| Thousands of people are injured annually - some very seriously - when they slip or trip up and fall on a rough patch of ground, a dangerous floor or a flight of stairs.
As property owners have responsibility for sustaining safety on the premises and warning visitors of potential hazards, they can be held liable for injuries that happen due to unsafe conditions on their property. Slip-and-fall accidents can lead to all types of injuries, ranging from the comparatively minor to life-threatening.
A slip-and-fall accident can happen nearly anywhere, on public or private property, indoors or outdoors. A slip-and-fall injury can happen due to the following hazards:
- Adverse weather conditions (for instance, ice, snow, or rain)
- Uneven sidewalks
- Potholes
- Poorly lit or unmarked stairs or pathways
- Slippery tiling
- Unbalanced flooring
- Rippled carpet
- Foreign matters on the floor or walkway
Typical injuries resulting from slip-and-fall accidents range in severity. An injured person may suffer broken bones, bruises and scrapes that require minimal medical treatment and heal relatively promptly. Other victims may suffer a colossal personal injury – a brain injury, spinal cord injury, or burn injury – that triggers lifelong damage and needs durable medical care. In the worst case scenario, an injured person dies because of his or her injuries. If this occurs, and the slip-and-fall accident happened because of the property owner's negligence, then the death is believed to be wrongful.
The sooner you lodge a suit after the injury, the better. Most slip-and-fall injury lawsuits are filed within 30 days of the injury, since if you wait too long, your suit might be considered a frivolous one. If there is a hint of frivolity in your case, your suit is very likely to be dismissed.
After a slip-and-fall accident you should first visit a medical practitioner to examine the extent of your injuries. This will prove that you did really suffer a slip-and-fall injury, and can be valuable in your case. You must keep close records, not only of the medical injury records, but also of any work you had to miss and how much money it cost you. Any extra costs, including trabsportation, medicines, physical therapy, and the like should also be thoroughly recorded. There expenses can be reimbursed, if you win the lawsuit. |
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