Slips, trips and falls in Poland

Slip and fall injuries in Poland. Compensation claims for foreigners

A fall can end with a fracture, months of treatment and time off work. If it happened because a pavement was icy or broken, a floor was wet without a warning sign or a staircase was unsafe, the party responsible for that place can be liable. I bring these claims for clients who live outside Poland, in English and without the need to travel.

Describe your case Read the guide

First assessment: Free of charge
Liable party: Road manager, building owner or manager, shop, hotel or facility operator, or their insurer
Time limit: As a rule, at least three years from the day you learned of the injury and who is responsible
Telephone: +48 512 976 090

Typical situations

Falls I deal with

Ice and snow

A pavement, car park or entrance that was not cleared or gritted, although there was time to do it.

Damaged pavements and roads

A missing paving slab, a hole, a raised edge or an unsecured excavation in a public place.

Shops and shopping centres

A wet or freshly cleaned floor without a warning sign, goods left in the aisle, a faulty escalator.

Hotels and rented apartments

Slippery bathrooms, stairs without a handrail, poor lighting, a broken step.

Stations and public buildings

Platforms, stairs and underpasses at stations and in buildings open to the public.

Restaurants, clubs and venues

Spilled drinks that nobody wiped up, unmarked steps, a dark corridor to the toilets.

The legal basis

Who pays and for what

The claim is based on fault: the person who by their own fault causes damage to another must repair it (Article 415 of the Civil Code). A company is liable for the fault of its bodies (Article 416 of the Civil Code), and anyone who entrusts work to staff is liable for their fault in doing it (Article 430 of the Civil Code). For public roads, the duties of the road manager include maintaining parts of the road (Article 20 point 4 of the Public Roads Act).

The question in every case is whether the responsible party did what could reasonably be expected. A pavement left uncleared for days is a different case from a fall during sudden freezing rain.

What can be recovered

Compensation after a fall

Costs resulting from the injury: treatment, medicines, rehabilitation, travel, care (Article 444 § 1 of the Civil Code).
Lost earnings (Article 361 § 2 of the Civil Code).
A monthly pension if you lost the ability to work, your needs increased or your prospects decreased (Article 444 § 2 of the Civil Code).
Compensation for pain and suffering (Article 445 § 1 of the Civil Code).

If you were partly careless yourself, compensation can be reduced accordingly (Article 362 of the Civil Code).

How I work

From the first message to payment

Assessment

You send a description, photos and medical records. I tell you if the claim has a basis and what is missing.

The right defendant

I establish who manages the place and whether they have liability insurance. This is often the decisive step.

Claim

I file the claim with the liable party or its insurer and handle all correspondence in Polish, keeping you informed in English.

Court

If there is no fair settlement, I bring the case before a Polish court and represent you at hearings.

Had a fall in Poland?

Write in English, in your own words. The first assessment of a compensation claim costs nothing and does not commit you to anything.

Describe your case