See a doctor or go to hospital (if the injury is serious enough) to make sure the injury is recorded
Take some photos of the accident scene. It will really help if the photos showed how bad the fault with the pavement was. This can be done easily by putting a matchbox where the fault which led to your falling was or putting a 50 pence vertically beside the fault before taking the photos. If you or your friend/family member is really good at focusing a camera put a ruler by the fault so the height is measured. If you don't have a camera or too ill to take the photos ring us or another solicitor and we/they will take the photos for you
Don't tell the council about the fault till you are sure the photos have come out
Get the names of any witnesses to the accident
Write down yourself what happened so when asked to say later you can look back at your own notes
See a solicitor
Why are tripping claims so difficult to win
The problem is council tax. Parliament and the courts are concerned about how big local taxes are. If councils were forced to keep the pavements in perfect condition all the time the bills would be far higher. So you can only win a claim if you can prove the fault was really bad. For example if the fall was caused by two adjoining paving slabs at different heights the height difference must be more than an inch. Also if you manage to beat this hurdle you have to prove that the fault has been like that for over 6 months . The law is more complicated than this as always but hopefully this helps you understand what needs to be done to get you compensation. Many people believe that if they fall , report the fault and the council immediately repair it the council admit fault. The opposite is true by repairing it immediately the council are showing how responsible they are and therefore should have not to pay compensation.
