There is no doubt that those who think slip and fall accidents aren’t devastating have never suffered one themselves; they’ve also never spoken with the victims whose lives have been wrecked by these unexpected accidents.
But our team has, and if you’ve sustained any kind of personal injury after slipping and falling, then you can count on them to fight for you.
Our slip and fall lawyers have dedicated their professional careers to defending the rights of injury victims. They’ve also helped to put together the resources on this page for the same reason – to help the defenseless fight back by preparing a slip and fall case.
The following information will provide the basics of slip and fall lawsuits, allowing you to understand your rights and possibilities for compensation after a falling injury.
Most importantly, you’ll know that you have an experienced slip and fall law firm at your disposal. Our attorneys will go to bat for you, fighting tirelessly for the compensation you rightfully deserve and which you need to help you get back on your feet.
If you’ve been in a slip or trip and fall accident, it’s very possible that you’ve suffered injuries which are visibly evident. For example, victims who’ve fractured their arm or sprained a knee in slip and falls will likely have to wear a cast or brace during their recovery.
Moreover, they may also have bruises that further prove the extent of the injuries. At that point, and with a seemingly obvious case for compensation, why would you need a slip and fall accident lawyer?
In a slip and fall case, any kind of compensation awarded to the victims is not paid by the property owner themselves but by insurance companies hired by property owners.
As you may have already experienced, insurance companies can be expected to fight back aggressively to avoid paying out the benefits of their policies or at least try their hardest to reduce them. And while the insurance provider is doing this to protect their bottom line, they are hurting the victims whose lives were affected by an injury that they never could have seen coming.
This is where the experienced slip and fall lawyer comes in.
As soon as you contact a slip and fall lawyer, they will begin collecting evidence. This can range from pictures and video of the scene to speaking with witnesses, obtaining your medical records, and even chasing down official police reports.
They’ll also investigate the property to see if anyone else has suffered a similar accident and whether the proprietor is vigilant in ensuring the safety of their guests or visitors. In some cases, they may try to contact the property owner.
After all of the possible evidence regarding your specific injury has been gathered by the personal injury lawyer and their team, the real work begins.
The lawyer will start building a case in which your injury is proven to have been caused, completely or in part, by the negligence of the property owner. The presence of a danger or risk on a property is not enough for a falling injury victim to win their case; the legal argument (premises liability) must go much deeper.
For instance, if a patron accidentally spills a liquid in a grocery store and a couple of minutes later you slip and fall because of it, the property owners may not necessarily be found negligent. This is because the risk (the spilled liquid) was not particularly foreseeable, or a reasonable amount of time did not elapse between the spill and your fall which would have allowed the hazard to be taken care of by the property owner or administrative staff.
The situation would be much different if, for example, the same property had a water leak that was consistently creating a puddle in one of the aisles.
It’s possible the staff were diligent about cleaning the floor, but if a store patron happened to slip and fall due to the water not being mopped up soon enough, then the potential for a slip and fall lawsuit would exist. In this instance, it is likely the property manager and owner knew about the leak, but instead of fixing the problem at its root within a reasonable amount of time (ex. a couple of days,) they did not and it ultimately led to the injury of one of their clients. A premises liability case could definitely be made under these circumstances.
Receiving compensation is rarely the first thing that the victim of a slip and fall accident thinks of. In fact, many don’t even realize that a financial award is merited if the injuries were the result of negligence. However, it is very common for these same victims to start looking for options once they see their medical bills and other related costs starting to accumulate.
The amount of compensation that a victim of falling injuries can receive will be directly related to the damages they suffer. Surgery, treatment, and therapy costs are relatively easy to determine, as is a loss of income due to temporary disability. But there are other damages that need to be taken into account.
When it comes time to calculate the more vague or “blurry” damages are when a slip and fall law firm truly proves their worth. This is because non-financial losses such as loss of lifetime income, pain, suffering, and loss of quality of life are quite broad in their definition. The lack of specificity is how an attorney will be able to build a stronger case for the damages their client suffered and ultimately be able to achieve a larger compensation on their behalf.
Our team of lawyers boasts decades of experience defending the rights of victims in court.
If you’ve suffered injuries of any extent in a slip or trip and fall incident, you can count on them to thoroughly analyze your case through a free, no-obligation legal consultation.
Simply fill out the form on this page or give us a call to receive all of the legal information you need to make the right decision for yourself and for your loved ones.
