Compensation for head injury whilst at the zoo

A family day out to the zoo ended up in disaster when our client was hit on the head by a large wooden ornamental leaf in a children’s play area. Our personal injury solicitors were able to obtain an out of court settlement of £5,000 in compensation.

Head injury case

Injuries sustained in the incident last summer included a severe head laceration, loss of consciousness and urgent care at the Blackpool Victoria Hospital, he has since been left with a permanent indentation and a scar on his forehead.

At the time of the incident our client, a 31-year-old man was visiting the zoo with his partner and two children.  He was supervising his 2-year-old and holding his toddler when the incident happened in the play area.  The large wooden ornamental leaf struck him on the head and he fell to the floor bleeding.  At the time he was dazed, shocked and shaken, but has thankfully made a full recovery,

“We were able to get a medical report for our client and settle this case out of court for him,” said Personal Injury Solicitor, Mike Talbot.

“The zoo owners had a duty of care to make sure visitors were safe.  The large ornamental wooden leaf was in such a defective condition that it was liable to fall, in addition they failed to take effective measures to prevent the fall and failed to carry out appropriate maintenance and inspections which would have detected any problems,” he added.

Accidents in public places

If you have had an accident in a public place you should:

• Report the incident to a member of staff
• Get details of any witnesses
• Take photographs at the time if you are able to do so or ask for any available CCTV
• Consider how the incident has affected your wider life, work life, hobbies and activities

If your accident is on council property your claim will be made against the relevant Council.  However, if it is on private land, i.e. in a supermarket, or as in this case the zoo, the claim is made against the owner.

“In this case the owner and occupier of the premises were under a duty to take reasonable care to ensure that members of the public are reasonably safe when visiting their premises,” said Mike.

Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957

As well as incidents like this, other accidents in public places include slips and trips in stores, or other injuries.  Every owner has a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 and in many cases wet flooring, uneven flooring and defective equipment often result in accidents and injury to those people using the premises.

Client Feedback

On receipt of his settlement our client said:

“It was excellent service from start to finish, I was kept well informed at every stage of proceedings and Mike responded quickly to both emails and calls.

“There were no hidden costs which was the thing I was concerned with and everything was explained without any jargon or intent to mislead.”

How can we help?

If you have suffered a head injury at work or in a public or private place contact our personal injury solicitors on 0161 785 3500 or email enquiries@pearsonlegal.co.uk

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Please note that the information and opinions contained in this article are not intended to be comprehensive, nor to provide legal advice. No responsibility for its accuracy or correctness is assumed by Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers Ltd or any of its members or employees. Professional legal advice should be obtained before taking, or refraining from taking, any action as a result of this article.