

If you slip due to someone else’s negligence, you can almost certainly claim. Land owners are legally responsible for your safety while you are on their property, and are expected to take reasonable steps to ensure your safety.
If you slip and injure yourself because you stumbled over a broken or loose surface, those responsible for maintaining the area concerned may well be liable on the grounds of negligence. This would be the land or building owner, local authority etc., depending on whether it is on public or private property.
Ensuring visitors’ safety extends beyond structural maintenance of the floor or pavement. If you slip on a wet floor in a café, or slip on fruit dropped on the floor of a supermarket, you may well have a claim.
Compensation is determined by the injuries you suffer, not by the cause of the accident. Thus, someone who slipped and sustained a back injury would gain the same compensation as if they suffered an identical injury in a road accident, all other factors being equal. See details for specific injuries elsewhere on this site.
Damages for injury are awarded under two aspects. The most immediately obvious effects of your injury are covered by “General Damages”. This part of your injury claim covers “pain and suffering” and “loss of amenity”
Pain refers to the physical pain resulting from your injury.
Suffering concerns the mental and emotional aspects, so part of your injury claim will be based on whether you suffer anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, embarrassment and so on.
Loss of amenity covers activities and abilities you will no longer be able to enjoy as much as before the injury. For example, a passionate hiker who can no longer walk, or an amateur musician who loses their hearing.
The “Special Damages” part of your injury claim involves financial loss or additional costs. Under this heading will come loss of earnings if you are unable to work, costs of nursing care and changes to accommodation or equipment (e.g. cars) to allow you to live as normal a life as possible.
If your injury claim is to succeed, you must be able to prove “on the balance of probabilities” that your injury is due to negligence by another party. Note that this does not necessarily mean that you have to be entirely fault-free; you need only demonstrate that the other party is more than 50% responsible for your injury. If you can do this, you may then be able to win compensation.
On the contrary, compensation awarded for your claim can include an element for aggravating an existing condition. It is most important that you give a full medical history when discussing your claim for this reason.