Wakefield Council pays out over £150k in accident claims involving potholes and pavement defects

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Wakefield Council has paid out over £150,000 in compensation following claims made by pedestrians, new data has revealed.

Accident Claims Advice obtained figures via FOI requests, which revealed that 105 claims for pedestrian accidents have been lodged against the council since 2020 - totalling over £150,000 in compensation.

24 claims were made against Wakefield Council in 2020, the second-highest number of claims over the past five years. A year later, this number decreased to 14 claims.

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The council has experienced a rise in claims over the past year, with a total of 29 lodged during 2024.

105 claims for pedestrian accidents have been lodged against Wakefield Council since 2020.105 claims for pedestrian accidents have been lodged against Wakefield Council since 2020.
105 claims for pedestrian accidents have been lodged against Wakefield Council since 2020. | NW

JF Law solicitor Lucy Parker said: “Pedestrian accidents can result in severe injuries, such as sprains, head trauma, and even broken bones, which means it's essential that highways and footpaths are properly maintained.”

Councils and local authorities have a duty of care to ensure the safety of people using public spaces, such as parks, highways and footpaths. If they fail to maintain these, pedestrians can be put at risk, and the council could be sued for injury compensation.

Of the 105 pedestrian accident claims made against Wakefield Council since 2020, only 23 were settled with compensation.

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In total, the council has paid out a total of £158,630 over the past five years, with the highest amount coming in 2022, standing at £49,421.

Caroline Carter, Wakefield Council’s Chief Finance Officer, said: “The safety of residents and visitors in our district will always be a priority. Any claims for damages or injury are always rigorously investigated and we will compensate if appropriate.

“This also helps us to take action to stop incidents happening again.”

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In order for someone to claim, they must prove that the local council or authority breached its ‘duty of care’ and that this directly caused the injury.

Pavement defects were listed as the most common causes of pedestrian accident claims, lodged 58 times, followed by potholes, which saw 15 claims submitted.

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