Shane Field, from Rotherham, was walking along South Street at lunchtime.  He did not see the sunken paving slab and his foot went into it.  He fell to the ground and encountered immediate ankle pain.  He was shocked and shaken and attended A & E at Rotherham General Hospital, where he was examined and given painkillers.

Ankle injury caused by paving slab fall lasts six months

Shane’s ankle was very bruised and swollen and he had to take the painkillers for two weeks.  He was unable to work for four days as the pain was too bad.  When he did return to work, he was unable to carry out his work as a courier properly for a further week.  Shane’s pain lasted around six months.

Jonathan pursues council and settles claim for ankle injury

After contacting Graysons to see if he could claim compensation for the accident, Shane’s case was taken on by Jonathan.  He contacted Rotherham Borough Council about the accident, claiming, amongst other things, that it had:

• failed to maintain the pavement in accordance with the Highways Act 1980
• failed to warn people of the danger of the defecting paving slab using notices or barriers
• allowed the sunken paving slab to present a risk of injury to Shane

The council denied liability, so Jonathan had to issue court proceedings.  Shortly afterwards, however, the council decided that it wanted to settle the case, and Jonathan was able to negotiate a settlement of £2,500.

If you have had an accident on a road or pavement and you think that it was not your fault, contact our personal injury experts now to discuss your case.  You can also find out more about claiming compensation for accidents on public footpaths and highways on our website.