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As far as the law is concerned, there’s only a slight difference between a slip-and-fall and a trip-and-fall. Lawyers use both terms more-or-less interchangeably to refer to an incident where someone falls and gets hurt because of a dangerous condition on someone else’s property. However, slips generally refer to something wet on the ground that caused your accident, whereas a trip implies that something was impeding your path. Regardless of how you were injured, you may have the right to recover compensation for injuries you suffered in the fall that followed.
Here’s an overview of the key legal and practical issues in a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall case, and how an experienced attorney, like those from Dalli & Marino, LLP, can secure compensation for a victim’s injuries from a property owner or other liable party.
What Is a Slip-and-Fall or Trip-and-Fall?
Falls represent one of the leading causes of accidental injury in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some groups of people, including the elderly, young children, and construction workers, are particularly susceptible to fall injuries, but anyone can get hurt taking a tumble.
Not all falls lead to a trip-and-fall case, but many do. Generally speaking, you have the right to claim compensation for a fall if:
- You fell at a commercial, residential, or public property you do not own
- An unreasonably dangerous condition at the property contributed to the cause of your fall
- You suffered injuries or losses as a result.
Or to put it more simply, you could have a slip-and-fall claim to make if you fell and got hurt because of a hazard that someone should have fixed or warned you about. If that happened to you, talk to a lawyer right away about your options.
Common Slip-and-Fall or Trip-and-Fall Scenarios
A harmful fall can happen anywhere at any time. Some common scenarios leading to these kinds of claims include:
- Slipping on an icy sidewalk or wet floor
- Tripping on cracked pavement or the edge of a torn carpet
- Stumbling over an electrical cord or loose floor tile
- Misstepping on an unmarked or poorly lighted step
- Losing your balance because of a flimsy or broken handrail
These are just a few examples to give you an idea of the diverse ways a preventable fall can happen. No matter what type of hazard led you to lose your footing, connect with an experienced attorney to learn about your rights to claim compensation.
Liability and Compensation for a Slip-and-Fall or Trip-and-Fall
You may have the right to claim damages from anyone who could have, and reasonably should have, prevented the dangerous property condition that led to your fall. That might include a property’s owner, tenant, or management company, for example. The at-fault party’s liability insurance company might also owe you compensation.
In general, the law entitles you to claim payment for every type of harm you suffered in a preventable fall. It often surprises accident victims to learn, for example, that they can seek compensation for their:
- Medical expenses in treating fall injuries
- Costs of repairing or replacing personal property damaged in a fall
- Other expenditures directly resulting from the fall and injuries
- Lost earnings from missing work in the past or future
- Physical pain and discomfort from fall injuries or medical treatments for them
- Emotional distress related to the fall and injuries
- Inconvenience and daily disruption
- Loss of quality of life
If a property owner or at-fault party intentionally or recklessly created an extreme property hazard — something that virtually guaranteed that you would fall and get hurt — a skilled lawyer might also be able to convince a court to award you additional, punitive damages. Connect with a lawyer right away to learn about the types and amounts of damages you might claim for your injuries.
Tips for Dealing with a Slip-and-Fall or Trip-and-Fall
Following these tips can help to preserve your legal rights and potentially mitigate any injuries after a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall:
- Get Medical Attention: Go see a doctor right away after you fall and suffer any type of injury, even if you think it’s just a minor one. The scrapes, bruises, or aches you feel now could be a sign of serious injuries that will start to show major symptoms later on. The records a doctor creates of your care can serve as critical evidence to prove your claim.
- Report the Fall: Tell the property owner, manager, or someone else in charge about your fall right away. This puts them on notice of the dangerous property condition that caused you to fall, which serves to create a record of what happened.
- Talk to a Lawyer: An experienced attorney may need to take quick action to protect your rights to compensation, such as gathering evidence of the property hazard or filing documents on your behalf before a legal deadline.
If you have any other questions about your accident claim, get in touch with our lawyers at Dalli & Marino, LLP.
Contact an Experienced Slip-and-Fall Lawyer at Dalli & Marino, LLP Today
Did you or someone you love fall down and get hurt because of an unreasonably dangerous feature of someone else’s property? If so, chances are you have potentially valuable rights to claim compensation from the property’s owner, tenant, or manager and their insurance company. And if you want to achieve the maximum payout available, the sooner you consult with a skilled lawyer, the better.
Dalli & Marino, LLP is a law firm with years of experience and an impressive track record of success representing injured fall victims. Our Spanish-speaking lawyers can help you explore your rights to compensation after you get hurt in a preventable fall. Fill out our contact form or call (888) 465-8790 for your free consultation.
