September 11th, 2009
A woman from Salisbury is to make a compensation claim after tripping on an uneven pavement and breaking a bone in her foot.
Janet Street, 62, told the Salisbury Journal the incident happened because of a drop of one inch in the level of the pavement in Albany Road.
She claimed that the pavement in the area is in a "very bad way".
"My foot is in plaster and I will not be able to work for the next four to six weeks," Mrs Street added.
The sheltered housing worker is now planning to make a compensation claim and has taken photographs of the pavement where the incident occurred to use as evidence.
A recent series of Freedom of Information requests by the Liberal Democrats revealed the extent of the problem of poorly-maintained pavements in England.
The requests revealed that local authorities paid out £82 million to settle compensation claims related to injuries caused by uneven pavements between 2004 and 2009.
Tags: Albany Road, Compensation Claim, England, Extent, Freedom Of Information, Information Requests, Janet Street, Liberal Democrats, Local Authorities, Pavements, Personal Injury Compensation, Photographs, Plaster, Quot Quot, Salisbury Journal, Sheltered Housing, Six Weeks, Uneven Pavement, Woman
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September 8th, 2009
Stockton Borough Council has defended its footpath maintenance regime, despite paying out more than £1 million in compensation to people injured in trips and falls on its pavements in the last five years.
Figures obtained by a Freedom of Information request made by the Liberal Democrats showed that local authorities in England paid out £82 million to settle compensation claims related to accidents caused by the poor condition of pavements between 2004 and 2009.
In Stockton, the council made 26 payments totalling £1.2 million – a significantly higher figure than in neighbouring areas, but well short of the £10.2 million paid by Leeds City Council.
The amount may rise, as Stockton Borough Council is still dealing with a further 67 compensation claims.
A council spokesman told the Darlington & Stockton Times that it had implemented a new pavement maintenance regime in order to reduce the number of accidents.
"That has resulted in a dramatic decrease in claims where compensation was made, from 15 claims in 2004-5 to only one in 2008-9," he said.
Tags: 2m, Accident Compensation, Accidents, Darlington, Dramatic Decrease, Footpath Maintenance, Freedom Of Information, Freedom Of Information Request, Leeds City Council, Liberal Democrats, Local Authorities In England, Neighbouring Areas, Pavement Maintenance, Pavements, Quot, Regime, Spokesman, Stockton Borough Council, Stockton Council
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May 8th, 2009
A woman who has been left in fear of leaving the house after a fall on an uneven pavement is seeking compensation from her local council.
Daphne Slater, 73, was being pushed in a wheelchair to the doctors’ surgery by her son Stephen when he and the chair tripped over a sharp rise in the footpath, the Eastwood Advertiser reports.
Ms Slater fell from the chair and suffered cuts and bruises to her face, hands and feet, the Eastwood Advertiser reports.
She is claiming compensation from Nottinghamshire county council, alleging that it had not kept the path in a satisfactory state of repair and that it resurfaced it shortly after her accident.
The council has denied liability and declined to comment on the case while it goes through the appropriate legal channels.
Local council highways departments are usually responsible for maintaining and monitoring the condition of pavements, roads and highways.
They will be considered liable for any injury sustained in a pavement tripping accident if they have failed to have an adequate inspection regime or if they have not repaired any section of pavement that was known to be defective.
Tags: Advertiser, Claiming Compensation, Cuts And Bruises, Daphne Slater, Doctors, Fear Of Leaving The House, Footpath, Hands And Feet, Highways, Inspection Regime, Legal Channels, Local Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Pavements, Pensioner, Satisfactory State, Sharp, Uneven Pavement, Wheelchair, Woman
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February 12th, 2009
A woman who broke both her wrists after falling on an uneven footpath is seeking compensation from the council she claims is responsible.
Theresa Grafton, 68, was visiting her daughter in Coventry when the accident occurred. She had to spend three weeks in hospital as a result of her injuries, the Coventry Telegraph reports.
She claims that she still struggles with everyday tasks and that had Coventry city council repaired the pavement, the incident would not have happened.
"The council won’t do anything about it. The kerbs and pavements are very damaged and uneven both sides of the road," said her husband Barney.
A spokesperson for the council said the area where Mrs Grafton fell is not designated a trip hazard.
According to the council, employees carry out inspections every six months on all roads and footways in Coventry and works orders are placed for any necessary repairs.
They will also repair any other potholes within 25 metres of the works order.
Tags: Coventry City Council, Everyday Tasks, Footpath, Grafton, Husband Barney, Kerbs, Necessary Repairs, Pavement, Pavements, Pensioner, Potholes, Six Months, Spokesperson, Telegraph, Woman
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