It’s very common and we take on a lot of claims for victims who have slipped, usually on spilled fuel, on petrol station forecourts. It’s easily done and fuel is easily spilled, and the staff on site don’t always take the action they ought to when it comes to spillages or reported accidents.
So here is a quick guide about what you should do if you are the victim of a petrol station forecourt slip!
Reporting it!
Hopefully you have reported it already. This is key because it helps for the investigations when we submit the claim to the other side. If you haven’t reported it then it can make it harder for when the insurers or the company investigate the case. Normally they should complete a record in an accident report form which can help for evidence purposes moving forward.
Seek medical attention
Your health and wellbeing is of course the most important thing so make sure you seek advice from either your doctor, or at a local walk in centre, or at hospital where appropriate. Even if you feel largely fine, aside from a few aches and bruises, you should still seek medical advice. This can also be useful for the case later on as well.
Make a claim – NOW!
Whilst we as a firm are not in to being pushy when it comes to making a claim you need to know that in these kinds of cases time really is of the essence. The forecourt should hopefully have CCTV covering where the accident occurred. It’s highly likely they will have CCTV for security reasons but most places will only retain it for a few weeks before they erase it.
What this means is rather simple but extremely important: you may have just weeks to ensure that footage is secured before it is gone and lost forever. The only record of not only your accident, but of how long the spillage has potentially been there for, may be gone forever.
Why is this relevant? Well the other side could defend the claim where they can demonstrate that they have reasonable systems of inspection to look out for spillages. CCTV footage could potentially show how long the spillage has been there for and whether it has been there for a dangerous length of time. If it has then you may have solid evidence to help win the claim.
When it’s gone, it’s gone! And the other side could have records to show inspections took place but you have no evidence to prove otherwise. This can make winning a claim impossible!
So what should I do?
Call 0800 634 7575 now to get the ball rolling for a claim and we can get that vital CCTV footage secured right away for you.