As slip and fall injuries are one of the most common sources of personal injury claims in the United States today, it makes sense that there are a huge range of possible causes when it comes to slip and fall cases. The injuries and damages you may incur will depend on the level of the dangerous condition found on someone else’s property, as well as your personal level of frailty. For this reason, older people or those with disabilities will suffer more from the injuries related to a slip and fall accident.
There are various ways that a property owner can violate premise liability by leaving their property in a dangerous condition. But your slip and fall claim can also be impacted by your own actions if you were partially responsible for the events. However, you could be entitled to compensation for any injury, even if you were partly responsible.
No matter your situation or condition, the attorneys at The Law Place can help you with your case. Call to arrange a free consultation today, all at no obligation and fully confidential.
Speak to a personal injury attorney from The Law Place today by calling (941) 444-4444. Phone lines are open 24/7.
Examples of Dangerous Conditions That Qualify Victims for Slip and Fall Claims
There are a huge range of properties and ways that property owners can violate premises liability.
The following circumstances are often seen by our personal injury lawyer team when handling slip and fall claims:
- Wet or uneven surfaces, which the property owner has not provided sufficient warning for in the form of signs or cordoning.
- Any other slippery or dangerous condition on the floor surface, such as loose flooring, fresh waxing, or worn carpets.
- Badly constructed staircases, or staircases in some other type of dangerous condition.
- Clutter or obstacles blocking the path, such as stock left out in a grocery store.
- Adverse weather conditions, particularly impacting sidewalks.
- Trailing electricals, such as cords or wires.
- Handrails that are broken, damaged, or missing entirely.
- Inappropriate or generally poor lightning in the place where the slip and fall accident occurred.
This is an unexhaustive list of the possible types of condition that cause slips and falls where the property owners would be considered legally responsible for injuries.
If you have any questions about who is responsible for your injuries, use the contact information at the top or bottom of the page and begin seeking the compensation you deserve.
How Does Negligence Work for Slips and Falls?
When someone invites you onto their property, it is the property owner’s responsibility to take reasonable steps to prevent a slip and fall accident occurring.
If the property owner fails to comply with this, they can be held liable for any damages or injuries you incur on the property. As such, your case may be entitled to compensation.
More information on the legal specifics defining a serious injury can be found in Florida Statute 316.027.
How Is Liability Proven in Slip and Fall Accidents?
There are three steps that your injury lawyer must do to prove that the property owner should be held liable for your fall injuries.
- Proving that the person who was injured on someone else’s property had a duty of care owed to them by the property owners.
- Proving that the dangerous conditions that caused the injuries were not addressed as they should be.
- Lastly, proving the injury claims were the direct result of this negligence.
If your attorney is able to prove these three, you can get compensation for your injuries. To stand the best chance of achieving this, call our law firm as soon as possible. The laws defining negligence for property owners are contained in Florida Statute 768.075.
Do Different Types of Property Owners Owe a Different Duty of Care?
There are some types of property owners with different levels of premises liability. Shops, such as grocery stores, for example, or other places of business, will owe the highest level of premises liability.
This is because anybody doing business on that property is considered an invitee of the owner.
There are also differences in compensation for slip and fall injuries depending on the property type. For example, government property is protected by Florida Statute 768.28, which limits the payout for a claim to $200,000 per person and $300,000 per accident.
For clarification on the property type where your slip and fall injuries occurred, call our law firm for more information and a free case evaluation.
What Happens When the Property Owners Is Not the Only One at Fault in Slip and Fall Accidents?
There are instances where slip and fall accidents can be the result of joint liability on the part of the victim and the property owner.
In these types of slip and fall accidents, comparative negligence laws come into effect.
In accordance with Florida Statute 768.81, this will mean that the total amount of compensation the injured person would receive will be reduced by their percentage level of fault.
This is why it is so important to have the backing of a capable legal team. In these circumstances, you must fight to maximize your compensation, and we can take on that responsibility for you,
What Are Some Common Examples of Comparative Negligence Cases?
Cases where the property owner can claim that the injured person was partly at fault, include cases where:
- The person who made a claim was distracted at the time of the accident, such as looking at a mobile phone instead of paying attention.
- The person who made a claim was wearing footwear that was inappropriate for the situation.
- The property owner wasn’t consenting to the other person’s presence on their property.
- Reasonable steps were taken by the property owner to ensure that the dangerous conditions had been addressed. The owner may have used signs, cordoned off the area, etc.
However, if you were injured in any of these situations, you must not get disheartened. You may still be able to achieve a fair claim amount for your case. Get in touch with the legal team at The Law Place to find out how much you may be able to receive.
What About Workers Compensation for Slips and Falls That Occur on the Job?
Places like retail stores or warehouses can often be a nightmare in terms of hazards for their employees, so it is no surprise that you may be wondering what happens if an accident occurs on your work premises.
Stores employing more than four employees must carry worker’s compensation insurance for their premises. This means that in the case of slips or falls, the compensatory amount will be covered.
However, by pursuing worker’s compensation, you often waive the right to pursue other personal injury damages, such as pain and suffering. Worker’s compensation is designed to cover the medical bills involved following accidents, slip and fall included.
For advice on the best way to go about handling your slip and fall at work claim, get in touch with our legal team today.
How a Lawyer Can Help You Deal With the Insurance Companies Involved in Your Claim
You may be aware that your insurance company is not really on your side. It is in their best interest to get the lowest amount of compensation paid out to you for your injuries.
For these purposes, they often have a legal team and claims adjusters that specifically work to lower the amount you may receive in your slip and fall case.
Not only will your personal legal team from The Law Place help to compile, collate, and argue using the evidence, but we will also help with the settlement negotiation process.
Insurance companies are notoriously slippery to deal with, especially for someone who has just been injured in a slip and fall event. It is often the case that they will use your initial mandatory phone call with them to get information with the aim of lowering the total settlement amount that your claim could be worth.
What Damages Can I Claim for My Injuries in an Accident?
There are several different personal injury damages available to those who suffer from falls, depending on the specifics and the severity of their personal situation.
The following categories of damages may apply to your accident case:
- Property damage – If your valuables were also damaged in the fall, you might seek compensation for this.
- Medical expenses – The bills for injuries are often expensive. Retaining these documents can help you seek reimbursement.
- Lost wages – If you were forced to spend time off work recovering from your injuries retain correspondence with your employer.
- Pain and suffering – This takes into account the length and pain level of your recovery, plus considerations for mental trauma or permanent lifestyle changes as a result of the accident.
- Wrongful death – If the unthinkable has occurred and you have lost a loved one to a slip and fall, you can seek a settlement in accordance with Florida Statute 768.21.
To find out which of these damages categories apply to your case, call us today. One of our experienced staff will be able to talk you through exactly what to expect from your legal journey and how to maximize your claim amount.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Seeking a Slip or Fall Accident Claim?
Unfortunately, in America, you cannot indefinitely claim for the injuries you received as the result of an accident. Once a certain period of time has passed, you lose the right to make a claim. This period is called the statute of limitations.
The statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Florida is laid out in Florida Statute 95.11.
This statute states that you have exactly four years to make your accident claim. After this, any compensatory amount will be unavailable to you. This period begins on the exact day that your accident occurred.
How Much Will Legal Representation by an Attorney From The Law Place Cost?
There are a whole host of reasons why people neglect seeking competent, experienced, and appropriate legal counsel after an accident for which they are likely to receive a compensatory sum.
The reputation of lawyers for being costly, combined with medical bills, lost income due to time off recovering from work, and also general trauma, puts many people off.
Here at The Law Place, all our personal injury accident cases work on a contingency basis. This means that you will not pay a single cent until your settlement is finalized, and ourlegal fees will be subtracted from that sum.
This also means that if for any reason your claim is unsuccessful, the process will cost you nothing at all. Seeking the justice, you deserve could not be less risky.
The State Bar Association monitors all our contingency work, so you don’t need to worry about the possibility of surprise hidden fees or added extra costs.
Contact The Law Place Today
If you have been the victim of a slip or fall accident in the last four-years, you should seek out one of the experienced premises liability attorneys working for The Law Place in Florida today.
Our legal team has a combined level of experience that exceeds 75 years. We have the training, compassion, in-court experience, and skillset to maximize your claim. We know the amount of stress you are under following your slip and fall accident. Unfortunately, the legal complexities of Florida’s personal injury laws and the underhanded tricks of insurance companies can often combine with this stress and damage your claim.
We also offer free consultations and free case evaluations on the telephone around the clock. We ensure that our phone lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, because we know how busy and stressful the lives of our clients can be. All our phone calls carry no obligation to use our services and also are completely confidential, so unlike talking to insurance companies, you can rest assured that what you disclose to us will not come back to haunt you in the future.
If this sounds like something you could be interested in, call our office on (941) 444-4444!