Question: I Have Slipped and Injured Myself at a Shopping Centre – What Are My Next Steps?”
The mere fact that someone slips and falls in a shopping centre and suffers injury is not in itself sufficient to establish an entitlement to a claim. What needs to be proven, ultimately to the satisfaction of the court, is that the owner or occupier of the shopping centre had breached their duty of care to the injured person and that same was causative of the injury, loss or damage suffered.
Accidents do not just happen, they are caused. Accordingly, in the case of an accident within a shopping centre it is necessary to determine the cause of that accident and the party responsible for same. If, and put as simply as we can, the injured person tripped over their own feet, then there would be no claim as against the owner/occupier of the shopping centre. If however the injured person slipped or tripped on something and ultimately it was held that the presence of the contaminant or the trip hazard and the failure to rectify same constituted negligence on the part of the owner/occupier of the shopping centre, then the injured person would be entitled to recover damages for their injury, loss or damage.
In the event that you have suffered injury as a result of a fall on either public or private property you may have a valuable right to claim compensation for the injuries sustained. For a free no obligation assessment of any claim that may be available to you, contact Brydens Lawyers without delay. Strict time limits apply.