Slip and fall accidents are no laughing matter. They can cause serious injuries with long-term, life-altering consequences for the victim. As reported by the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), slip and falls account for more than 1 million hospital emergency room visits every year.
Property owners have a duty to exercise reasonable care to maintain the property in a safe condition. In Florida, however, the level of the property owner’s duty depends on a visitor’s reason for being on the property. Some types of visitors are owed a higher duty of care than others.
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, you may need to file a claim to recover compensation. Legislation enacted in 2010 has made it more difficult for victims to recover damages in slip and fall accident cases. For the best chance of a successful outcome, you will need an experienced personal injury attorney to handle every detail of your claim.
Our premises liability lawyers at Morgan & Morgan understand the legal issues involved in slip and fall claims. We have the experience, knowledge, and resources to address these issues, and a successful track record in premises liability claims, including slip and fall accidents, for our clients. If you would like to know more, fill out our free case review form.
Common Injuries in Slip and Fall Accidents
Falls are a leading cause of injury in the U.S., and serious injuries common in slips and falls. Serious injuries frequently sustained in slip and fall accidents include:
- Head and brain injuries: Victims can suffer traumatic brain injury (TBI) when the head hits the ground or floor. Severe TBI often has devastating, long-term consequences, including impairments.
- Neck, back, and spinal injuries: The force of a fall can injure the neck and back and lead to chronic pain, limited mobility, disability, and the need for surgeries.
- Broken hips or pelvis: A broken hip or pelvis in an elderly victim can result in hip replacement surgery and an extended recovery period.
- Torn ligaments and tendons: Tears in the tendons or ligaments of the wrists, knees, or feet can be extremely painful, take months to heal, and may require physical therapy, or surgical intervention.
Slip and Fall Accident Lawsuits
For a slip and fall accident case to succeed, your attorney must prove several facts, including:
- Your accident was caused by a dangerous condition that existed on the property.
- The dangerous condition presented an unreasonable risk of harm to people who were present on the property.
- The dangerous condition was one that a reasonable person would not have anticipated.
- The property owner knew about the dangerous condition, or should have known, and failed to warn against it, or resolve it.
Under Florida law, to prove that the property owner was aware of the dangerous condition, your slip and fall accident lawyer must establish:
- The property owner created the hazardous condition;
- The owner knew about the dangerous condition and was negligent in failing to correct it; or
- The hazardous condition existed for long enough that a reasonable property owner should have discovered and corrected it before your accident occurred.
Your attorney must also prove that it was foreseeable that the property owner’s negligence in failing to detect and correct the condition would create a hazard.
Premises Liability/ Slip and Fall Attorney in St. Augustine
Slip and fall accident claims are more difficult to prove since the 2010 Florida legislation. If you have sustained serious injuries and need to recover compensation, your best course of action is to consult with an experienced premises liability lawyer as soon as possible.
At Morgan & Morgan, we are committed to representing people – not insurance companies or corporations. Our seasoned trial lawyers have recovered many multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for our clients. Contact our St. Augustine office using our online form for a free case evaluation.