Slip and fall accidents may sound like minor, daily mishaps, but they can cause massive injuries. The result can be long-term physical and financial harm.
When someone else’s negligence causes your slip and fall accident you have the legal right to compensation for your losses. Yet the negligent party’s insurance company isn’t going to pay you without a fight. They will look for every reason to dispute their liability.
For example, they may claim the property owner wasn’t aware of the dangerous situation and didn’t have time to remedy it. Property owners aren’t required to be omniscient, just responsible. If that doesn’t work, they may claim you contributed to, or even caused, the accident yourself, thus vastly reducing the amount of money you can claim.
Meanwhile, you’ve got long-term care bills Medicare won’t cover. You may now have chronic pain that impacts your ability to work at your job or pursue a career at all. You have daily pain and suffering that has changed your life. You’re going to need this money to get back on your feet.
Types of Slip and Fall Injuries
Common slip and fall accidents include:
- Spinal cord and neck injuries.
- Head trauma and brain injuries.
- Knee injuries.
- Fractures.
Don’t underestimate the suffering and financial distress these injuries can cause.
Common Forms of Landowner Negligence
Property owners have a “duty of care” to their visitors, vendors, and employees. This means they’re required to keep their premises in safe condition. They must remain on the lookout for potential hazards and they must address them promptly.
Hazards can include:
- Clutter, trash, and debris.
- Wet, slippery floors from spills or improper cleaning techniques.
- Failure to put up warning signs.
- Sidewalk cracks.
- Broken handrails or guardrails.
- Building code breaches.
- Security breaches.
- Failure to shovel and ice walks after snowfalls.
Property owners and their insurance companies will often try to claim you knew about the hazard and chose to enter the area anyway. It’s important to preserve as much evidence as possible.
After the Accident
Every accident is different, but you should take the following steps if you can.
- Seek immediate medical help, and follow all of the doctor’s instructions. Note: some injuries get worse over time. Don’t say, “I’m fine” and refuse care. If you do, it can be hard to make a case that the accident directly caused the injury later. In order to have a case you must show loss, and you must draw a line from the event to the loss.
- Take pictures: of the hazard, the surrounding area, the shoes you’re wearing and any visible injuries you’ve sustained.
- Secure witness information. This includes contact information.
Be careful about filing incident reports or signing statements. You should have a lawyer before you take these steps. To protect your interests, you should get a lawyer as soon as you’re medically capable of doing so.
Why us?
Our team has a sincere commitment to justice. We aggressively fight for client rights and have the experience to prevail both in negotiations and in court.
Get your free consultation today. Call (403) 269-7777 now.
