Slip and Fall Accidents

What’s frightening about a slip and fall accident is that it can happen anywhere at any time. In an instant, you or your loved one can suffer severe injuries like spinal damage, broken hip, traumatic brain injury, or even death.

The injuries in a slip and fall accident can cause excruciating pain and suffering and readily lead to medical costs and losses that create a financial burden. These trip and fall accidents can happen in:

• Stores
• Commercial premises
• Public streetwalk
• Private homes
• Restaurants
• Theaters
• Stadium and arenas
• Parks
• Construction sites
• Nursing homes and retirement homes

Regardless of where it happens, you can claim compensation from a slip and fall accident if the property owners or a responsible party neglects hazardous conditions resulting in an injury-causing fall and may be held liable.

Common Hazards of Slip and Fall

The NSC (National Safety Council) warns property owners to invest time in removing slip, trip, and fall hazards like:

• Slippery floor—that stems from wetness from spills, rain, mud, snow, sleet, and naturally slick surfaces like stone or glass
• Cluttered walkways, hallways, and aisles
• Staircases and ramp with broken or loose stair treads or handrails
• Uneven floor surface, like torn or bunched carpet, uneven bricks to paving stone, potholes
• Unstable floor with loose or broken tiles, floorboards, or area rugs
• Poorly lit areas
• Ladders and scaffolding

Rights for Victims of Slip and Fall Accidents

When you suffer a slip-and-fall accident on someone else’s property—you’ll need to protect your rights.

If the property owner’s or any responsible party’s negligence led to your fall—like the failure to dry a spill or repair a damaged floor—you might have a claim. You can obtain insurance money to pay your medical expenses and other losses connected to your fall.

The only problem, though?

 Premises liability is a complex area of law. And you might need a qualified attorney to help you prevail in legal claims. The need for a lawyer is even critical if the injury you get from a slip and fall accident is severe and is threatening to change your life forever.

What Steps to Take After a Slip, Trip, and Fall Accident

When you or someone you care about sustained an injury in a slip, trip, and fall accident, knowing the immediate steps to take is crucial in building the best possible case.

Step 1: Seek medical treatment. The doctor will adequately document your injuries, and the records will be critical evidence should you decide to seek compensation.

Step 2: Report the accident: Regardless of where the slip, trip, and fall accident happens, report it to the owner, manager, or landlord. Ask the responsible person to make a written report and request a copy before you leave.

Step 3: Document everything: It’s critical to collect names, phone numbers, addresses for all potential witnesses. Their statements could help prove your claim. Remember to take a picture of the exact location.

Step 4: Decline to give a statement: Limit your communication with the property owner. Decline to give your statement to the insurance company until you’ve spoken to an attorney.

Step 5: Call a lawyer: If you’re considering legal action, the best person on your side is an experienced lawyer because slip and fall cases are complex to prove. 

Contact us through 833-6-Win-Big (833-694-6244) to leverage experience, knowledge, and a track record of success to recover the compensation you deserve.