Slip & Fall Injury
Whether it happens at a store, business, work, or someone else’s home, suffering a slip-and-fall injury can leave its victim with serious injuries and resulting damages. If you’ve been injured in a slip-and-fall accident as a result of someone else’s negligent conduct, you may be able to recover compensation.
What Is a Slip-and-Fall Accident, and What are Some of the Causes?
A slip-and-fall accident, put simply, is an injury that stems from the victim slipping and falling on a particular hazard or unexpected condition, such as a wet floor. Another version of this injury can involve tripping and falling over a particular hazard, such as a missing step. It is a common personal injury, and it can result in serious consequences to the victim, including the need to engage in significant medical care.
Slip-and-fall accidents can happen in various circumstances. These might include:
You may slip on ice or black ice which should have been cleared by another party, such as your landlord or property management company, a municipality, or the owner of the business at which you have slipped and fallen.
You may slip on a wet floor that should have been cleaned, such as at a restaurant or grocery store, particularly if the business failed to warn customers about the wet floor.
You may trip over a hazardous condition in someone else’s home, such as a missing railing or broken step on their stairs, causing you to fall and suffer injuries.
You may fall as a result of a dangerous or defective condition at work, particularly if your employer has failed to take proper precautions to guard employees against that condition.
Common Slip and Fall Injuries & Damages
A slip-and-fall accident can result in serious personal injuries. Common injuries include broken or fractured bones, along with painful muscle sprains and strains. Traumatic head injuries or concussions are also possible, as are serious injuries to the back, neck, or spine. In the most catastrophic cases, a slip-and-fall can leave you with long-lasting or even life-altering issues, such as paralysis, cognitive difficulties, loss of consciousness, or even wrongful death.
You must seek out proper medical care and treatments as soon as possible after your slip-and-fall. Even if you feel perfectly fine, some medical conditions can take days or even weeks to manifest.
The financial losses that result from a slip-and-fall injury can be significant. Your damages may include hospitalization, medical bills and treatments, medical testing or imaging, rehabilitation and therapy expenses, prescription medications, and even lost income if you are unable to work as a result of your injuries.
Additionally, you may suffer general damages, including chronic pain and suffering, emotional trauma, potentially lost future earnings, the loss of enjoyment of activities that you can no longer do, and an overall decline in the quality of your life after your injury. Your family or loved ones may also be impacted, and you may need significant care after your accident.
How Does Liability Work in an Arizona Slip-and-Fall Accident?
Liability in your Arizona slip-and-fall accident is determined by the unique facts of your case, including where the incident occurred and what type of duty was owed to you at the time. For example, if your slip-and-fall happened on someone else’s property, whether as a customer at a local business or a guest in someone else’s home, then you may be able to establish a claim for premises liability against the property owner, to seek compensation for your injuries.
If this is the direction your case takes, you will need to prove the elements of negligence and the property owner’s breach of duty towards you. Proving the element of breach will depend on the type of duty the property owner owed you as a guest or customer—such as the duty to warn you of any dangerous conditions or clear them before you came onto the property.
Proving liability in a slip-and-fall case can be difficult without the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer. Liability is a complicated issue, sometimes involving several different laws and their application to the unique facts of your case. Moreover, slip-and-fall cases require extensive negotiations with the parties and insurance companies. That can be a daunting process, as insurers have significant legal and financial resources and will fight to minimize payment as much as possible. It’s important not to allow the insurance companies to bully you into accepting a settlement that will not adequately compensate you for your losses.
An experienced Arizona slip-and-fall attorney will give you legal advice, investigate the facts of your case, research the law, and work to preserve important evidence. They will negotiate with the other parties and their insurance companies, leveling the playing field and ensuring that your settlement offer is fair and adequately compensates you for your losses. And, if a fair and reasonable settlement is not possible, an attorney can present a strong case, based on the evidence, on your behalf at trial.
Contact Van Peursem Law today to speak with a professional about your case!