Is it possible to claim compensation for slipping on a wet floor in canteen at work if I did not visit the doctor until a week after my accident?
While you may be entitled to seek compensation for slipping on a wet floor in canteen if you have been the victim of negligence, the amount of compensation you may be entitled to claim can be reduced if you have been negligent towards your own health and safety. Your employers – if they are the owners of the canteen – have a duty of care to fulfil towards their employees who should be free from the risk of sustaining an injury, and who may be entitled to make a claim for slipping on a wet floor in a canteen. However it should be remembered that this duty of care is not necessarily absolute, meaning you also have a certain responsibility towards your own well-being after suffering a slipping on a wet floor accident. To establish whether or not you are entitled to make a claim for an injury from slipping on a wet floor, you are advised to speak to a personal injury solicitor at the earliest opportunity.
You may be entitled to compensation for slipping on a wet floor in canteen provided that it can be proven that the negligence of your employer resulted in your accident and injury. This may be the situation if your slipping on a wet floor accident occurred as a consequence of a lack of warning signs to alert others that cleaning is in progress or that a hazard exists. A claim for slipping on a wet floor in a canteen is also possible if the hazard which had been upon the floor was laying there for an unacceptable length of time, but was not cleared up by cleaning staff. As your injury from slipping on a wet floor was sustained because of negligence, you could be entitled to seek compensation for your injuries.
Although third party negligence may make you entitled to compensation for slipping on a wet floor in canteen, your overall compensation can be reduced if your own lack of action contributed to the extent of your injury. Following a slipping on a wet floor accident your immediate priority should be to attend the accident and emergency department of your nearest hospital or book an emergency appointment with your family GP. This is to ensure that your injury from slipping on a wet floor does not deteriorate further, and should an unacceptable delay in seeking medical attention this may damage your claim. Although a claim for slipping on a wet floor in a canteen may still be possible in this circumstance, the amount of compensation you will be able to claim can be reduced to reflect your own negligence.
If contributory negligence is a factor in your injury, it is more likely that your employer may challenge your claim for slipping on a wet floor in a canteen. For this reason, following your slipping on a wet floor accident, you are advised to consult a personal injury solicitor at the earliest opportunity to assess your claim. Your solicitor can determine the amount of compensation you can seek for your injury from slipping on a wet floor, establish the strength of the claim and advise on whether it is worth pursuing further. The experience of a personal injury solicitor in these scenarios will be invaluable when making a claim, and should be sought before pursuing compensation for slipping on a wet floor in canteen.