Compensation for Slipping on a Garage Forecourt

Is it possible to claim compensation for slipping on a garage forecourt? I slipped on oil and broke two teeth when I fell.

Eoin P. Campbell, LL.B., Solicitor

Editor in Chief

Eoin P. Campbell

In order to claim compensation for slipping on a garage forecourt, it is not sufficient to prove that oil on the floor was responsible for your slip and fall injury. Although garages have a duty of care to provide a safe environment for customers, that duty of care is not “absolute”.
This means that if the oil had only recently spilled on the forecourt, and staff at the garage had not had a reasonable amount of time to identify the hazard and clean the spill, the garage will not be considered negligence or liable in a claim for slipping on a garage forecourt.

As most garages now use CCTV as a security measure, it may be possible to determine how long the oil had been present on the ground prior to your garage forecourt slip and fall. If it can be established that the hazard should have been removed before your accident happened, it should be possible to make a claim for a fall on a garage forecourt.

The success of your claim for a fall on a garage forecourt may depend on how quickly other claim processes are completed. Therefore, if you have not already done so, you should return to the garage and make a report of your garage forecourt slip and fall in the garage´s “Accident Report Book”.

It is also important that you have your injury treated by a dentist – not only for the future benefit of your teeth, but also in order that the injury you sustained is recorded in your dental history and can be used to establish how much compensation for slipping on a garage forecourt you may be entitled to receive.

It would be in your best interests to discuss the circumstances of your accident with a personal injury solicitor as soon as you have received professional medical treatment for your broken teeth. In addition to applying for a copy of the CCTV video prior to your accident, your solicitor should also be able to obtain witness statements supporting your claim for compensation for slipping on a garage forecourt.