What We Do > Slip and Fall Accidents
If you slip and fall on someone else's property, the property owner may be liable for your injuries. Many thousands of people are injured each year-some very seriously-when they slip or trip and fall on a dangerous floor, a flight of stairs, or a rough patch of ground. Sometimes the property owner is responsible for the accident.
Property owners do need to be careful in keeping up their property. While there is no precise way to determine when someone else is legally responsible for something on which you slip or trip, cases turn on whether the property owner acted carefully so that slipping or tripping was not likely to happen-and whether you were careless in not seeing or avoiding the thing you fell on.
To be legally responsible for the injuries you suffered for slipping or tripping and falling on someone else's property, one of the following must be true:
- The owner of the premises or an employee must have caused the spill, worn, or torn spot, or other slippery or dangerous surface or item to be underfoot.
- The owner of the premises or an employee must have known of the dangerous surface but done nothing about it.
- The owner of the premises or an employee should have known of the dangerous surface because a "reasonable" person taking care of the property would have discovered and removed it.
The third situation is the most common, but is also less clear-cut than the first two because of those pesky words "should have known." Liability is these cases is often decided by common sense. Judges and juries determine whether the owner or occupier of property was careful by deciding if the steps the owner or occupier took to keep the property safe were reasonable.
If your loved one has been injured or died from a slip and fall accident there is a legal deadline for filing these lawsuits, so call NOW toll free 1-888-888-3773. The consultation and call are FREE.