When someone is injured in a slip and fall accident negligence must be proven in order to bring a slip and fall lawsuit. Searching for the best slip and fall accident lawyers in Mount Vernon can be hard, but Tario Law makes it easy! Our skilled slip and fall accident attorneys gather evidence and interview witnesses in a timely manner. Every slip and fall case we litigate is supported by strong evidence in order to ensure a strong settlement that will cover all of the victim’s damages from pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life to medical expenses and long-term care. Do not delay justice; contact us today! There is a statute of limitation on your injury claim.
Premises liability law employed in slip and fall accident and social host liability cases is specific and best handled by a qualified personal injury attorney. He or she will be able to analyze the details of your case and fight for a better settlement from your insurance company, if necessary. Don’t sign any papers or accept any settlement from your insurance company without your lawyer’s counsel and remember that a claim that is denied can be appealed. We are often able to get our clients five to twenty times the settlement that you would get on your own!
Washington State uses traditional law classifications for the person injured on another person or organizations premises: “invitee”, “licensee” or “trespasser” in determining how to handle a premises liability claim. Generally, however, a property owner owes a reasonable “duty of care” to people visiting their property; which means preventing or clearly labeling dangerous physical conditions unless the danger is so visible that it should be apparent.
Michael Tario opened the prominent Bellingham law firm Tario & Associates, P.S. in 1979, followed by the Mount Vernon office in 1988. Over the years the premises liability attorneys at the firm have helped thousands of injured parties in Mount Vernon and throughout Skagit County to receive fair compensation and just treatment for their injuries.
We believe your well being and the well being of your family and loved ones is more important than money or legal action. However, if you suspect that you or a loved one has suffered a slip and fall injury because of a negligent property owner or caregiver, you should seek the opinion of a qualified personal injury attorney to determine whether negligence has occurred and whether or not a claim should be brought.
Proving liability in a slip and fall claim can be challenging and time consuming. A personal injury lawyer gathers evidence and interviews key witnesses to build a case. They handle pre-trial litigation and go to trial if necessary. In most cases, hiring an injury attorney will yield better results, even for seemingly minor claims. The best part is that personal injury lawyers in WA State work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you pay a percentage of your settlement and no out-of-pocket costs.
There are no upfront costs or fees paid by our clients to pursue a medical malpractice claim as we provide representation on a contingency fee basis for personal injury cases. While you will not incur any attorney fees if you do not win your case, Washington law requires clients to reimburse the law firm for out-of-pocket expenses.
Our firm advances out-of-pocket costs for our injury clients and does not require our clients to pay any of these costs up front. When cases are concluded with a monetary recovery, our firm is repaid for the out-of-pocket costs we have advanced with a percentage of the settlement.
Like in other personal injury cases, slip and fall injury damages include pain and suffering, lost wages, emotional trauma, medical expenses, rehabilitation and other economic and non-economic damages, depending on the circumstances.
Social host liability allows social guests to recover damages from their hosts depending on how the injuries occurred. A homeowner or social host has a duty to repair any unsafe situations on their property or to warn guests about dangerous conditions. In cases where the danger was blatantly obvious or there was a fence or sign trying to keep guests out, it could be extremely difficult for a plaintiff to recover.
Like with social hosts, organizations or businesses have an obligation to keep their spaces free of hazards, fix hazards in a timely manner and to warn patrons about hazards before they are fixed. For example, if a person slips and falls on a wet floor that had no “wet floor” sign present then they may be able to bring a slip and fall claim to recover damages.
Note that business owners are not generally required by law to remove snow or ice that has accumulated outside of their building but if they choose to do so they must handle the task with reasonable care.
While the city does have a duty to keep their roads and walkways in reasonable repair, it can be tricky to sue a government entity for personal injury. Often there are strict deadlines and requirements; it is best to seek the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer who understands the slip and fall laws in your city and state.
If it can be proved that a business owner or employee knew about a hazard and did nothing about it or failed to warn customers about the danger then they may have breached their duty. For example, if an employee notified the business owner about a hazard and the owner did nothing to resolve it they could be liable.
Sometimes a slip and fall case can be made against a business owner based on the fact that they were in violation of a statute or building code. For example, when a building code dictates the height of a deck railing and a business owner’s railing is too short and causes someone to trip and fall over it then they could be held liable for damages.
In most cases the law will say a property owner “should have known” about a dangerous condition when it existed for a certain amount of time; it says that a reasonably careful person, under similar circumstances, would have discovered it. For example, if a floor tile has been loose and protruding for months and a person slips and falls on that loose tile then a case could be made that a reasonable business owner or employee would have discovered and fixed the hazard in that amount of time.
Depending on the circumstances, there are many different people or organizations that could be held liable in a slip and fall case: