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Public liability claims generally means accident claims not arising from road accidents or accidents at work. Where someone is legally responsible for an accident because they have been negligent or because they have broken a specific law, there may be a public liability claim.
Examples include injuries caused by poorly maintained pavements, footpaths and roads; accidents due to the condition of premises people visit, such as shops and other premises; and claims where activities or events have led to an injury, for example in schools or sporting activities.
One of the most common types of these is where someone has tripped or fallen on a pavement or road, somewhere the public may be invited in, such as a shop or railway station, or private premises where the injured person is a visitor.
Whoever is responsible for the premises is expected to keep it in a reasonably safe condition, bearing in mind the kind of location it is and how safe one would normally expect it to be. However, usually the issue is not just the condition of the premises, but whether or not those responsible for it have taken sufficient care. This can involve questions about whether they knew or ought to have known of the problem in advance, and prevented the accident.
Other public liability claims may arise where someone is responsible for the safety of someone or something, for example safety in schools, in public events or in sporting activities. Those in charge would be expected to consider the risks, think about what might go wrong, and do what they can to make things safe.
