Case study: over £4,000 for shopper who cut leg on supermarket sign

Our personal injury solicitors helped a man claim compensation after injuring his leg on a sale sign at Tesco supermarket.

Background: leg injury on signage

Our client, Mr D, was shopping in his local Tesco superstore. He bent down and reached over to pick up a box of multipack canned drinks. As he bent down, his leg caught the corner of a sale sign, slicing his leg.

Supermarket denies liability

Mr D instructed our personal injury solicitors to claim compensation for his injuries.

We notified the Defendant’s (the supermarket’s) insurers of the claim, who refused to accept liability. They alleged that a post-accident inspection determined that the sign was safe. Our personal injury lawyers disputed this, arguing that if the sign was safe, it would not have caused such injury.

Medical report obtained

Our team obtained copies of Mr D’s medical records and instructed an A&E Consultant to prepare a report on his injuries. The report confirmed:

• The scarring on his leg was likely to be permanent.
• The skin over the scar was considered weak and likely to break open with minimal trauma.
• Any reported ongoing instability in the leg was not related to the accident, but to Mr D’s age.

Court proceedings issued

As the Defendant refused to accept liability for the accident, court proceedings were issued and a trial listed.

The Defendant received a copy of Mr D’s medical report.

Witness statements from Mr D and his wife were also disclosed, which detailed the impact of the accident and his injuries.

Settlement offer

Following disclosure of the medical evidence and witness statements, our solicitors entered into settlement negotiations with the Defendant. We took into account that there was a risk that if the claim went to trial, a Judge could agree that Tesco had provided reasonable care whilst Mr D was visiting the store, i.e. if Mr D’s case was not successful, he would not receive any compensation.

After negotiations, the claim settled for over £4,000, taking into account that Tesco still didn’t accept they were fully to blame.

Contact our personal injury solicitors

If you have been injured in a public place, such as a supermarket, you may be entitled to compensation.

Contact a member of our Personal Injury team today on 0117 325 2929 or fill out our online enquiry form.