What is a Slip and Fall Accident?
A slip and fall accident is one that occurs when someone ends up falling, tripping, or slipping because of a hazardous or dangerous condition that is on someone else’s property. It can also include falls that happen in snow, ice, or water, or even some quick changes in flooring, poor lighting, and even something like a gap in the floor that you were not expecting.
Premises Liability and Slip, Trip and Falls
Being in an accident is never any fun. You are often in pain and may have some injuries that need taken care of as soon as possible. If you have suffered from a trip and fall accident, the issue can be even worse, and you may need help to deal with the injuries that you sustain. If the trip and fall happens in front of a business or on a public street, you may need to work with a trip and fall lawyer in Philadelphia to help you get the compensation that you deserve.
A slip and fall accident lawyer will be able to handle your case and make sure you get the right treatment and care, without having to worry about your medical bills along the way.
We are one the top Philadelphia slip and fall accident lawyer teams and are here to provide you with the representation that you need. Slip and fall accidents require a lot of proof of what happened, where it happened, and who should be at fault. Handling it on your own while dealing with injuries and pain and other bills can be a challenge and you may not get the results that you want. Trust our team of lawyers to handle your slip and fall case today.
Claiming Compensation for your Fall
To receive compensation for the slip and fall accident, there needs to be a condition that can cause you harm, the property owner has to know about the danger or be reasonably expected to know about the danger, and there must not be any warning to you ahead of time about the danger either.
For example, if there is a caution sign around a spill or on a freshly mopped floor, yes the wet floor could be a hazard and yes the property manager did know about it. But since the sign was in place, you were aware of the danger and should have watched your step. In this case, if you slip and fall, you would not receive compensation.
A slip and fall accident is any accident where the victim falls and get seriously injured. If you were injured on someone else’s property and think you have a premises liability claim to help cover your injuries and your medical bills. A slip and fall attorney can help you get the compensation that you need by filing a suit against the homeowner or business responsible for the hazardous conditions.
There are many circumstances that can cause a slip and fall accident. Some of these include:
- Falling debris
- Swimming pools that are unguarded.
- An area with poor or no lighting so it is hard to see.
- Wet and icy walkways.
- Lack of railings to keep you steady or railings that are present but broken.
- Stairways that are cracked and broken.
- Sidewalks that are cracked or broken.
Any danger that is unexpected can make the other party liable in a slip and fall accident. There needs to be a level of negligence that shows up in these cases though. It is not enough to just have danger present. If there are warning signs around and proof enough that you should be aware of the danger, then the slip and fall liability will fall on you.
Business owners, governments, and homeowners have the responsibility of keeping people safe who come near them. They need to put up the proper notifications of danger ahead of time to help make sure you and others do not fall in the process.
Who Is At Fault for a Slip and Fall Accident?
The party who is liable for a slip and fall accident will depend on the situation. If you have had a slip and fall accident, you could be entitled to get compensation for the costs and damages associated with those injuries. Each case is different though and it depends on the unique circumstances that are around the accident. Having a Philadelphia
Responsibility for Slip and Fall
For the most part, the owner of the property who is responsible for injuries that are sustained in a slip and fall accident. The main thing here is that the owner needs to know, or could be reasonably expected to know, of the dangerous conditions.
If a spill on the floor happened just seconds before and only the person who spilled it saw it happen, the owner of the property can’t be held liable because there was no way for them to know. But if the spill has been there for fifteen minutes and someone told the owner about the spill, they can be held liable if someone slips and falls.
All property owners have a duty to make sure their premises safe for others who come along. There is some reasonable time limits on this, such as a homeowner not getting to the snow cleaned off their sidewalk in the middle of the night. The property owner will also not be responsible for slip and fall accidents they couldn’t prevent reasonably.
Slip and Fall Claims
If you have been injured for a slip and fall accident and you decide to purse compensation for any injuries, time lost at work, or other issues, then you need to file a claim. A good slip and fall accident attorney in Philadelphia can help you file and handle all of the steps of this claim. It isn’t as simple as filing the claim and waiting for the money to roll in. There are a number of steps that must happen and our team is here to help.
During your claim, you must present the right amount of evidence from where the accident of the injury to show that there was a condition bad enough to cause injury and that the owner about the property either knew about the danger or should have known about the danger.
Handling this on your own can be a challenge. You may not know what questions to ask or what information is relevant to your case. Going against lawyers on the other side can be difficult and scary as well. Let our team of professional accident lawyers come in and help you out. We can collect all of the evidence and represent you during your claim to get the best settlement for you.
Preventing Slip and Fall Responsibility
We can also look at the other side of things as well. If you are a small business owner or a home owner, you should consider obtaining insurance that will help protect you from paying for any slip and fall accidents that may occur on your property. While it is always best to prevent these accidents happening if possible, you never know when disaster will strike and someone may get hurt. A good insurance plan can help you out in case an accident does happen.
After the Accident
After you are in a slip and fall accident, it is important to be careful about what you tell other people and the words you use to describe the situation. If you speak with an attorney, insurance adjuster, an employee of the business, or the property owner, they can use anything that you say against you to downplay the injury or shift at least some of the blame on you.
Even saying something as simple as “I didn’t see that there” or “I’m ok” can be used against you. It is best to keep quiet during that time if possible. And if you do need to describe what happened during the accident, always stick with the facts.
Do not try to bring attention to yourself or talk to other parties about the accident until after you contact and consult with an attorney. They can advise you on what to say and when to increase your chances of getting a payout.
How Can a Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer in Philadelphia Help Me?
When you are in a slip and fall accident, you will likely need to make a visit to the doctor’s office to get checked out. Depending on the severity of the injuries, you may also need to stay at the hospital some time and can deal with some pain and severe injuries for a long period of time. In some cases, you may not be able to work for a little bit, which means that you will have a loss of income for that time as well.
All of these medical bills, the loss of wages, and the pain and suffering could be due to negligence of another party. If you have a restaurant slip and fall on some ice, for example, there may be negligence on the part of the business owner or one of their managers. If you exercised proper precautions during that time, then the business owner may owe you compensation for your injuries and pain and suffering.
There are some different rules with this one though. If there was just a big ice storm and you go to the business twenty minutes after the snow stops flying and fall on ice, the business owner may not be held liable. You should have been aware of the possibility of ice being there and used proper care such as walking slowly. In that short of time, the business owner may not have been able to get to the property to take care of the snow and ice removal and can’t be held liable.
However, if there is a large spill on the floor of the business inside and no caution signs around it to alert you of the spill and you fall, the business could be held liable for that fall and the injuries that are incurred during it. Because there are so many variables that come in a slip and fall case, it is best to have the right attorneys on your side. They can take a look at all of the different parts of the case and get you the compensation you deserve.
How We Can Help
Our slip and fall attorneys in Philadelphia are happy to help with your slip and fall accident. During our consultation, we will collect all of the evidence about your case, starting with your testimony and any information from the business owner or the other person responsible for the accident. This helps us get a clear picture of what is going on and we can build up the case to make it work to your advantage.
Once we have discussed the case, we can work on getting you the compensation that you deserve. We will work with the negotiations and even help you during a trial if it gets to that point. We have a great track record of making sure our clients get the results they deserve. Do not try to get
Being in a restaurant slip and fall accident can be difficult. There is often a lot of pain and suffering that goes with it and you should find a trip and fall lawyer in Philadelphia can help you get the help that you need. Whether you have a slip and fall at work, a pothole trip and fall, or a restaurant slip and fall, it is important to find the right Philadelphia slip and fall lawyer to give you the representation that you need with your slip and fall accident.
Our team can provide you with the right slip and fall accident lawyer, no matter what your case may be. We are the top Philadelphia slip and fall accident lawyer in the city, providing everything that you need to get compensation and keep yourself safe in the future. Do not handle the case on your own. Contact us today to set up a consultation with your Philadelphia slip and fall lawyer to keep yourself safe. “We Win or It’s Free” ®