Slip and Fall

A slip and fall accident generally occurs as a result of tripping or slipping on any surface that may be uneven, slippery, wet, or in an otherwise hazardous condition. Thousands of people are injured in slip and fall accidents in the U.S. each year.

Slip and fall injury lawyers can help you receive compensation when your slip and fall injury was caused by someone else's negligence. That "someone" could be a department store, mall, restaurant, or other commercial property owner.

Slip and fall accidents are categorized more generally under “fall down accidents”. Other kinds of fall down accidents include trip and fall accidents (foreign object in walking path), stump and fall accidents (impediment on the walking surface), and step and fall accidents (unexpected failure or hole in the walking surface).

Many permanent injuries arise from these types of accidents. If you or your loved one is injured after a slip and fall accident, then seek immediate medical help. Use common sense in seeking medical attention for any injury.

Regrettably, delayed medical treatment could be used by a property owner to argue that the injury occurred elsewhere or at another time. In order to properly preserve your slip and fall claim, as well as to combat this common, and most often frivolous defense, you or someone close to you should document the event.

For example, you may consider compiling a record describing the facts and circumstances surrounding the accident. Many businesses require that a report be filled out immediately after a slip and fall. In Florida, please note that the business is often not required to provide this incident report to the plaintiff in a slip and fall lawsuit; however, it does verify the time and date of the event.

But even if you are not asked to file a report, information you are able to provide in a slip and fall case can be helpful for insurance and legal purposes. The information should include:

Date and time of the accident
A description of the circumstances, such as the presence or grease or water on the floor and the absence of warning signs
Witnesses present and their statements
Photos of the scene taken as soon after the incident as possible

Slip and fall liability cases primarily involve premises liability law. The Florida slip and fall attorney who handles your case will have experience in this area, since our lawyers have handled Florida premises liability cases.

For instance, the amount of liability assigned to the landowner may be determined in part by whether the slip and fall accident victim is a trespasser or the landowner's guest. Victims can also be held partially responsible if their own negligence contributed to the accident.

If you are considering hiring a slip and fall lawyer to help you recover compensation from a property owner whose negligence you believe contributed to you or a loved one's slip and fall injury, we encourage you to do so quickly since there are time limits, also known as a statute of limitation, which limit your ability to sue.