Slip and Fall Accidents Overview

"Slip and fall" is a term used for a personal injury case in which a person slips or trips and is injured on someone else's property. These cases usually fall under the broader category of cases known as "premises liability" claims. Slip and fall accidents usually occur on property (or "premises") owned or maintained by someone else, and the property owner may be held legally responsible.

There are many dangerous conditions like torn carpeting, changes in flooring, poor lighting, narrow stairs, or a wet floor can cause someone to slip and be injured. Same goes if someone trips on a broken or cracked public sidewalks, or falls down a flight of stairs. In addition, a slip and fall case might arise when someone slips or falls outdoors because of rain, ice, snow or a hidden hazard, such as a pothole in the ground.

In any event, the plaintiff must have sustained some kind of injury, however minor, in order to collect.

Proving Fault in Slip and Fall Cases

There is no precise way to determine when someone else is legally responsible for your injuries if you slip or trip. Each case turns 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 condition that caused your fall. Here are some general rules to help you decide whether someone else was at fault for your slip or trip and fall injury.

In most cases, a person injured in a slip and fall on someone else's property must prove that the cause of the accident was a "dangerous condition," and that the owner or possessor of the property knew of the dangerous condition. A dangerous condition must present an unreasonable risk to a person on the property, and it must have been a condition that the injured party should not have anticipated under the circumstances. This latter requirement implies that people must be aware of, and avoid, obvious dangers.

In order to establish that a property owner or possessor knew of a dangerous condition, it must be shown that:

·         The owner/possessor created the condition;

·         The owner/possessor knew the condition existed and negligently failed to correct it; or

·         The condition existed for such a length of time that the owner/possessor should have discovered and corrected it prior to the slip and fall incident in question.

For a property owner or possessor to be held liable, it must have been foreseeable that his negligence would create the danger at issue.

Responsible Parties

In order to recover for a slip and fall injury sustained on another's property, there must be a responsible party whose negligence caused the injury. This sounds obvious, but many people do not realize that some injuries are simply accidents caused, if anything, by their own carelessness.

Commercial Property

To be legally responsible for the injuries someone suffered from slipping or tripping and falling on someone else's property, the owner/possessor of a store, restaurant, or other business (or an employee of the business):

·         Must have caused the spill, worn or torn spot, or other slippery or dangerous surface or item, to be underfoot;

·         Must have known of the dangerous surface but did nothing about it; or,

·         Should have known of the dangerous surface because a "reasonable" person taking care of the property would have discovered and removed or repaired it.

The third situation is the most common, but is also less clear-cut than the first two because of the phrase "should have known." Liability in these cases is decided by common sense. The law determines 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.

In slip and fall cases on commercial property, there are often a number of people or entities that may be held responsible for someone's injuries.

Residential Property

In residential settings as well, landlords may be held liable to tenants or third parties for slip and fall injuries on rental property. To hold a landlord responsible for an injury, a tenant must show that:

·         The landlord had control over the condition that caused the slip and fall;

·         Repairing the condition would not have been unreasonably expensive or difficult;

·         A serious injury was the foreseeable consequence of not fixing the condition; and,

·         The landlord's failure to take reasonable steps to avoid an accident caused the tenant's slip and fall injury.

Government Property

When a slip and fall injury occurs on property owned by a local, state, or federal government entity, special rules will apply. Specifically, there are very stringent notice requirements and broad immunity provisions that sometimes shield government entities from liability for injuries that occur on their property.

What to do after a slip and fall accident

Slip and fall accidents can happen to anyone, anywhere. Property owners are responsible for maintaining homes and walkways to ensure a minimum level of safety. This is known as premises liability.

If you are injured due to property negligence, you could be entitled to compensation from the property owner for your medical bills, time away from work, and more. Here are 4 steps to take if you are injured in a slip and fall accident.

Step 1: Seek medical attention to treat your injuries

The first thing you should do after a slip and fall accident is call for help and seek medical attention. You need to worry about your health above all else. Go to an emergency room or urgent care facility. This will document your injuries and serve as proof that you've been injured.

It's important that you also go to all medical appointments following your initial emergency care visit. This could be physical therapy or follow-up appointments with a practitioner to make sure you are healing properly. If you skip any medical appointments or do not follow the recommended care provided to you, a jury or insurance company may question the severity of your injuries.

Step 2: Report the accident to the property owner

After you have received the necessary medical care, you need to alert the property owner(s) of the incident so they are aware of your injuries. If you choose to seek a settlement for your injuries, consider the following.

File a claim. Sometimes, the property owner will accept responsibility immediately and be willing to pay your medical bills, but you'll most likely still have to file a claim to get fair compensation for missing work and the long-term consequences of your slip and fall injury.

Limit your communication with the property owner after you've reported the accident. Don't talk to any representative they have hired, either, because they may try to record a statement to use against you.

Don't post on social media or talk to anyone about the incident. Also, take care that your statements and claims to medical providers are consistent with the report you have given to the property owner. These things will help you in court.

Step 3: Compile and keep notes about the injury

Before you file a claim, you need to be able to prove negligence on the property owner's part. This can be done in several different ways.

Take pictures of your injuries and the location where it took place. Try to do this as soon as possible after the slip and fall accident because conditions can change and evidence can disappear. You can also preserve evidence, like the shoes you were wearing, or any clothing that has blood or the substance that caused your accident.

Record any witnesses that saw you fall. Write down the time, date, location, and a description of what happened in your slip and fall accident. You want to do this as soon as possible so you don't forget important details as time passes.

Keep notes about your medical treatments. Describe your pain, doctor visits, and medical costs as best you can. This documentation will be important in forming your testimony later.

Step 4: Talk to an attorney about your injuries

Take all of your evidence to an attorney for help filing a legal claim for your slip and fall injuries. You need to do this as soon as possible to ensure speedy compensation. It's difficult to prove fault in a slip and fall accident, which means your best chance is to have a reputable attorney on your side.

An attorney can help you with everything related to your case, such as creating a demand letter and sending it to the property owner where your slip and fall accident took place. The property owner does not necessarily get off just for disclosing known dangers. The problems need to be fixed and injury prevention put in place.