Washington County Slip and Fall Lawyers
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, you may have a potential legal claim against the person or business responsible for what happened. The slip and fall legal process can be a complex and challenging one. However, receiving financial compensation for your injuries is possible when you can prove that someone else was to blame for what happened.
What Are the Dangers of Slip and Fall Accidents?
Every year, millions of Americans are injured in a fall, which can occur at a moment’s notice. The wrenching motion of the fall itself can cause serious injuries. You could hurt your back or suffer a soft tissue injury just from the violent and traumatic movement. While this is dangerous, there is even more danger when you fall. Then, parts of your body can hit the hard ground or make contact with another surface when you are falling. As a result, you could suffer a fracture, brain injury, or even a spinal cord injury.
What Are Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents?
Many things can cause a slip and fall accident. It does not take much carelessness to cause an accident that could result in serious consequences for you. Although the property owner owes you a duty of care, they could be short-staffed or simply not paying enough attention. Some common causes of slip and fall accidents include:
- Debris that is left on a walking path
- A spill in the aisle of a store
- Loose strings in a carpet
- Worn or frayed carpet
- Extension wires that are run over walking paths
- Cracked or broken flooring
Your slip and fall accident lawyer would perform an extensive investigation of what happened to determine the cause and gather the evidence that you need to file a claim.
Who Can I Sue in a Slip and Fall Lawsuit?
The property owner is going to be the most common defendant in a slip and fall lawsuit. They are usually the ones who have control over the property on a day-to-day basis, and they are the ones who can keep you safe. In some cases, the property owner leases the property out to someone else, and they do not have involvement with the safety of the property. In that case, you would sue the lessee, such as the owner of a store who rents their premises. Your slip and fall accident lawyer would conduct a complete investigation of the accident to determine who may have been responsible for what happened.
How Do I Win a Slip and Fall Case?
Like any other personal injury case, you can win when you show the defendant was negligent. The standard you must meet is showing that the defendant did something considered unreasonable under the circumstances. In a slip and fall case, you may prove negligence in one of two ways. If you can show that the property owner was the one who created the dangerous condition themselves, they would be liable for your injuries unless they can successfully prove their own defense.
The situation is a little more complex when someone else is responsible for the hazard. Then, you would need to show that the property owner failed to warn you about the danger or remedy the condition themselves within a reasonable amount of time after they knew or should have known about it. This can be a difficult showing because you may have to prove that the property owner knew about the danger or waited an unreasonable amount of time to do something after they knew of the hazard.
How Much Is My Slip and Fall Case Worth?
False can be severe accidents, and they can cause severe injuries. If you can prove that someone else was negligent, they would be obligated to fully compensate you for all of the harm they have caused, not just your financial losses. Your slip and fall case could be worth a lot more than you think because your compensation is tied to the severity of your injuries.
Your slip and fall compensation may consist of the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Embarrassment and humiliation
In most cases, you would be tasked with negotiating your slip and fall compensation with the insurance company unless a jury decides your case. Your slip and fall lawyer would know the value of your case so that they could put you in the strongest possible negotiating position.
What Are the Challenges in a Slip and Fall Case?
When you file a slip and fall claim, you often deal with a resistant insurance company that deals with several claims like yours. They take a naturally skeptical view of these cases because they can result in a large amount of damage and losses. They may often claim that your injury is “just a fall,” even though you may have been seriously hurt. You would need to prove your injuries and damages to receive payment for all of them.
Then, much of the evidence you need to prove a slip and fall claim is in the hands of the potential defendant. If you do not have the physical evidence on your own, you would need to obtain this proof in the litigation process. You would need to act quickly to direct the responsible party to preserve the evidence so you can obtain it during the litigation discovery process.
Do I Need a Lawyer for a Slip and Fall Case?
Slip and fall cases are far from easy. Your slip and fall accident lawyer would handle all of the details of your case, fighting for your legal rights every step of the way. The Washington County slip and fall lawyers at Osborne & Wilmoth Law Firm have been fighting for injured clients for over 35 years, and we can do the same for you.
Contact the Washington County Slip and Fall Lawyers at Osborne & Wilmoth Law Firm Today
If you have been injured in an accident, the Washington County slip and fall lawyers at Osborne & Wilmoth Law Firm are your trusted partners as you fight for financial compensation. You can schedule a free initial consultation with one of our attorneys by calling us today at 479-521-7727 or contacting us online. Our office is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and we serve injured clients in the surrounding areas.