By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 05 March 2025. When we go shopping, the last thing we expect is to injure ourselves. If you do hurt yourself in an accident in a shop, a compensation claim could be something you’re interested in pursuing. If so, you’ve found the right place. Below, we explain the criteria for making a personal injury claim against a shop, supermarket, store or shopping centre. We also explain how to make shop compensation claims, which is always an important step to take.
If you’d like to make a personal injury claim, then our experienced No Win No Fee solicitors can help you.
You can contact us today for a free case check where we’ll learn all about your case and advise whether or not we think it has a good chance of success. If we do, we can help you get your claim started right away.
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- Call 0800 073 8804
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Select a section:
- What Can Your Compensation Payout Include After An Accident In A Shop?
- Compensation Amounts In Shop Accident Claims
- Is A Store Liable For A Customer Injury?
- What To Do If You Get Injured In An Accident In A Shop
- Can I Claim As An Injured Worker?
- Can I Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Call For Free Advice Or To Start A Personal Injury Claim
- Learn More About Personal Injury Claims
What Can Your Compensation Payout Include After An Accident In A Shop?
How much compensation could be awarded for shop accident claims? One of the most common mistakes in claiming accident in a shop compensation relates to the final total.
For most people, the assumption is that this sum will be arrived at purely on the basis of the injury suffered. But, in reality, there are many more factors to consider and many more expenses which you can recover. These can include:
- General damages – general damages can relate to the pain and suffering brought about by the injury.
- Care claim – this can cover the cost of hiring a nurse or carer for your home.
- Loss of earnings – this can cover any earnings which you have potentially lost following your injury.
- Travel Expenses – this can cover any expenses related to travel to and from doctor’s appointments.
- Medical Bills – this can include the cost of dedicated medical equipment, physiotherapy, and private treatment.
To discover what else can be factored into shop accident claims, please speak to our advisers.
Compensation Amounts In Shop Accident Claims
One of the most common questions asked by those interested in claiming accident in a shop compensation regards how much they might receive. As we have outlined above, a number of factors can help determine the grand total. However, there are many specifics that will be unique to your claim.
The consequences of your accident and the nature and severity of your injuries will play a major role. That is to say, the severity of your injury is factored into the total. While this final total can be hard to estimate, we’ve included the below table, which provides guideline figures awarded for specific injuries. These figures were taken from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This is a document used by those who assess personal injury claims to help them calculate how much a claim could be worth. It contains compensation guidelines for different injuries.
If you’re wondering how much compensation shop accident claims could yield, here are some figures from the JCG, except for the first row. Please only use this table as a guide.
| Injury | Severity | Compensation Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries And Special Damages | Serious | Up to £500,000+ |
| Head Injury | Moderate (i) | £183,190 to £267,340 |
| Head Injury | Less Severe | £18,700 to £52,550 |
| Neck Injury | Severe (ii) | £80,240 to £159,770 |
| Severe Leg Injury | Very Serious | £66,920 to £109,290 |
| Back Injury | Severe (ii) | £90,510 to £107,910 |
| Hand Injury | Serious | £35,390 to £75,550 |
| Hand Injury | Less Serious | £17,640 to £35,390 |
| Shoulder Injury | Severe | £23,430 to £58,610 |
| Elbow Injury | Less Severe Injuries | £19,100 to £39,070 |
To find out more about compensation in shop accidents, please continue reading to the next section.
Is A Store Liable For A Customer Injury?
When you visit a shop, the controller of that public space owes you a duty of care, as established by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. Under their duty of care, a controller of a public space should take steps to ensure reasonable safety to those that visit the area. If the public space is a shop, then these steps could include undertaking regular inspections to identify and address any hazards found, such as spillages that need mopping up or objects obstructing aisles.
If you’ve been injured in a shop, you may be asking, “Is a store liable for a customer injury?” If an accident in a store harms a customer, then the store or whoever else controls that public space won’t automatically be liable for the injuries. However, you may be eligible to start an accident in a shop claim if the following applies:
- The shop owed you a duty of care.
- This duty was breached.
- This breach contributed to the shop accident that caused your injuries.
To learn more about eligibility requirements for shop accident claims, please contact our team of advisors for free today.
What To Do If You Get Injured In An Accident In A Shop
As well as asking, ‘Is a store liable for a customer injury?’, an important question to ask is, ‘How do I prove liability?’
It is important to put your health first and get the treatment you need, but when you are able, consider what evidence you can collect to support your accident in a shop claim. Some examples of useful proof are:
- Photographs showing the accident site, any hazards or obstructions that might have caused the incident, or visible injuries you suffered.
- Footage, where possible. For example, you might be able to request a copy of CCTV recordings.
- If the store noted down the details in an accident book, you could request a copy of their entry.
- Witness contact information. You don’t have to ask for statements right away, but witnesses might be called upon during the claim.
- Your medical records. Request a copy of your health information from your GP or healthcare provider as it is a useful overview of your injuries, symptoms and treatment.
Should you take on the services of one of our expert solicitors, you can instruct them to help you gather proof. They can also arrange for expert insight during the claims process. Please call if you want to find out more about how to strengthen an accident in a shop compensation claim and how our specialist personal injury solicitors can help.
Claim Time Limits For An Accident In A Shop
An important part of shop compensation claims is ensuring that you start proceedings within the correct time limit. This is generally three years from when you were hurt, as set out by the Limitation Act 1980. However, a claim for an accident in a shop can still be made outside of the legal limit in an exceptional case.
If you were younger than 18 when you were injured in a shop, then the time limit is suspended. From your 18th birthday, you get the typical three years to start a claim. Before this date, a trusted adult can apply to be a litigation friend and make a claim in your name.
For people who do not have the mental capacity to claim on their own behalf, the time limit is stopped indefinitely. If they regain this capacity, then the three-year window reinstates on their recovery data. Otherwise, the courts can assign a litigation friend to the case while the time limit is suspended.
Contact our dedicated advisors today if you have questions about time limits in personal injury claims or want to see how long you have to get started.
Can I Claim As An Injured Worker?
We’ve answered the question of, ‘Is a store liable for a customer injury?’ Now, you must be wondering if you can claim for an injury as a store employee. The answer to that is yes.
All employers have a duty of care to ensure their employees’ safety. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers must take the reasonably practicable steps to ensure the well-being of all employees, such as:
- Provide safety training and protective equipment.
- Conducting timely risk assessments and mitigating the risks found.
- Assigning tasks according to the employee’s experience.
- Training employees to handle complicated machinery.
- Ensuring timely cleaning and maintenance of the equipment to prevent accidents.
- Disseminating the safety policy among all employees.
If there is a breach of this duty and a worker is injured as a result, this may give rise to an accident at work claim.
For Example: The warehouse belonging to a store hasn’t been cleaned for a very long time. You trip over some boxes and fall, suffering a broken nose. This may form the basis of an eligible warehouse accident claim against your employer.
Contact us now to find out how much compensation you could get for an accident in a shop as an employer.
Can I Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis?
With Legal Expert, yes you absolutely can make your accident in a shop claim on a No Win No Fee basis. Once you’ve had your potential claim assessed by our friendly advisors, if eligible, one of our highly experienced personal injury solicitors could offer to take your claim under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
A CFA is a type of No Win No Fee contract that firmly gives the claimant the advantage. If you are eligible to claim compensation for an accident in a shop, you could enjoy the following benefits:
- Not paying any fees for the solicitor to begin work on your claim.
- No fees to pay for this work during the claims process itself.
- Finally, should the claim fail, you won’t be paying a fee.
Now, should your shop accident claim be successful, personal injury compensation will be awarded to you. A pre-agreed percentage of this will go to the solicitor as their success fee. However, since The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013 caps success fees at a maximum of 25%, you know that you will keep the majority of any payout that is awarded.
Call For Free Advice Or To Start A Personal Injury Claim
If you or someone you know has suffered an injury as the result of someone else’s negligence, then we can help you and your shop accident claims.
If you happen to find yourself in such a predicament, then you may be eligible to win compensation for the damages inflicted upon you. We are here to help you and will guide you through the entire legal process.
In a shop accident and personal injury cases, getting the best legal assistance is simple. You can call us today or fill out our contact form online to arrange for a free consultation session.
So call 0800 073 8804 for free advice and get your accident in a shop compensation claim started today.
Learn More About Personal Injury Claims
Thank you for reading our guide to making shop compensation claims. In this final section, we’ve provided links to some other guides you may find useful.
Other guides you may find useful:
- To learn more about how to claim compensation for an injury, head here. You can find answers to questions, like how long you have to claim, and offers potential compensation payouts.
- We discuss how our solicitors can help with pub and bar accident claims.
- Learn about restaurant accident compensation claims and the help our No Win No Fee solicitors provide.
You can also go through these links from across the web:
- Information from the government on employers’ liability insurance.
- Guidance from the NHS on sprains and strains.
- Details from the government on joining a trade union.
If you still have any questions about shop compensation claims, just contact Legal Expert for advice today.
