Slip and Fall Lawyer

According to the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) over 9 million people were injured as the result of an unintentional fall, including nearly 33,000 that were killed, in 2015. Slip and falls are one of the leading causes of injury in the United States and many times are the result of dangerous property conditions that could have, and should have, been avoided. Conditions such as wet floors, broken and uneven sidewalks, icy parking lots, broken pavers, and improper lighting conditions, are some of the most common causes of slip and fall injuries.

Often, the victims of slip and fall injuries finds themselves in the emergency room with a million important questions in their heads: Who is going to pay for your medical bills? Who is the responsible party? What could have been done to prevent the dangerous condition? While every situation varies on the facts of the case, what does not change is how important it is to reach out to a trusted slip and fall attorney as soon as possible so that victims know their rights and ensure their case is preserved.

At GSGB, we offer free and confidential consultations with a local personal injury attorney for your slip and fall injury case. We have over forty years of experience trying a variety of slip and fall cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and have achieved great results for clients injured in a slip and fall in a variety of circumstances.

Where Can Slip and Fall Injuries Occur?

Slip and fall injuries and premises liability lawsuits can happen at a number of places and our firm has represented clients against a long array of land owners and companies. The list of properties where a slip and fall injury can occur include:

Who is Liable in a Slip and Fall Injury Lawsuit?

The first question to ask when determining liability in a slip and fall injury lawsuit is why was the victim on the property? There are three main categories of people who enter onto someone else’s land:

• Business Invitee – a person who is on another’s property for a purpose related to the property owner’s business, i.e. customers, delivery people, or employees. A property owner owes the highest duty of care to business invitees because they have been invited onto the property for the purpose of profit. A property owner must maintain the property in a reasonably safe condition and cannot use the excuse of not knowing about an unsafe condition, if it is proven that he or she should have known about it.

• Licensee – a person who enters a property with the landowner’s permission, but for the visitor’s own benefit. A social guest or family friend coming over to a house is an example of this. A property owner has a duty to warn licensees of dangerous conditions on the property that create unreasonable risk of harm if the property owner knows about the condition and it is not likely to be discovered by the invitee. The difference between a business invitee and a licensee is that the business invitee is liable for a slip and fall injury even if he did not know of the dangerous condition that caused it, so long as he should have known if he would have inspected it.

• Trespasser – a trespasser is a person who enters onto property of another without their consent to do so. Property owners generally owe little duty to trespassers. The exceptions are if the injury was the result of the property owner’s willful lack of caring, or if the injured person was a child and the property owner should have foreseen a possible trespass by children

Are just the Property Owners Liable?

Property owners are not the only party that may be liable for slip and fall or trip and fall injuries. Often, there are many other parties that were liable in causing these traumatic injuries. Many property owners have management companies that take care of day-to-day safety as well as independent contractors for clearing snow and taking on renovation projects. The tenant of a multi-unit building may also be liable. This will depend upon a variety of factors, including the lease between the tenant and the landlord and where in the building the slip and fall injury occurred.

Types of Premises Liability Injuries

The personal injury lawyers at GSGB have seen a number of varying injuries related to slip and falls and trip and falls throughout our years. Our clients have suffered traumatic injuries from falls including the following:

What Is the Victim of a Slip and Fall Injury able to Recover?

If liability is proven, then the compensation that a victim receives in a premises liability case is referred to as the damages. The term “damages” encompasses every way that the injury you sustained has effected your life. This includes your medical bills, including doctor’s visits, surgery, drug prescriptions, medical equipment, physical therapy, and specialist consultations, as well as your medical bills that you are expected to owe in the future for your ongoing care. You can also recover your lost wages for work you have missed, your lost wages that you stand to lose in the future, and any health insurance liens. Lastly, you can recover for your pain and suffering, loss of life’s pleasures, embarrassment and humiliation, and scarring and disfigurement.

Disclaimer: This website is for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. GSGB has offices in Philadelphia, Wayne and Voorhees and serves clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.