£18,000 compensation for 77 year old client who slipped and fell in local supermarket

Mrs M was paying for groceries at the checkout in her local supermarket and as she went to exit the store, she slipped on debris left on the floor.

In October 2021, Mrs M had popped into a local supermarket with her granddaughter to pick up a few groceries. She had paid for the groceries at the till and was just about to leave when she stood on debris on the floor and the heel of her boot flew out from under her, causing her to fall and impact heavily with the ground.

Mrs M was highly embarrassed and with the help of her grand-daughter, got up telling the cashier that she was OK and rushed off. The fall was, however, captured on CCTV.

When the claim was initially submitted to the Defendant they purported to adhere to a clean as you go policy.

A “clean as you go” policy involves staff being trained to ensure that they clean continually throughout the working day and make cleaning part of their daily routine. They have to ensure that surfaces, equipment, waste, and the premises are clean, hygienic, and clutter free.

It was evident from the CCTV footage that the debris had been on the floor for some time and several members of staff had walked past the area and failed to clean up. Liability was eventually conceded.

Mrs M suffered soft tissue injuries, the most serious of which was to her left ankle. Whilst the other soft tissue injuries were relatively short-lived, she continued to be hampered by symptoms in the ankle which made walking, one of her pastimes, difficult.

Medical evidence was obtained from an orthopaedic surgeon who initially recommended targeted physiotherapy. An interim payment was requested to cover the cost of the treatment.  Whilst treatment helped for a few days, following treatment, symptoms always returned. Further advice was sought from the orthopaedic surgeon who then recommended a steroid and cortisone injection into the ankle and a further interim payment was sought. The procedure was carried out on two separate occasions with each injection offering temporary relief. 

The medical evidence was that Mrs M would always have a degree of minor ongoing symptoms in the ankle and, whilst surgery may help to alleviate those symptoms permanently, given an underlying unrelated health condition, it was entirely appropriate for her to not want to have such surgery.

Several interim payments were obtained during the life of the claim to assist Mrs M receive private treatment. She was also reimbursed at an early stage for financial losses which she had incurred as a result of the accident.