Pub, Bar or Nightclub Injury Claims

Bars and nightclubs can sometimes be risky places. The combination of alcohol, dimmed lights and high spirits means there’s a real risk of slipping on a spilled drink, falling on broken glass or tripping over obstacles or uneven flooring.

Drink-fuelled emotions can also cause assaults and other criminal offences. Unfortunately, the reality is that having a good time in a pub, bar or nightclub can end in injury.

If you’ve fallen over or tripped or slipped in a bar or nightclub, you may be able to make a personal injury claim to cover the costs of your injury and the effects it’s had on your life.

For more information about the claims process or to find out whether you could sue a bar, pub or nightclub, you can get in touch with a trained legal adviser for free on 0800 234 6438.

As part of occupiers’ liability law, owners of pubs, bars and nightclubs have a duty to take reasonable steps to keep their customers and staff safe from hazards.

For example, they should take on enough staff to clean up broken bottles and spilt drinks quickly and make sure wet floor signs are put out in the meantime to avoid slips, trips and falls.

They should also make sure floor surfaces are safe – including replacing frayed or uneven carpeting and tidying away cables so that they’re not a trip hazard.

If you’ve been injured due to a slip, trip or fall in a bar, then we know it’s very easy to blame yourself. But if business owners follow the right safety measures, a lot of accidents can be avoided. If you think your injury might have been caused because of the bar/ nightclub owner’s negligence, then an expert solicitor might be able to help you make a compensation claim.

If you decide to go ahead with a claim, your solicitor will look to prove that your accident wasn’t your fault, such as by showing that the premises were unsafe and that your injuries happened as a direct result of their failure to uphold their duty of care to you.

To start a bar/club compensation claim, you can get in touch with a traineg legal adviser for free on 0800 234 6438. They’ll ask you some questions about what happened and will then be able to let you know whether they think you can make a case.

You’re not obliged to take your claim any further at this point, but if you decide you’d like to go ahead the adviser can pass you on to one of their specialist solicitors straight away.

They’ll also talk to you for free, and will then get in touch with the bar, club or pub responsible for your injury to let them know of your intention to claim.

Throughout the claims process, your solicitor will be able to do most of the work on your behalf – you’ll need to do some paperwork, but they’ll be on hand to support you with this.

We know it can sometimes be difficult, but if you’re able to gather as much evidence as possible it can help when it comes to making a compensation claim further down the line.

For example, the following can be useful:

• Details of any witnesses
• Photographs of the hazard which caused your accident
• The name and contact details of the owner

Unless you’re completely sure you’re okay, you should see a doctor or go to a hospital after your injury – they’ll be able to examine and treat you if needed – it’s possible you’ve suffered worse injuries than you initially thought.

If you think the accident was caused because of somebody else’s negligence, then we’d recommend getting in touch with a solicitor to find out whether you could sue for compensation.

You have three years from the time of your accident to start your claim, otherwise your claim might be ‘time barred’ – so it’s important to get started as quickly as possible. Starting your compensation claim earlier will also mean the details are fresher in your memory.

If you were injured while working in a bar or nightclub, you should make sure the incident is reported and recorded in the accident book. This is so that there’s an official record of your injury happening.

The last thing you expect when you’re on a night out is to be attacked. If this has happened to you, then we know it can be a very traumatic experience which can have a psychological impact as well as causing painful injuries.

A serious personal injury can stop you from being able to get on with your everyday life – it’s likely you’ve had to take time off work which can also put you under financial pressure.

Compensation isn’t there to punish the person who attacked you or to provide some kind of easy pay off. But it is meant to help you start putting your life back together again as well as ensuring you don’t have to put up with financial losses to go with all your other problems.

If the person who attacked you hasn’t been identified or is never arrested, charged or found guilty, then you might still be able to make a compensation claim.

In these cases, your claim will be made via the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) – a government-run body which makes payments to innocent victims of violent crime, no matter whether the attacker has been identified.

A personal injury solicitor will be able to explain what the best course of action is for your case and will help you make your claim on a no win no fee basis.

The amount of compensation you receive will depend on your injury and the impact it’s had on your life. A solicitor will find out as much as possible about what happened to you, so they can make sure you receive the full amount of compensation you deserve.

A part of the money you receive will take into account your physical pain and suffering, and the effect your injury has had on your family life, social life and hobbies.

The rest of it will aim to cover the costs caused by your injuries so you’re not left out of pocket. For example, your solicitor will look to cover:

• Any lost earnings due to time off work
• Medical expenses, including prescription costs, private medical treatment, and care
• Travel and accommodation costs for you and your family

For the best possible chance of getting all your expenses covered, it’s important to hold on to the receipts for things you’ve had to pay for due to your accident, as well keeping records of any medical treatment you’ve received.

If you were drunk when your injury happened, then it’s likely you can still make a claim, although this might affect the amount of compensation you receive.