Injured Tripping On Glass Or A Bottle Could I Claim Compensation? – Glass / Bottle Accident Claims Guide

By Joanne Jeffries. Last Updated 29th November 2022. Welcome to our guide on broken glass accident claims. It answers the question of “I tripped on a glass or a bottle. could I make a claim?’. We also look at broken glass injuries in detail, explaining what could happen when glass breaks and injures someone where someone else is responsible. We also look at when someone could claim for an assault with a broken glass bottle.

Claiming for broken glass injuries

A broken glass bottle on the floor

If you fall because you’ve tripped on a bottle or piece of glass, you can suffer some very serious injuries. Not only are you at risk of the normal injuries when tripping over, you could also be subjected to cuts or glass lacerations if the glass penetrates your skin. Therefore, if you’re injured after tripping on glass or a bottle, you may want to consider making a compensation claim for your injuries if the accident was caused by somebody else. It might not be immediately obvious how somebody else could be to blame so this guide is going to provide some examples of when compensation may be possible.

Here at Accident Claims UK, we could help you with your claim and put you in touch with one of our panel of personal injury solicitors who could help you claim on a no win no fee basis.

If you’re ready to begin your claim right away, then please call one of our experts today on 0800 073 8801. Alternatively, if you’d like to find out more about claiming if you tripped on glass or tripped over a bottle, then please continue reading.

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A Guide To Compensation Claims If You Tripped On Glass Or A Bottle

When you’re involved in any type of slip, trip or fall, you’re always at risk of sustaining some serious injuries which can take months or years to recover from. When glass is involved in the fall, the injuries can become even more serious and can even cause a risk to life.

To be able to make a claim, a personal injury solicitor will usually want to prove that:

  • Somebody else (the defendant) owed you a duty of care.
  • That they failed to meet their duty of care, causing an accident to happen.
  • And that you suffered an injury during the accident.

Breaching of the duty of care is usually an accident rather than a deliberate act but can be deemed as negligence either way. Therefore, if you’ve tripped on glass, due to somebody else’s negligence, you may be able to seek compensation for any injuries sustained in the fall.

This guide will provide some clear examples of when somebody else might be liable for your fall and whether you could claim compensation. If you’re wondering, “How much can I claim for a slip or fall?”, we’ll cover the amounts of compensation possible too.

At this point, it’s worth pointing out that claims can only be made if they’re within the personal injury claims time limit. This begins from the date of the accident usually but could be from the date your injuries are diagnosed by a doctor.

If you’d like to discuss a claim for injuries caused after tripping on glass or a bottle, please call our specialists on the number at the top of the screen today.

What Are Accidents Caused By Bottles Or Glass?

There are many ways in which a trip, slip or fall can happen including slipping on ice, a pothole, a raised paving slab or a slippery floor. The difference with a fall caused by accidents involving glass is the risk of cuts and lacerations.

The types of accident which could increase this risk include:

  • If you’ve tripped on a glass bottle.
  • Tripped on glass.
  • Fallen into a glass object.

The circumstances surrounding bottles is perhaps the least likely to result in lacerations but could still cause injuries. That’s because as you step on to the, usually, cylindrical bottle, it will spin away from you but cause you to fall. But if you’ve tripped over glass, there’s a high chance you could land on the same piece of glass and cut yourself. Depending on the location of the cut, your injuries could be extremely dangerous.

If the piece of glass that caused you to trip was located because of somebody else’s negligent act, you may be able to seek compensation against them. Please call and explain what happened. We’ll assess your claim and work out whether you have a valid claim or not.

Causes Of Broken Glass And Bottle Injuries

There are many accidents that could involve glass or bottles. We can’t list them all here but here are some examples:

  • Falling on a broken bottle in a pub.
  • Tripping on a bottle in a shop.
  • Slipping on broken glass that was difficult to see in the dark.
  • Falling over at trip hazard due to lack of health and safety at work and landing or falling through glass.
  • Getting hurt by broken glass in a road traffic accident

Accidents of this type could occur at work (especially the construction industry), in a pub or nightclub, in a shop or in a restaurant. Wherever they occur, if the accident was caused by somebody else, broken glass accident claims could be possible if you’ve suffered any injuries.

Treating Cuts, Lacerations And Other Injuries Caused By Glass

With normal injuries that result in cuts and bleeding, the normal advice would be to apply pressure on the wound. However, if there is glass in the wound this isn’t recommended as any pressure on the glass could cause it to cut deeper or even into an artery.

You shouldn’t remove the glass either. It may be plugging the wound and stemming bleeding. The best advice is to seek medical treatment where the glass can be removed in sterile conditions and the wound treated.

In cases where bleeding is heavy and you’re waiting for the emergency services follow the advice of the operator. They may advise you to wear gloves, if there are any available, and to apply pressure either side of the wound with a cloth or your fingers without pressing on the glass embedded in the wound.

Who Caused Your Accident And Who Could You Claim Against?

If you’ve been injured from tripping over a broken glass bottle, this would not necessarily lead to a compensation claim. When glass breaks, it is not always someone else’s fault. To be eligible to claim, you would need to demonstrate that someone caused your broken glass injuries by breaching a duty of care they owed you. 

The party liable will depend on where you were when the accident occurred. For example, if the incident occurred at work, and you are eligible to claim, your employer could be held liable. In public places such as pubs or nightclubs, the party in control of the public space could be held liable. 

What evidence do I need to claim for broken glass bottle injuries?

There are various pieces of evidence you could gather to support your claim, including:

  • Photographs of the accident scene and your injuries, if possible
  • CCTV footage 
  • Medical evidence
  • Witness contact details
  • An accident report

If you’d like us to talk you through what evidence could help your claim, we’d be happy to help. We could also assess your eligibility to claim. Should you have a valid claim, we could provide you with a solicitor to help you with your case.

Claims For Injuries Caused By Tripping Over A Glass Bottle

If you tripped over a bottle and injured yourself in a public place, then it could be difficult to blame anybody other than the person who left it there. You probably won’t ever be able to determine who that is which would be a claim highly unlikely.

However, if you trip over a glass bottle at work (in the work canteen perhaps), in a shop, a pub, nightclub or restaurant, you could be able to claim against the person responsible.

You may think that it’s not the occupier’s fault, but we’ll cover why claims might be possible over the next few sections. If you suspect that your injury was caused because somebody else was negligent, then give us a call. An accident specialist will assess your claim and explain whether you can make a claim or not, and why.

Claims For Tripping Over A Bottle In A Nightclub Or Pub

In the same way that a supermarket has a duty of care to prevent slips by cleaning up spillages, a pub or nightclub has the same duty to ensure discarded bottles don’t cause accidents.

Obviously, depending on how busy the pub or club is, the volume of bottles being discarded could be high. Therefore, staff need to ensure tables are cleared regularly to prevent them overflowing and bottles falling on the floor.

If a bottle does fall onto the floor, then it should be cleared away swiftly, whether it breaks or not, to reduce the risk to customers. If you’re injured because you’ve tripped or landed on a glass bottle in a pub or nightclub, try to photograph the scene of the accident, report it to staff and ask any witnesses for their details.

We will happily take a look over any evidence you can supply to determine your chances of seeking compensation for your injuries.

Claims For Broken Glass Injuries Against A Shop

There are many types of shop where a bottle or glass could be broken. That list includes supermarkets, newsagents, off licenses, electrical retailers, charity shops and some furniture stores that sell glass furnishings.

It won’t always be the fault of the retailer that the glass is broken but they could be liable in some instances. For instance:

  • If a glass bottle or container is dropped by a customer but not cleared away promptly.
  • Where a glass cabinet or freezer is cracked leaving exposed sharp glass edges.
  • If a glass ornament is dropped and not picked up quickly.

Again, if you are injured by a glass bottle of glass fixture in a shop, try to get photographic evidence. There’s a chance that CCTV footage can be provided by the retailer too. Ask for a copy quickly as they don’t always retain it for long. If you need help acquiring this type of evidence, please call our team asap.

Claims For Injuries Caused By A Damaged Or Faulty Bottle

There have been cases where customers are injured because a bottle has not been constructed correctly. Accidents where the neck of a bottle have smashed while unscrewing the lid or removing the cork have occurred. It’s also possible that a bottle has a cracked lip causing cuts if drinking directly from the bottle.

If you’re injured by any type of bottle defect, you should keep the bottle but also photograph it. Also photograph any injuries caused by it to help with any subsequent claim. It could be possible to make a claim against the bottle manufacturer under the consumer protection act if a faulty bottle caused you any form of injury.

How A Personal Injury Claim Could Compensate You

There are actually quite a few components of a personal injury claim. Depending on how the injury affected you, the solicitor can use any number of these components in your claim. The different parts of a claim can include:

  • General Damages
    This is the compensation that’s paid to a claimant for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity caused by the accident.
  • Medication Costs
    Even though you’ll receive free NHS treatment for your injuries, the cost of prescriptions and over the counter medicines can build up. Therefore, you could be able to include the costs in your claim.
  • Care Costs
    Some people injured in a fall require specialist care to help them recover from their injuries. The costs of any such care could be included.
  • Travelling Costs
    There are a couple of reasons why you may need to claim for travelling following an accident. Firstly, you may need to travel too and from medical appointments. Secondly, you could need to alter travel arrangements because you’re unable to drive. In either case, you may be able to include any costs.
  • Loss of Income
    If you need to take time off from work to recover or attend medical appointments, you may face a reduced income. Therefore, you could seek the difference in your salary back as part of the claim. If there are long term implications to your ability to work, then you might claim for future loss of earnings.
  • Damage to Personal Property
    Following a fall caused by tripping on a glass or bottle, it’s possible that some personal property will be damaged. For instance, you might damage your phone, tear some clothing or damage jewellery which means you could claim for the cost of repairs or replacement.

Special Damages For Broken Glass Accident Claims

The financial parts of the claim listed above are known as special damages. They’re not a punishment to the defendant but are used to ensure you’re not left in a worse financial position following your accident. You should try to collate any receipts or bank statements that can be used to prove your expenses. It’s worth checking with your solicitor before committing to any new costs to ensure you can claim them back.

How Much Could I Claim After Tripping Or Glass Or A Bottle

To show what amounts can be paid for a broken glass injury compensation claim, we’ve included the personal injury compensation calculator table below.

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Body Part Severity Compensation (Upper Limit) Further Details
Hand Minor to serious Up to £61,910 This is a wide ranging compensation bracket which starts with soft tissue damage injuries and goes through to loss of the use of the hand for the long term
Wrist Minor to severe Up to £59,860 This is a wide ranging compensation bracket which starts with basic soft tissue damage and then goes through to loss of use of the wrist.
Arm Moderate to severe Up to £130,930 This is a wide ranging compensation bracket which starts with injuries which are very painful but will heal eventually and up to damage to the arm causing permanent paralysis.
Finger Minor to severe Up to £36,740 This is a wide ranging compensation bracket which starts with bruising, sprains and soft tissue damage through to injuries which require the amputation of one or more fingers.
Back Minor to severe Up to £160,980 This is a wide ranging compensation bracket which starts with sprains, bruising and tissue damage and go through injuries that result in restricted movement and pain until healed (long term).
Neck Minor to severe Up to £148,330 This is a wide ranging compensation bracket which starts with simple tissue damage injuries and through to injuries which will cause permenan loss of movement and pain.
Toe Moderate to severe Up to £56,080 This is a wide ranging compensation bracket which starts with soft tissue damage through to the most serious injuries which result in the amputation of all toes.
Foot Minor to very severe Up to £201,490 This is a wide ranging compensation bracket which starts with tissue damage injuries through to loss of both feet.
Leg Minor to severe Up to £135,920 This is a wide ranging compensation bracket which starts with soft tissue damage through to injuries where a permanent disabilty results.

Injury compensation is calculated based on the severity of the injury. This means a broken finger would be compensated less than an amputated finger for instance. Therefore, a key role of a personal injury lawyer, is to ensure they provide medical evidence to prove how severe your injuries were.

They’ll do this by using any doctors or hospital records you provide. As well as this, an independent medical assessment will be conducted. The doctor will provide a report that shows what impact the injuries had at the time of the accident. They’ll also explain if there will be any long-lasting effects. This will all be used as a basis for the compensation amount the solicitor will request.

No Win No Fee Claims When Injured Tripping On Glass Or A Bottle

Many people worry about the cost of hiring a personal injury solicitor to help make their claim. That’s why our panel of accident claims solicitors work on a no win no fee basis.

No win no fee agreements (actually called conditional fee agreements or CFAs) make it clear that:

  • You don’t pay anything for the solicitor if they fail to win you compensation. There are no upfront fees required either.
  • The solicitor is paid a success, deducted from your compensation, if they win the case and you receive compensation.

Success fees are limited to be a maximum of 25%. You’ll be told the level of success fee when you sign the CFA. They’re deducted from the compensation which means you won’t need to find the funds to pay the solicitor yourself.

No win no fee reduces the financial risk involved with making a claim and helps reduce the stress levels too.

How Could Accident Claims UK Help Me?

Accident Claims UK have a team of dedicated advisors who are happy discuss your claim with you. They’ll offer free legal advice about your claim and help you decide whether you could claim or not. Our advisors are friendly and professional and available 7 days a week.

If they believe you have a strong enough case, they could connect you with one our accident claims solicitors, whether you’ve been hurt in an accident at work a car accident or because you’ve been injured in a public place. Some have up to 30 years history of making personal injury claims and have the knowledge and skills to try and ensure you receive the right level of compensation for your injuries. As mentioned earlier, they all work on a no win no fee basis to make claiming a lot less stressful.

Contact Accident Claims Uk

Hopefully, now that you’ve read this guide about broken glass accident claims for tripping on a glass or bottle, you’d like to let us help you begin your claim. If so, there are a number of ways to get in touch.

We’ll begin by offering you a free consultation about your broken glass injury. In this consultation we’ll look at any evidence you can provide, and we’ll answer any questions you may have. You’re under no obligation to proceed which means you’ve got nothing to lose.

Helpful Resources And Guides

Now that you’ve reached the end of this guide about making a personal injury claim because of injuries caused by tripping on a glass or bottle, we’ve decided to link to some additional resources and guides.

Pub and Bar Accidents – A guide which explains when you could seek compensation for injuries caused in a pub or bar accident.

Shop Accident Claims – A guide which could help you if you want to make a claim because you were cut by a broken bottle in a shop.

Accident at Work Claims – This guide could prove useful if you’ve suffered a cut or laceration injury at work.

Cuts and Stitches – Information from the NHS which explains when your cut might require stitches.

Cleaning a Wound – Another guide from the NHS. This one covers how to clean a wound such as those caused by broken glass injuries.

Occupiers Liability Act 1957 – This legislation could be used to prove liability if you’ve tripped on a bottle and the defendant denies liability.

FAQ About Broken Glass Accident Claims

Making broken glass accident claims against my employer – would I get fired?

Sometimes, people worry about making a compensation claim against their employer. Some people believe their employer might treat them differently or fire them for making their claim. However, it is important to recognise that your employer’s insurance would usually pay for your claim. Also, there is legislation that protects you if you’re speaking out about something unsafe at your place of work. In addition to this, by making broken glass accident claims against your employer, you’re highlighting a problem. This could prevent the same thing from happening to one of your colleagues.

Can I make broken glass accident claims against an ex-employer?

You don’t have to be working for your employer to make a claim against them for something that happened when you were under their employ. So long as you made your claim within the relevant personal injury claims time limit, you could claim as an ex-employee.

How long do broken glass accident claims take?

This really depends on how the liable party reacts to your claim. If they admit liability and offer you a settlement, the process could be relatively swift. However, if the liable party disputes your broken glass accident claims, or they say your injuries aren’t as bad as you say, your claim could take some time. While many claims settle outside of the courtroom, in some cases, your solicitor may have to file legal paperwork with the court to get you the compensation you deserve.

Final words on broken glass accident claims

If you require any further information, please get in touch with a member of our team. We’re more than happy to offer accident claims advice about any type of personal injury claim including broken glass accident claims.