A pavement accident is a trip, slip or fall on a footpath caused by a raised or sunken slab, a pothole, a loose kerb, ice or an obstruction, and the injuries it causes most often are sprains, wrist and hip fractures, head injuries and cuts; where the council or a business failed to keep the pavement reasonably safe, the person injured can claim against them, and National Accident Support Line assesses whether there is a claim and refers it to a specialist solicitor with a callback within 2 minutes.
Pavement accidents happen to anyone. A walk to the shops turns into a hospital visit because one slab sits an inch above the next, or because the council has not gritted a hill in three days. The injuries are more serious than people expect, because a pavement fall is a fall onto concrete with no time to react, and the people it happens to most are the ones who recover slowest. This guide covers the injuries, what they mean for the weeks after, and where responsibility sits.
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Common injuries from pavement accidents
Sprains and strains
The most common outcome of a trip on a raised slab. An ankle rolls on the edge, a wrist bends back on landing. A sprain is a stretched or torn ligament, a strain the same in a muscle or tendon. Both mean swelling, pain and weeks of limited movement, and both are underestimated because there is no fracture on the X-ray.
Fractures and broken bones
Falling forward onto concrete, most people put a hand out. The wrist takes the load, which is why wrist fractures are the signature pavement injury. Hips and shoulders follow, particularly for older people, and a hip fracture after a pavement fall is a life-changing injury rather than a broken bone. Some fractures need surgery, plates and months of physiotherapy.
Head injuries
A trip with no hand out ends with the head hitting the ground. Concussion is common and is often missed on the day because the person feels shaken rather than injured. Any head impact should be checked in A&E, and any confusion, vomiting or worsening headache in the days after means going back.
Cuts, grazes and dental injuries
Concrete and kerb edges cut. Facial cuts leave scars, and a face-first fall can break or knock out teeth, which is an injury a claim can cover in full.
Back and neck injuries
A backwards slip, on ice or a wet leaf-covered slope, lands on the base of the spine or the back of the head. Back injuries from pavement falls range from bruising to disc damage, and they are the ones most likely to affect work for the longest.
The impact of pavement injuries on daily life
The injury is the first cost. The second is everything it stops. A wrist fracture means six weeks without driving, cooking properly or working at a keyboard. A hip fracture for an older person can mean a permanent loss of independence. Time off work, care from family, taxis to appointments, physiotherapy that the NHS waiting list cannot deliver quickly enough: these are real losses and they are recoverable in a claim, alongside the injury itself.
Who is responsible for a pavement accident
Public pavements are the local council’s responsibility under the Highways Act 1980, and the council has a duty to inspect and repair them. A pavement outside a shop, in a car park or on a private estate is the responsibility of whoever controls that land. The claim is against the responsible body’s insurer, and it succeeds where two things are shown: that the defect was dangerous, and that the council or business failed to find and fix it in reasonable time.
Two rules decide most council claims, and it is worth knowing them before you start. Courts have long treated a raised or sunken edge of around an inch, about 25mm, as the point at which a pavement defect becomes dangerous; below that, a claim is difficult. And a council can defend a claim by showing it inspected the pavement on a reasonable schedule and had no reports of the defect, which is why photographing the defect with a coin or a ruler for scale, and reporting it to the council after your fall, matter more than any other single step. The full picture is on our page about how to claim for an accident in a public place.
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What to do after a pavement accident
Get the injury seen and recorded, at a GP or A&E, on the day. Photograph the defect from several angles with something for scale, and photograph the wider stretch of pavement, because a long run of broken slabs shows the council should have noticed. Note the exact location. Take the names and numbers of anyone who saw it. Report the defect to the council through its website and keep the reference. Keep every receipt and a note of every day off work. Then get in touch, because the three-year limit runs from the date of the fall and pavements get repaired.
Preventing pavement accidents
Most of it is out of the walker’s hands, which is the point of the duty on councils. What helps: report defects you see, whether or not you fell, because a reported defect is one the council cannot say it did not know about; wear shoes with a grip in wet and icy weather; and in poor light, walk where the surface can be seen.
How a pavement accident claim works with National Accident Support Line
Tell us what happened, by the form, WhatsApp or a call to 0333 212 2730, and web enquiries are called back within 2 minutes during opening hours. We ask where it happened, how high the defect was, whether it was reported and who saw it. If there is a claim, we refer it to a specialist public liability solicitor who runs it on a no win no fee basis. If there isn’t, we tell you straight. NASL is an FCA-regulated claims management company, not a law firm. Falls on any surface are covered on the slip, trip and fall claims page, and the personal injury claims in the UK page explains what every injury claim involves.
Frequently asked questions
Can I claim if I fell on a pavement?
Yes, if the pavement was in a dangerous condition, usually a defect of around an inch or more, and the council or landowner failed to inspect and repair it. Photograph the defect with something for scale and report it.
Who do I claim against for a pavement fall?
The local council for a public pavement, or the business or landowner for a pavement they control. The claim is paid by their insurer.
How long do I have to claim?
Three years from the date of the fall in England and Wales. For a child, three years from their 18th birthday.
What if I didn’t report it at the time?
You can still claim. Report it now, get the injury on your medical record if it isn’t already, and gather what evidence remains: photos, witnesses, the location.
Do I need a solicitor?
Council claims are contested and usually run by a solicitor on a no win no fee basis. National Accident Support Line assesses your claim first and refers it to a specialist.
What can I claim for?
The injury itself, lost earnings, treatment and physiotherapy, travel to appointments, care from family while you recovered, and any lasting effect.
We’ll call you back within 2 minutes with a straight answer on where you stand.