Slipped at a Petrol Station? Get Free Legal Advice

Due to the pain and inconvenience caused by his injuries, Mr T engaged Bartletts Solicitors to represent him in a no win no fee personal injury claim against the petrol station’s owners, a well-known multinational company. We argued that our client had slipped on oil at the petrol station due to the negligence of its staff, who had failed to deal with the slippery oil either by clearing it up properly or by positioning warning signs to alert visitors to the danger.

The station forecourt and incline were in an unsafe state at the time Mr T visited, and this represented a breach of the duty of care he was owed as a lawful visitor to their premises. After a few months of correspondence, the company’s insurers admitted liability, and Mr T received a cheque for £2,750 in compensation.

Mr H was visiting a store and decided to use the car wash at its petrol station. Having purchased the required tokens from a machine, Mr H drove his car onto the car wash platform, but after inserting the tokens the car wash failed to start operating. Mr H was walking past the car wash towards the petrol station to get a refund when he slipped on a large area of grease and fell to the ground.

One of the station attendants came to his assistance, but Mr H could not walk properly due to pain in his lower back, and the attendant called an ambulance. Mr H was taken to hospital where he was treated and later discharged on crutches with instructions to take at least two weeks off work and avoid any strenuous activity during that time.

Mr H’s injury and his contractual situation meant that he was unpaid during his enforced absence from work, and this prompted him to seek legal advice. After considering the facts, Bartletts Solicitors went on to represent Mr H in a no win no fee claim against the petrol station’s owners.

We argued that the store had failed in the duty of care it owed Mr H as a visitor to the premises by failing to deal with the large and obviously hazardous greasy surface in the station forecourt. This had directly caused our client’s muscular injury in his lower back, as well as his loss of earnings due to time off work. We were able to reach a settlement with the store’s insurers in less than nine months, with our client receiving £2,850 in compensation.

Both petrol station employees and visitors are broadly protected under the Occupiers' Liability Act 1957, which requires that station owners take all 'reasonable' measures to ensure their premises are 'reasonably safe' for their 'lawful visitors'. This will involve formulating and enforcing an adequate system of inspection, cleaning and maintenance.

The basic principle for petrol station employees is that slipping hazards like oil and grease on forecourts should be eliminated as soon as they become evident. Our solicitors are specialists at claiming compensation for slipping accidents at petrol stations and any other injuries caused by the negligence of a petrol station's management or staff.