People who have tripped on a pavement and injured themselves are eligible for compensation, provided that the pavement they tripped on imposed an imminent danger. Some solicitors consider a pavement that is one inch from the ground to be dangerous; however the courts in the UK have made it clear that every case would be judged on its individual facts. In case you have suffered a fall on any pavement, it is advisable to take photographs of the pavement while keeping a ruler against the edge of the pavement to display its height. You should also maintain a record of the telephone numbers & home addresses of all the witnesses. Furthermore, you should also keep a record of all your visits to the doctor after the injury and all the medical expenses incurred. All these records are highly important since they would go a long way in helping you get the right compensation amount. Sometimes, the council or highway authority can bring forth certain documents to prove that adequate safety measures were taken by them to prevent any accident at the concerned site. This is where assistance from professional solicitors becomes important since they are able to conduct a thorough investigation on the accident and are able to properly represent your interests in the court of law. Man awarded £57,000 after he tripped on a pavement A man in Stevenage has been awarded £57,000 in public liability compensation, after he tripped on a pavement and seriously injured himself. The victim was working on Archer Road, collecting recycling boxes when he tripped on a pavement and badly hurt his knee, shoulder and elbow. The injuries required him to have two operations on his shoulder and caused him to miss work for over 15 months. After his injuries, he was forced to accept a job with a lower salary, compared to his pre injury job. After winning the compensation, the man was stated: “I am pleased to have been awarded compensation, but the injury has been extremely painful and has changed my life dramatically. “After the accident I had keyhole surgery, but this did not work, so I had to have painful open surgery. “My wife has been left to lift her disabled mother on her own, I am unable to take my grandson to our regular swimming sessions and I have had to give up golf. “I also had to stop my recycling duties and take a lesser-paid job driving a road sweeper, which has hit me financially.” The secretary of the company that he worked for appreciated the fact that appropriate compensation was awarded and commented: “This accident could so easily have been prevented. “Sadly, he will continue to suffer as he is unable to do things he took for granted before, like playing with his grandson. And he has been forced to take a job that pays him less.” Injury lawyers of the injured man, defended their case by implying that it was due to the negligence of Hertfordshire County Council that the man had to suffer such serious injuries. “Hertfordshire County Council has a responsibility to ensure its pavement and highways are in good order. “It had a huge impact on his life and, most dramatically, on his employment opportunities,” they stated.