Falling Down a Drain – How Much Compensation Could I Claim?

How much compensation for falling down a drain you could be awarded can vary significantly depending on the injury you suffered, the impact this had on your wellbeing, and whether it caused any financial losses. These types of accidents could cause you to suffer soft tissue damage or severe fractures; you may also face lost income and medical expenses. Compensation claims can take all of these factors into account.

You also don’t have to worry about facing the claiming process on your own. If you contact our advisors, they can answer your questions, offer you free advice and also potentially connect you with a solicitor from our panel. The solicitors on our panel could also provide their services to you on a No Win No Fee basis.

To get help with your claim for injuries caused by falling or tripping due to a drain, please contact us today.

Jump To A Section

• How Much Compensation For Falling Down A Drain May I Get?
• How Is The Amount Of Compensation Determined After Falling Down A Drain?
• Can Other Losses Be Covered In Drain Or Manhole Injury Compensation?
• Can I Make A Claim For Compensation After Falling Down A Drain Or Manhole?
• Examples Of Falling Down The Drain Claims
• What Will I Need To Support a Drain Or Manhole Accident Claim?
• Get Help From How Much Compensation After Falling Down A Drain
• Learn More

How Much Compensation For Falling Down A Drain May I Get?

How much compensation for falling down a drain you may be entitled to depends on the injury you sustained, its severity, and the impact it has had on your daily life. When valuing your injuries, legal professionals (such as solicitors) may reference materials such as the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This is a periodically updated document containing compensation guidelines for different injury types at varying severities.

We have taken different injuries and compensation brackets from the JCG for the table below. Please be aware that these figures are only guidelines and that the top one is not from the JCG.

Injury	Notes	Damages
Multiple serious injuries + special damages awarded for care, medical, and rehabilitation costs.	Covering compensation for pain and suffering, as well for care, medical, and rehabilitation costs.	Up to £1,000,000+
Brain damage.	Very Severe - At the most severe end, the person may retain the ability to follow basic instructions.	£344,150 to £493,000.
Leg injuries	Severe (ii) Very Serious - Permanent mobility problems, requiring crutches for the remainder of their life.	£66,920 to £109,290.
Ankle injuries	Severe - Injuries which need a long period of time in plaster and/or treatment.	£38,210 to £61,090.
Foot injury	Serious - Injuries which lead to pain due to arthritis or the risk of arthritis.	£30,500 to £47,840.
Arm injuries	Less Severe Injury - Despite significant disabilities, a substantial recovery will have taken place.	£23,430 to £47,810.
Skeletal injuries.	Jaw Fracture (i) - Multiple, serious fractures and prolonged treatment.	£37,210 to £55,570.
Achilles tendon injury	Most Severe - Severed tendon and peroneus longus muscle.	Around £46,900.
Toe injuries	Amputation of the great toe.	Around £38,210.

Contact us to learn more about how compensation is calculated in personal injury claims.

How Is The Amount Of Compensation Determined After Falling Down A Drain?

The amount of compensation you could be awarded after falling down a drain may be determined by considering what injuries you have suffered and if they have caused you any financial losses.

Your injuries are compensated under a head of loss known as general damages. When this head is being determined, it will consider factors such as:

• The injuries sustained and their severity. Injuries sustained could range from fractures and broken bones to severe brain damage.
• The psychological impact on you. In some instances, psychological harm can take longer to recover from than your physical injuries.
• How your injuries have impacted your quality of life.
• What treatment you required or will require in the future.

Any financial losses suffered could be compensated under special damages. We discuss this in more depth in the following section.

You can discuss how much compensation for falling down a drain you may be eligible to claim with one of our advisors.

Can Other Losses Be Covered In Drain Or Manhole Injury Compensation?

Yes, other losses, such as medical costs, lost income and earnings, and childcare expenses, could be covered by drain or manhole injury compensation under the heading known as special damages. Tripping and falling on broken or missing manhole covers could leave claimants facing various financial costs, including:

• Lost income and earnings, due to time of work, reduced duties, or a reduction in your (future) earning potential.
• Medical costs, including the cost of consultations, private treatment, and prescriptions.
• Care provided by professionals or family and friends.
• Childcare costs.
• Travel expenses due to attending medical or legal appointments.
• Necessary medical equipment to cope with your injuries.

In order for your personal injury compensation claim to include special damages, you will need to supply evidence of any financial losses. You could submit documentation such as treatment invoices, payslips, or receipts.

Talk to an advisor about what losses you could claim for following a drain cover accident, or regarding how to use our compensation calculator.

Can I Make A Claim For Compensation After Falling Down A Drain Or Manhole?

Yes, you could make a compensation claim after falling down a drain or manhole cover if you can show that another party’s negligent actions or inactions were responsible for your accident and subsequent injuries.

Parties who may be responsible for defective manhole or drain covers could include local councils and authorities, utility companies, and other private organisations. As the occupier (party in control) of a public space, these parties may be responsible for maintaining drains and manhole covers.

To make a compensation claim, you would need to demonstrate:

• A duty of care was owed – Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, occupiers have a duty of care to ensure the reasonable safety of visitors to that space. This also covers public footpaths where drains and manholes are located.
• This duty was breached – For example, an open manhole wasn’t sectioned off or signposted, or a defective drain cover wasn’t repaired within a timely manner.
• The breach led to an injury – Various injuries could be suffered in such an accident, ranging from strains to more severe injuries like spinal cord injuries and brain damage.

If you are unsure whether you could make a public liability claim, please get in touch with our team.

Examples Of Falling Down The Drain Claims

Examples of claims for falling down the drain include those in which a person tripped over a broken drain cover or fell into an exposed manhole. People may fall down a drain where:

• The drain or manhole cover is cracked and broken. The local authority responsible for this cover was aware of the defect but had failed to make a timely repair, allowing a pedestrian to step through it. The pedestrian could suffer a broken leg.
• Where a utility company has left the drain cover unsecured after carrying out works. The cover could slip as someone walks across it, causing them to fall and fracture their wrist.
• A raised manhole cover that was not risk assessed could cause a pedestrian to trip over it, fracturing their ankle.
• Where an exposed manhole is not cordoned off whilst a utility company carries out works. A pedestrian trips and falls into the manhole at night, suffering a head and back injury.

These are examples of how drain accidents could be caused by another person’s negligent actions and how members of the public could be harmed. If you have been affected by any of these or other types of drain cover accidents, please contact us.

What Will I Need To Support a Drain Or Manhole Accident Claim?

You will need sufficient evidence, such as photos of the broken or damaged manhole cover, medical records showing how you were harmed, and documentation showing any financial losses, in order to make a manhole accident claim. You can learn more about other types of evidence you could gather in our guide on proving negligence.

Additionally, your claim will need to be made within the 3-year time limit. This is set out within the Limitation Act 1980. You can learn more about this and the exceptions that apply by reading our limitation period guide.

Contact our advisors today with any questions you have about proving your claim or the time limits.

Get Help From How Much Compensation After Falling Down A Drain

Get help from How Much Compensation after falling down a drain by contacting our advisory team today. They can answer any questions you may have, offer you free advice and assess the eligibility of your claim. If you have a strong case, they could connect you with a solicitor from our panel. At How Much Compensation, the solicitors on our panel work on a No Win No Fee basis under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement .

This allows the solicitor to provide their services without you having to pay anything upfront or through the claims process. It also means that if your claim does fail, you will not have to pay any service fees.

If you win your case, the solicitor will deduct a small success fee from your compensation. This fee is charged as a limited percentage of the compensation, so you always retain the majority.

A solicitor from our panel could also help you by:

• Assisting in gathering evidence.
• Organising for you to have an independent medical evaluation of your injuries.
• Preparing and filing your case.
• Keeping you updated on your claims progress.
• Helping you to access support and rehabilitation services.
• Fighting to secure you the best possible settlement.

Contact Us To Begin

Contact us to begin your drain cover accident claim today. Our advisory team is here to help you:

• Phone us on 0800 408 7826.
• Click to contact us online.
• Use our live support to tell us what happened.

Learn More

Discover more about how personal injury claims work below.

• View our guide to head injury claims here.
• Check if you could claim for a fractured jaw, here.
• See how much you could claim for a broken ankle.

References.

• Check how to request CCTV footage of yourself to submit with your claim.
• Read more about sprains and strains in this NHS resource.
• See who may be responsible for supply pipes and drains in this resource from Ofwat

Please contact us for further information on how much compensation for falling down a drain you may claim.