SLIP AND FALL LAWYER
This content has been written by a team of legal writers and reviewed by Terry Crouppen
Slip and fall accidents are by far the most common premises liability cases. The law requires property owners to provide safe, secure, and properly maintained premises. Many slip and fall injuries are the result of hazardous conditions or negligence in places like parking lots, grocery stores, and gas stations. If you or a loved one has suffered a slip and fall injury, request a free case evaluation from Brown & Crouppen Law Firm. We can help you determine if your slip and fall case is due to unsafe conditions or property owner negligence. Our lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning there’s no upfront cost to you — we only get paid if you win.
Common causes for slip and fall cases include:
- slippery conditions, including wet floors or improper ice and snow removal
- poorly maintained property
- poor lighting
- improperly placed rugs, furniture, or fixtures
- faulty or missing handrails
- missing warning signs
These dangerous conditions can result in serious injuries, such as:
- broken bones
- spinal cord injuries
- head injuries such as concussions or traumatic brain injuries
- wrongful death
Victims of slip and fall accidents and their loved ones often have multiple concerns, such as:
- loss of income
- medical bills, including emergency room visits and physical therapy
- reduced mobility
- pain and suffering
OUR SLIP AND FALL LAWYERS HAVE THE EXPERIENCE YOU NEED
If you are a victim of a slip and fall accident, recovery is often your primary concern – as it should be – but your rights as an accident victim may be left unprotected, or worse, ignored altogether. Our slip and fall attorneys understand the important differences between a premises liability case and other personal injury cases, like car accidents. We want to provide you with the care and legal advice you need in your slip and fall case.
One of the biggest differences is the amount of fraud in slip and fall injury claims. The National Insurance Crime Bureau closely scrutinizes slip and falls at businesses for fraud. This started after a rise in fraudulent claims in slip and fall cases. Unfortunately, this means that the insurance company may treat you like a criminal who is out to defraud them, instead of a slip and fall victim who needs to be compensated.
A LAW FIRM WITH INSIDE KNOWLEDGE OF THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY
Many of our highly experienced slip and fall attorneys started their careers working for insurance companies on behalf of property owners. They understand how premises liability cases are handled and how personal injury claims are processed. They know how insurance companies give low initial settlement offers that may not even cover your medical expenses, and they know where to look for additional insurance coverage that can provide maximum compensation in your slip and fall accident case.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A SLIP AND FALL ACCIDENT
Businesses have a duty to keep their properties reasonably safe for their customers. Unfortunately, some businesses fail in their duties, and a fall can quickly turn into a serious situation. Slip and fall accidents are more common than most people think. Knowing what to do ahead of time will give you an advantage.
Here’s what to do if you suffer a slip and fall accident:
PINPOINT THE CAUSE OF THE FALL.
- Was your slip and fall caused by frayed carpet, a disheveled floor mat, uneven flooring, items left in the aisle or walkway, or insufficient lighting? Was your slip and fall caused by a substance on the floor? How would you characterize the substance that caused you to slip and fall? Did the substance have texture, and how large of an area did the substance cover? Was it clear, colored, thick, cloudy, wet, dry, sandy, powdery, sticky, greasy, oily? What products are in the surrounding area of the substance on the floor? Where was it? The beverage aisle, baking goods, etc.?
- Find out if your incident was captured on surveillance video and request that any footage be maintained. This video can provide supporting evidence of dangerous conditions that the business should have been aware of.
SEEK MEDICAL TREATMENT.
- If you are injured in a slip and fall accident, seek medical treatment right away. It is important to be evaluated by a physician so that your injuries can be properly treated and documented. If you are experiencing extreme pain, request to be transported by ambulance to a hospital. If you are not experiencing extreme pain immediately after the incident, it is still possible you sustained serious injuries. We recommend seeking evaluation from your primary care physician or an emergency room or urgent care clinic. Medical records will be essential in seeking compensation for your injuries.
DOCUMENT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
- Request the names and contact information of persons that witnessed the fall and/or the dangerous condition that caused it. Even a bystander who came along after the fall could still provide valuable information as to the conditions after the fall. Take photographs and/or video with your cell phone. Get plenty of photos of the exact location where you fell, photograph anything that would help show the cause of your fall, and photograph the area surrounding where the fall occurred. Pictures can speak volumes when making an injury claim. Secure the clothing and shoes you wore during the incident.
- Maintain detailed notes of all your appointments, take photographs of your injuries, keep a diary of things the injury has prevented you from doing following the accident. Any evidence that you can provide to support your case will be helpful during the process. Write down exactly what you remember about the accident as soon as possible. An accurate, detailed account of what happened can be critical.
REPORT YOUR SLIP AND FALL ACCIDENT.
- Report the incident, preferably, to a store manager at the time of the fall. Advise the manager you want to make a formal report about the fall. Ask if there is surveillance footage in the area where the fall occurred that may have captured the fall. Ask that the of any employees that assisted you after the fall, as well as any witness accounts be included in the report.
CONTACT A SLIP AND FALL PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY.
A slip and fall injury claim requires the knowledge of a skilled attorney. Businesses have a duty to barricade or block dangerous conditions on the floor of its premises, as well as train, educate, and instruct employees to properly monitor, remove, barricade, warn, and/or remedy dangerous conditions. A dangerous condition on the floor of its premises should be timely warned of, remedied, or removed before allowing people in the area. The insurance company is looking out for the interest of the business. A slip and fall personal injury attorney is there to help you through the process.
If you’ve experienced a slip and fall accident as a business, contact us today for a free consultation.
Lori A. Snead is a Senior Litigation Paralegal with law firm, Brown & Crouppen, P.C. She concentrates in Plaintiff Personal Injury Litigation. Ms. Snead handles all aspects of a case from initial investigation to trial participation. As a litigation lead, she provides guidance and support to a staff of litigation paralegals and legal assistants involved in prosecuting lawsuits. In the year 2000 Ms. Snead earned her associate’s degree in paralegal legal studies from Southwestern Illinois College. Ms. Snead has been a practicing legal professional since 1998.
IT ALL STARTS WITH A FREE CASE EVALUATION FROM THE SLIP AND FALL ATTORNEYS AT BROWN & CROUPPEN
Our slip and fall accident law firm is one of the highest rated law firms in the Midwest. At Brown & Crouppen, all of our slip and fall lawyers share the same goal – to get justice for people who have been injured. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries from a slip and fall accident, get help from an attorney at Brown & Crouppen Law Firm. Getting started with your slip and fall case is easy. You can call us at 888-802-8156 for a free consultation, or tell us about your case with our free case evaluation form. And remember, there’s no upfront cost to you — if you don’t get paid, we don’t get paid.
We are proud to be top slip and fall attorneys in:
At Brown & Crouppen, our lawyers provide legal representation for all slip and fall cases including those that resulted in broken bokes, sprains, or catastrophic injuries. Call our law firm to tell us about the accident and find out if you have a case.
Get started with a free consultation with one of our skilled Personal Injury Lawyers today.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)
Suppose someone is injured on another’s property or public property, and it is because there was a defective condition or a wet or slippery substance that caused the slip and fall. In that case, it is worth considering if an attorney is needed.
There is an incorrect perception of frivolous lawsuits being a pervasive problem in today’s society. However, personal injury lawsuits and claims can only be filed under a very strict set of circumstances. Slip and fall cases are no exception. First, a person who slips and falls on another’s property must prove there was a defect on the property. Examples of some defects that commonly cause slip and fall accidents include:
- spilled liquids
- leaking air conditioners
- broken pipes
- unnaturally accumulated or cleaned ice that has caused the ground, floor, sidewalk, or parking lot to become unsafe
Next, an injured person must prove the property owner or person responsible for keeping the property safe, knew or could have known about the slippery area and/or dangerous condition in time to fix it, warn others about it, or blockade it.
Finally, the slip and fall must result in an injury. Even if the above criteria are met, it is unlikely a claim can be made if someone does not have an injury.
Sometimes someone may experience a slip and fall injury while working on the job. In that situation, there are two central questions:
- Does the worker’s job provide workers’ compensation?
- Is the slip and fall the result of the employer’s negligence or the negligence of a third party? For example, a person at work slips and falls on water from a broken pipe in the hallway of a common area of an office building.
The second question is critical to the inquiry. If the slip and fall were the employer’s fault, then a workers’ compensation claim may be the exclusive remedy available to the injured person. On the other hand, if another third party was at fault (like in the above example), the injured person may pursue both a workers’ compensation claim and a third-party claim against the building owner for their responsibility.
In either situation, it is prudent to consult with an attorney. An attorney can assist in distinguishing between the types of claims that can be pursued, and workers’ compensation may need to be paid back out of any third-party recovery.
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- Last Modified:
- May 10, 2023
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