Women may need to watch their step
A shopper has won a significant sum as a result of a lapse in public care by a major high street retailer.
The shopper has received a tidy sum of almost £30,000 following a fall in a Marks & Spencer store. The lady fell on two grapes and as a result broke her shoulder, resulting in the need for client to receive a shoulder joint replacement.
A spokeswoman for Marks & Spencer said: "The safety of our customers is a priority for M&S and we are pleased the matter has now been resolved."
This ruling has been given greater significance as these are accidents which tend to happen quite often. Statistics show that similar accidents can occur in stores where there are flowers or excess water. With these stores water can drip onto a smooth tiled surface causing a serious hazard to anyone who is not extremely cautions.
Stores have been advised to have preventative measures to avoid becoming a victim in a public liability case. Mats and rugs have been moved in an attempt to create safe measures to limit the amount of slippery surfaces as well as vigilant staff who can see a potential hotspot before it becomes one.
Female perception
The fact that the victim was a woman should really be of no significance, but recent reports have revealed that 70 per cent of all public liability injuries, affect women.
However, Patricia Byron, the chief executive of InjuriesBoard stated that she felt inclined to disagree: "We can't say definitively why, but there are more women out and about in areas where accidents are more likely to happen."
She added: "Similarly there are more men in the work environment doing manual jobs."
The report shows that a quarter of public liability claims take place in shops or other retail outfits
Other accidents happen in gyms and public transport. A woman was also reported to have one award following an accident which was the fault of someone else.
Claim
The woman was violently thrown from her feet whilst standing on the bus after the driver pulled off suddenly and without warning. The lady suffered significant injuries to her neck and knee.
The affected party was awarded £4,000 in damages by the bus company who acknowledged that their driver may have been at fault.
A spokesperson for the law firm representing the injured party commented: "Although in most cases bus drivers do not have a duty to allow passengers to reach their seats before starting off, the courts sometimes rule they should exercise discretion to ensure that those more likely to have difficulty are seated. This may include passengers who are elderly or infirm or, as in this case, those carrying a lot of baggage."
Updated on 16/06/2009