People injured by slips, trips and falls on the streets of Sheffield have been awarded more than £50,000 in personal injury compensation by a South Yorkshire council.
Sheffield City Council, paid compensation totalling £50,032.80 to people injured because of the poor condition of the city’s roads, pavements and other public places, revealed a A freedom of information request by the Star newspaper .
£11,250, was the largest single award paid out over the twelve month period , which was awarded to a claimant who fractured their hip and wrist after slipping and falling over loose tarmac.
Breaks and fractures accounted for compensation claims of £24,438.80 being paid to a total of five claimants, while cuts, bruises and abrasions resulted in compensation totalling £9,235 being awarded to ten members of the public.
Several small claims were resolved with payments of £250 for damage to a toe nail and £370 being paid to a disabled person who fell from their wheelchair, after hitting a pothole.
Adding that the majority of successful claims were usually settled out of court, Senior Claims Officer Bob Andrew stated that an estimated seventy percent of claims against the council were rejected.
A council spokesman stated that councillors were committed to improving the condition of Sheffield’s road and pavement network.