Slip & fall accidents can result in serious injuries, particularly for older adults. If you have been injured in a fall, you may be facing medical bills, lost income, ongoing pain, and uncertainty about what comes next. You may also be wondering what caused the accident and whether someone else may be responsible.
If you or a loved one fell on a poorly maintained property or a property with unmarked hazardous conditions, you may have grounds for a personal injury claim. We recommend scheduling a free consultation with a local slip and fall accident attorney to review your case and discuss your legal options.
When Can Slip & Fall Accidents Lead to a Claim?
Property owners and businesses have a responsibility to maintain reasonably safe conditions for visitors, including addressing hazards the owner knows about or reasonably should have discovered.
If you are injured because of an unsafe condition on someone else’s property, you may have grounds for a personal injury claim if the property owner or business failed to take reasonable steps to address the hazard or warn you about it. The specific circumstances of the accident will determine whether the owner may be held responsible for your injuries.
Failure to Maintain Property or Manage Hazardous Conditions
Failing to clean up a hazard, make necessary repairs, or take reasonable steps to protect visitors from a known danger can lead to serious injuries and may result in liability for the property owner. Unsafe property conditions can include broken handrails, damaged or uneven flooring, poorly maintained stairs, inadequate lighting, or other conditions that create a risk of injury.
Some hazards cannot be repaired immediately. In those situations, a property owner or business should take reasonable steps to warn visitors or prevent them from encountering the danger until it can be fixed. For example, if a property owner discovers a broken handrail on a staircase, the owner should arrange for it to be repaired promptly and take reasonable steps to keep visitors from using the stairs until the repair is made, such as blocking access to the staircase.
A warning may not be enough if the hazard is not addressed or the warning is unclear. Warnings should be easy to see and placed where visitors are likely to notice them before they reach the hazard. A small, poorly placed sign or a warning that does not clearly explain the danger may not be enough to protect visitors. Whether a property owner acted reasonably depends on the circumstances of the accident and the type of hazard involved. A slip and fall accident attorney will help determine whether the property owner acted negligently.
How Will Your Attorney Prove Failure to Maintain Property and Manage Hazardous Conditions in Your Slip & Fall Accidents Case?
To build a slip & fall accidents case around failure to maintain property or manage a hazardous condition, your attorney will look for evidence showing that a dangerous condition existed, that the property owner or responsible party knew or reasonably should have known about it, and that they failed to take reasonable steps to address the hazard or warn visitors. Your attorney may gather and review evidence such as:
- Employee or witness statements showing that someone knew about the hazard
- Surveillance video showing how long the dangerous condition existed
- Incident reports documenting previous complaints or accidents
- Maintenance and inspection records showing whether the property was routinely inspected
- Photographs or video showing the condition and whether a warning was present
- Cleaning records showing when an area was last inspected or cleaned
- Evidence of previous similar incidents that may show the property owner was aware of a recurring hazard
For example, if surveillance video shows that a damaged section of flooring was present for several days and employees walked past it without reporting or addressing the problem, that evidence could help establish that the business knew or reasonably should have known about the hazard. If the condition was not repaired or marked with a warning before someone was injured, those facts may also support a negligence claim.
How a Slip and Fall Attorney Can Help
A slip and fall accident attorney will handle the legal aspects of your slip and fall claim so you can focus on recovery. They will:
- Evaluate your claim and damages to help determine the compensation you may be entitled to seek.
- Investigate the circumstances of your accident, identify potentially responsible parties, and gather evidence such as photographs, surveillance footage, maintenance records, and witness statements.
- Handle negotiations with insurance companies and advocate for a fair settlement that accounts for your injuries and losses.
- File a slip and fall lawsuit and represent you in court if the parties cannot reach a fair settlement through negotiations.
Contact a Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer Today!
A slip and fall accident attorney can help you recover a full and fair settlement for the injuries you sustained in an accident caused by the negligence of another with no up-front costs to you. We know the sneaky strategies used by insurance companies to get injured people to agree to settlements far below what they are worth. Our clients typically end up with a settlement or jury award that is five to ten times larger than they could have negotiated on their own. We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County, and Snohomish County who were injured in Washington State since 1979. Contact the experienced and hard-working personal injury lawyers at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Mount Vernon, WA today for a FREE consultation!
