Slip & fall accidents are much more common than many people realize. According to reports from the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), more than one million emergency room visits each year result from slip and fall accidents. Falls can cause severe injury and may even be fatal, particularly if the victim was elderly. If you slip, trip, or fall on someone else’s property, and you are injured, you should not assume that the fall was your fault. Homeowners, store managers, building owners, employers, construction site managers, and anyone else responsible for maintaining the premises on which you fell may be liable for your injuries. Let a knowledgeable Florida slip & fall attorney review your case and determine whether someone else may be at fault.
If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed as a result of the negligence of a property owner or manager, the attorneys at The Law Offices of Marc L. Shapiro, P.A., are here to help. You may be able to recover damages for your lost income, pain and suffering, emotional distress, medical expenses, disability, and any other costs and losses you have suffered as a result of your slip, trip and fall. Our Fort Myers slip & fall injury lawyers have spent years recovering monetary damages for our clients after they suffered injuries on someone else’s premises.
Common Causes of Slips, Trips, and Falls
When you are a lawful visitor on someone else’s property, the owner or manager of that property owes you a duty of care. They are responsible for keeping the premises safe for your visit. The duty of care applies whether you are a shopper at a supermarket, an employee in an office building, or a guest at someone else’s apartment. However, the specific requirements of that duty vary by situation. If the person responsible for maintaining the property leaves a hazard unattended and you are injured as a result of that hazard, you may be able to seek compensation from that party or their insurance provider.
The seasoned premises liability attorneys at The Law Offices of Marc L. Shapiro, P.A. help clients recover damages resulting from a wide range of slip & fall incidents. Some of the more common causes of a slip, trip & fall injury include:
- Slippery or wet floors after a spill
- Wet or icy sidewalks, entrance ways, or parking lots
- Uneven tiles or other flooring surfaces
- Unexpected elevation changes in a floor surface
- Uneven steps
- Staircase collapse or broken railings
- Narrow staircases
- Change in the substance of a floor surface
- Inadequate lighting
- Unmarked holes, objects, or other hazards
- Loose, moving carpet or rugs
- Cracks or potholes in the sidewalk, parking lot, or street
Was a Property Owner Reasonable?
In order to hold a property owner liable for a slip and fall injury, you must establish three things: (1) The property owner had an obligation to the victim; (2) the property owner failed to live up to that obligation; (3) the victim was injured as a result of that failure. Typically, a premises liability case will turn on whether a property owner was “reasonable” in the care they afforded their property and their guests. An apartment renter may have a lesser obligation of reasonable care than a store manager.
For example, a grocery store should look out for spills and take steps to clean them up before someone gets hurt; if a spill was left unattended for 30 minutes, a judge or jury might find that unreasonable. A homeowner has a lesser duty to seek out unexpected hazards, such as spills, and a jury may only find them “unreasonable” if they actually knew about a spill and did nothing to remedy the situation or warn their guests.
A knowledgeable premises liability attorney can help you understand the obligations that a property owner or manager owed in a given situation and help you build a case to show that they were, in fact, unreasonable. Your Florida slip & fall lawyer will work with you to gather the evidence necessary to show that someone else should be liable for your medical costs and other damages incurred as a result of a slip and fall accident.
Help With Your Fort Myers Premises Liability Claim
When you are a guest on someone else’s property, you have the right to feel safe. If you were injured on someone else’s property in Fort Myers, Orlando, or throughout Florida, reach out to a dedicated Fort Myers slip & fall injury lawyer for advice and representation. Contact the compassionate and talented Florida slip & fall accident legal team at The Law Offices of Marc L. Shapiro, P.A., at 239-649-8050 today for a free consultation and learn whether you may be entitled to compensation for your Florida premises liability claim.
