expert personal injury solicitors. Contacting us is both stress free and cost-free, so get started by either:
- Calling 0800 408 7826.
- Using our web form to contact us about your potential claim.
- Talking to an advisor using our live support feature below.
Choose A Section
- Compensation Calculator For Public Liability Claims
- When Can You Make Public Liability Claims?
- What Types Of Accidents Could Lead To A Public Liability Claim?
- What Should You Do After A Public Liability Accident?
- Why Use No Win No Fee Solicitors To Make Public Liability Claims?
- More Useful Resources About Claiming For A Public Liability Accident
Compensation Calculator For Public Liability Claims
Public liability claims can be made by people who suffer injuries caused by being in a public accident due to occupier negligence. We will cover this in more detail in the next section.
If your claim for a public liability accident is successful, you will receive personal injury compensation for the effects of injuries sustained in the incident.
The settlement could be split into two ‘heads’, one of which is general damages. You are compensated for the pain and suffering caused by the injuries under this head of claim. This can be physical harm, emotional damage or both.
Those valuing this part of the payout may use medical evidence to judge the damage and impact on your quality of life. They may also turn to the guideline compensation brackets laid out in the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG.)
A compensation calculator can be used to get an idea of how much compensation you might get in a public liability claim payout. Instead of providing a calculator in this case, we have put together a table using JCG figures, which you can see below.
Compensation Table
This table should only be used as a guide. Please note that the settlement for public liability compensation claims differs depending on the facts of each case.
| INJURY | SEVERITY | COMPENSATION | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries Plus Expenses | Severe | Up to £1,000,000+ | Compensation recognising the effects of several very severe injuries, in addition to financial losses like loss of employment prospects (loss of earnings capabilities). |
| Head | Moderately Severe | £219,070 to £282,010 | Factors affecting the level of award include the extent of limitations, either physical or in communication. The injured person is disabled to a very serious degree. |
| Moderate (i) | £150,110 to £219,070 | Cases where the affected person has a moderate to severe drop in intellect amid other issues like a change in personality. | |
| Foot | Very Severe | £83,960 to £109,650 | Injuries that produce continuous, severe pain, or really serious and permanent disability. |
| Ankle | Very Severe | £50,060 to £69,700 | A limited and unusual set of examples include bilateral ankle fractures causing a young person to suffer joint degeneration. |
| Wrist | Complete Loss of Function | £47,620 to £59,860 | For example, an arthrodesis is performed. |
| Other Arm Injuries | Injuries Resulting in Permanent and Substantial Disablement | £39,170 to £59,860 | Fractures of at least one forearm, leaving permanent residual disability. |
| Severe Leg Injuries | Serious | £39,200 to £54,830 | Serious compound or comminuted fractures, joint damage or ligament injuries, resulting in issues including instability and a near certainty of arthritis. |
| Shoulder | Severe | £19,200 to £48,030 | An injury often linked to neck pain and including brachial plexus damage. Significant disability occurs as a result. |
| Facial Injuries | Fractures of Jaws (i) | £30,490 to £45,540 | Multiple very serious fractures. Prolonged treatment and permanent consequences follow, including severe pain. |
| Facial Disfigurement | Significant Scarring | £9,110 to £30,090 | Plastic surgery reduces, or will reduce, the worst effects. The psychological reaction is not great. |
The first entry does not appear in the JCG.
Special Damages In A Public Liability Compensation Claim
A second head of claim may be included if your injuries caused you financial damage. Special damages can cover any expenses owing entirely to the injury in a public place. This might include:
- Loss of earnings.
- Domestic care costs.
- Travel expenses.
- Medical bills.
- Home or vehicle adjustments.
Our panel’s solicitors use their extensive experience to get the right amount of compensation for their clients. To learn if you could claim compensation for your public injuries, please just call the number above.
When Can You Make Public Liability Claims?
Shopping centres, public buildings, train stations and roads are all examples of public places. When visiting those spaces, occupiers owe you a duty of care. This is a legal requirement, established in law by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, to keep visitors to the premises reasonably safe from harm.
Occupiers could be business owners, local authorities or anyone in control of a public space. If they fail to comply with their legal obligations, members of the public injured in a resulting accident could start public liability claims.
A personal injury claim is generally considered eligible if it can be shown that:
- A public space occupier owed a duty of care.
- They breached their duty.
- This led to an accident in a public place where you suffered physical and/or psychological injuries as a result.
What Is Public Liability Insurance?
Most companies will carry public liability insurance to protect them from the financial risk of claims. This typically ensures that their insurance provider will pay out if a successful claim is made against them.
It isn’t compulsory under UK law to have public liability insurance. What this means for you as a claimant is that your public liability compensation award would come from the company responsible for the accident if they don’t have insurance.
You can learn more by calling and speaking to an advisor.
What Types Of Accidents Could Lead To A Public Liability Claim?
Numerous accidents could be caused by occupier negligence, leading to a public liability compensation claim. Each case below is an example of how a breach of duty could lead to injuries suffered by a member of the public.
- Supermarket staff members are made aware of spillages causing wet floors but do not clean them up or signpost the problem. A customer suffers a bad shoulder injury when they slip and fall on a pool of liquid.
- The local council does not fix a pavement reported to them as badly broken. After tripping on the defective and uneven pavement, a pedestrian sustains a broken wrist and a fractured arm.
- Restaurant staff improperly stack a shelf of glass items. They fall on a passing customer, causing them to suffer a broken jaw and facial lacerations from the broken glass.
Have you been injured in a public place? If the incident was caused by an occupier acting negligently, you could make a public liability claim. Call the number above to find out if one of our panel’s solicitors could help you.
Is There A Time Limit For Public Liability Claims?
It’s important to be aware of the time limit for your claim. The Limitation Act 1980 sets out a general rule that personal injury claims must begin within three years of when the accident occurred.
However, some cases may call for an exception where the injured party has an extended deadline or their claim period is paused entirely.
Learn more about time limits for public liability claims and how long you have to claim by calling our helpline.
What Should You Do After A Public Liability Accident?
It’s advisable to make someone aware of the accident first of all. This is likely to be a member of staff, the owner of the premises or a passing member of the public. They can help you get any medical treatment you might require.
A staff member should also submit details of the incident into the premises’ accident book so they have a record of how the accident happened. This could act as useful proof in a personal injury claim.
Those claiming for public liability accidents should gather as much evidence as possible to support their case. As well as the accident book entry, you could collect:
- CCTV footage of the accident and its cause.
- Photographs of the scene.
- Medical evidence. You can request a copy of your health records from your GP or healthcare provider.
- Witness contact information. Please note that you don’t have to collect statements ahead of the claim.
Our panel’s public liability lawyers can help claimants put together evidence for their claim, if instructed. Please get in touch with our helpful advisors if you’d like to learn more.
Why Use No Win No Fee Solicitors To Make Public Liability Claims?
Helping with evidence isn’t all a solicitor can help you with. In fact, our panel of specialist solicitors can guide you through every step of the claims process. They offer this expert support under a Conditional Fee Agreement.
This means that, by working with them, you could pursue a No Win No Fee public liability claim with no fees to pay in advance or during the case. Losing the claim also means there’ll be no solicitor fee after the case concludes.
Your solicitor will take a success fee from the compensation awarded to you if the claim wins. This will only be a small percentage of the payout, which is guaranteed due to a legal cap set out by The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013.
You can get free advice on No Win No Fee public liability claims and how to seek compensation for a public accident by calling our dedicated claims team. An advisor can also assess your possible compensation claim and put you in touch with a solicitor from the panel if you have reasonable grounds to take legal action.
All the support our advisors offer is free and available around the clock. Choose any of these options to get started today:
- Call 0800 408 7826.
- Go online to contact us and ask for a call.
- Use the live chat option at the foot of this page.
More Useful Resources About Claiming For A Public Liability Accident
Some more of our guides:
- A review of a multiple injury compensation settlement.
- If you’re asking, ‘What’s my personal injury claim worth?’ our guide will help.
- Were you injured in a public place while working? Our accident at work FAQ guide could have the answers you need.
Further information can be found through these trusted resources:
- Government guidance – how to request CCTV footage of an incident.
- An NHS A-Z of health conditions.
- Information on how to report a pothole to your local authority.
Thank you for reading our public liability claims guide. Just give us a call or get in touch online if there’s anything else we can help you with.