By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 5th September 2025. For successful pavement accident claims, you need to prove that your injury was due to the negligent actions of the local council. The existence of a specific, dangerous defect, such as a raised slab over 2.5 cm (1 inch deep), must be demonstrated. In order to prove the council’s liability, you will have to collect evidence, such as photographs of the pavement defect and medical records. Usually, there is a time limit of 3 years to start these claims, unless exceptions have been made.
In this guide, we cover what to do if you wish to claim compensation after tripping on pavement slabs. Pavement accidents are more common than you might think. In fact, they are a big part of our business as accident compensation claims specialists. So, if you have tripped on uneven pavement and wish to claim for your injuries, then this article should help you.
If you’ve decided to claim accident compensation, it may be beneficial to use legal assistance to make your claims process smoother. You can reach us in any of these ways to find out how to claim:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Fill out our online contact form, and we’ll reach out to you
- Chat with us using the live message feature on our website.
[link_btns]
Watch Our Video Explainer
If you’d like to learn more about claiming compensation for a pavement accident, why not watch our quick explainer video that offers all of the key information:
Who Is Eligible To Make Pavement Accident Compensation Claims?
Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, the party in control of a public place has a legal duty of care to take steps to ensure the reasonable safety of all visitors to the area. With regard to pavements, this means conducting repairs in a timely manner and ensuring appropriate warnings are in place both leading up to and during those works.
Local authorities and councils are responsible for the majority of public highways (roads, pavements, and pathways) in England and Wales. Their duty of care, as stated in The Highways Act 1980, means that they must regularly inspect the pavements and highways in their dedicated district. They must also have a plan of action to repair any identified pavement defects, and keep good records of all the work they carry out and all inspections.
If you tripped and fell on an uneven pavement, you could be eligible to make a public liability claim if you can demonstrate the following:
- You were owed a duty of care by the party in control of the pavement.
- There was a failure to uphold this duty.
- This failure resulted in an accident in which you were injured.
To learn more about seeking pavement accident compensation or for a free assessment of your eligibility to begin a claim, call our advisors today. Our dedicated team are available 24/7 via any of the contact details provided above.
[link_btns]
How Much Pavement Accident Compensation Could I Receive?
If you’ve tripped and fell on uneven pavement, you are probably wondering “How much compensation for tripping on pavement can I claim?”. If you have a successful personal injury claim, your compensation could potentially be split into two parts – general and special damages. General damages are always awarded in successful cases, whereas special damages are only sometimes awarded.
General damages compensates you for the physical and psychological impacts of negligence. As such, some factors looked at when general damages are being valued include:
- Loss of amenity.
- The severity of your pain.
- How long the recovery period is.
During the pavement accident compensation claims process, you could be asked to go for an independent medical assessment. Solicitors can look at the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), alongside reports from your independent medical assessment, to help calculate your general damages.
The JCG is a publication that has guideline settlement values for different physical and psychological injuries.
Guideline Compensation Table
Below, we have taken some injuries from the JCG, plus their accompanying guideline settlement values. These are just some examples of the types of injuries that could be suffered after having tripped and fell on uneven pavement.
When looking at this table, please note that the top value is not from the JCG. Also, because no two personal injury claims are the same, none of these figures can be guaranteed for your particular case.
Injury Compensation
Multiple Severe Injuries Plus Special Damages Up to £1,000,000+
Brain damage - Very Severe £344,150 to £493,000
Brain damage - Moderate (i) £52,550 to £267,340
Back Injury - Severe (i) £111,150 to £196,450
Back Injury - Moderate (i) £33,880 to £47,320
Foot Injury - Very Severe
£102,470 to £133,810
Knee injuries
Severe (ii)£63,610 to £85,100
Ankle injuries - Very Severe
£61,090 to £85,070
Leg injuries - Severe (iii) Serious £47,840 to £66,920
Wrist Injury - Significant permanent disability £29,900 to £47,810
Special Damages
Special damages compensates you for the financial impacts of negligence. Some examples of financial losses you could potentially suffer after having tripped and fell on uneven pavement include:
- Medical bills, such as buying prescriptions.
- Loss of earnings for taking time off work to recover from your injury.
- Travel expenses to attend medical appointments.
Having evidence of the financial losses that have resulted from your injury is essential, since special damages are not always awarded. So, please keep any:
- Receipts
- Invoices
- Payslips
- Bank statements
That can be used as evidence.
To find out more on how successful pavement accident compensation claims are calculated, please contact us today.
How Long Do I Have To Claim For Pavement Accident Compensation?
You may be wondering ‘what is the time limit for pavement accident claims?’. Personal injury claims must be started within the relevant time limit. According to the Limitation Act 1980, you generally have three years to start your claim. This can begin on the date of your injuries, but there are some exceptions.
For example, the time limit is frozen for those under the age of 18. While the time limit is frozen, a litigation friend can be appointed to start the claim on the child’s behalf. Otherwise, the time limit reinstates on their 18th birthday and runs until they turn 21.
Similarly, the time limit is suspended for an indefinite amount of time for those who are incapacitated mentally. At any time while the time limit is suspended, an appointed litigation friend can start the claim on their behalf. If they recover the capacity to claim, then the time limit reinstates on the date of their recovery.
To find out if you could be within the time limit to make a trip on pavement claim, contact our team.
[link_btns]
What Are The Causes Of Pavement Accidents?
You might be eligible to claim compensation if you suffered an injury when you tripped and fell on an uneven pavement. However, as we have already mentioned, you will need to demonstrate that you suffered your injuries as a result of a breach of someone else’s duty of care.
Here are a few examples of injuries that could result in pavement accident claims:
- An ankle injury from tripping over an uneven pavement.
- Tree roots could raise the pavement, which can cause you to trip and fall, resulting in a knee injury.
- There could be loose or rocking paving slabs. These could cause you to lose your balance and result in a head injury.
- Missing manhole covers could cause a fall leading to a broken bone.
- Overflowing bins could result in a slip on litter, causing a broken wrist.
If you would like to know how much compensation for tripping on pavement you could claim, speak with an advisor from our team.
What Types Of Evidence Can Support A Pavement Accident Claim?
The following types of evidence can best support pavement accident compensation claims:
- Video (CCTV) footage that shows the accident itself and the location of where it happened.
- Photographs of what caused the accident, highlighting a specific trip hazard or pavement defect. Be sure to also take a photograph using a ruler or tape measure next to the trip hazard to highlight its depth, height, and width.
- Contact details from anyone who witnessed your pavement accident. They can provide a witness statement that supports your version of events and give additional details regarding the condition of the pavement at a later date in the claims process.
- Copies of your medical records after having your injuries assessed by a medical professional to show how exactly you’ve been affected by the breached duty of care.
- A personal diary where you have noted your treatment and symptoms.
- A copy of the accident report you made to the local authority to show that there is official recognition of the accident.
- Copies of any correspondence (emails or letters) between you and the local authority or property owner responsible for the maintenance of the pavement you were injured on. If you made a complaint about the pavement prior to the accident, copies of this correspondence can also be used.
It is advised that you try and gather as much of the above evidence as possible in order to have the chance of a successful claim. It can be overwhelming to gather all of this on your own, though. For this reason, our solicitors include gathering evidence as part of their services.
For more information on how to prove pavement accident claims, and to find out whether one of our specialist solicitors can help you gather your evidence today, please give us a quick free call.
No Win No Fee Pavement Accident Compensation Claims
If you tripped and fell on an uneven pavement and were injured as a result, one of our solicitors may be able to help you make a personal injury claim. Working with a solicitor can make the claims process seem less daunting, as they can help you gather evidence, offer more information on valuing compensation, and explain legal jargon.
An additional benefit is that our solicitors offer No Win No Fee services. This means that they on a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), under which your solicitor will start working on your claim without asking for a fee. Similarly, they won’t charge for their continued work, and you will not pay a fee if your claim fails.
If your pavement trip claim succeeds, then you will pay a success fee. The success fee is taken directly from your compensation as a percentage amount. However, this percentage is limited by a legal cap, which helps to make sure that you keep the larger share of compensation.
Our advisors are here to help. When you get in touch, a member of our team can evaluate your claim for free. During this evaluation, they can assess the validity of your claim, answer any questions you may have, and potentially put you in touch with a solicitor.
To get started, contact our team by:
- Calling us on 0800 073 8804
- Contacting us online
- Using the live chat feature
[link_btns]
Thank you for reading our guide to claiming pavement accident compensation for tripping on pavement.