Slip and Fall Lawyer

Slip-and-fall injuries cause more than a million hospital emergency room visits each year in the United States, and falls are the leading cause of trips to an ER. If you think the negligence of a property owner who didn’t address a potentially dangerous condition caused you to suffer a slip-and-fall injury, you should contact a slip-and-fall lawyer. They can help you secure a legal claim for substantial compensation.

A slip-and-fall accident lawyer with experience in handling these types of cases can provide representation that increases your chances of maximizing your recovery. Hiring an attorney with experience handling these cases also gives you the best chance at developing the evidence and arguments needed to settle your claim efficiently and for the highest value. 

If the property owner will not settle, it is also essential to have a lawyer who is prepared to take your case to trial to obtain the legal award for the damages the law demands. You can trust the slip-and-fall injury lawyers at Steinger, Greene & Feiner to handle your case with expertise and to aggressively pursue your legal claim. Contact us today for a free evaluation of your case. 

What Does a Slip-and-Fall Lawyer Do?

A slip-and-fall lawyer represents a person who has suffered a personal injury that resulted from a property owner’s negligent actions. While people often feel that it is only necessary to hire a lawyer if they want to file a lawsuit and go to trial immediately, they will benefit from talking with an attorney as soon as possible after their injury. 

A slip-and-fall lawyer can start work immediately in gathering evidence and information about your slip and fall and the injuries you are suffering from. The process of recovering damages typically begins with appropriate insurance claims. There are statutes of limitations that affect your ability to file a lawsuit in every case, and you should move quickly to consult with an attorney to know your rights.

 A slip-and-fall lawyer can:

• Establish the property owner’s liability. An attorney can work to investigate the facts and circumstances of your injury and assess whether the property owner was negligent in allowing a dangerous condition on their property or was in violation of any applicable laws.
• Work to obtain a fair settlement. Insurance companies often make a quick offer for pennies on the dollar to resolve a case before an injured person is fully aware of how much they could recover. An experienced attorney will negotiate aggressively on your behalf to argue for a fair settlement of your claims under the total circumstances. 
• Represent you at trial. If the property owner or their insurance company refuses to reach a settlement agreement that is acceptable to you, your slip-and-fall attorney can take your case to trial and argue for fair compensation before a judge or jury. 

At Steinger, Green & Feiner, we’re committed to providing skilled and thorough representation after your slip-and-fall accident. 

Identifying Slip and Fall Hazards

If you have suffered an injury from a slip-and-fall accident, it could be necessary to show that your injury occurred because of a dangerous condition.

No building, parking lot, sidewalk, or common area is ever in perfect condition. Property always experiences normal wear and tear. However, every property owner has a legal duty to be sure that their property does not present dangerous conditions. 

Some commonly seen dangerous conditions include:  

• Slippery floors
• Broken or cracked flooring or pavement
• Uneven flooring or pavement
• Spilled liquids, rain, snow, or ice that create a slipping hazard
• Broken or missing handrails
• Broken or defective stairs
• Loose or rolled-up carpeting
• Dim or non-functioning lighting

Additionally, it is usually necessary to show that the property owner either knew about the dangerous condition or should have known about it. It is not always possible to show that an owner or their employees or agents had actual notice of a condition, but negligence can also be proven if they should have known about the problem if they were acting reasonably. 

In these circumstances, your slip-and-fall attorney must develop evidence that a reasonable owner would have been aware of the cause of your slip and fall and should have taken steps to prevent your injury.

Property Owners’ Legal Responsibilities 

A slip-and-fall injury lawyer generally must prove that a property owner acted negligently in causing a person’s injury. Establishing a case for negligence involves showing that the property owner had a “duty of care” to protect visitors, that they breached that duty, that the breach caused the slip and fall, and that an injured person suffered legally recoverable damages as a result. 

“Duty of Care” 

Every person has a legal duty to avoid injury if possible. In other words, no reasonable person would intentionally cause themselves harm. However, the legal duty of a property owner who invites customers, visitors, or guests onto their property goes further than that. 

Property owners who invite people onto their premises are bound under the law to prevent dangerous conditions and correct any such problems when they learn about or should have known about them. 

In other words, a property owner must constantly keep a proper lookout around their property for conditions that would be dangerous for someone who is taking reasonable care against a slip and fall. 

If a dangerous condition also violates a law or safety regulation, that fact alone may be sufficient to prove negligence.

“Constructive Notice” 

Sometimes, the evidence shows that a property owner either knowingly created a dangerous condition or allowed it to exist without taking steps to correct it. If that actual knowledge cannot be proven, it could be possible to establish “constructive notice.” 

The idea of constructive notice is that a reasonable property owner keeping a proper lookout over their property would have known a dangerous condition existed, but they failed to use reasonable efforts to keep that lookout. 

How To Prove Liability in a Slip-and-Fall Case

A slip-and-fall accident lawyer can work with you to develop the proof and evidence necessary to prove a property owner is legally liable for your injuries.

 The work that an experienced lawyer does soon after an injury occurs is often the most important to the success of a claim. That makes it all the more important that you work quickly to have a slip-and-fall attorney evaluate your case. 

Every claim, whether in settlement negotiations with a property owner and their insurance carrier or before a judge or jury, depends on facts and evidence that show the truth of how the injury occurred. 

Many people do not realize how they have been injured immediately after a slip and fall. Sometimes, because of embarrassment or adrenaline, people leave quickly after falling

Only later do many people realize the extent of their injury or have a clear recollection of how their fall occurred. In reality, many property owners will use the time right after a fall to attempt to fix whatever condition caused the slip. 

If you have photos of the scene, be sure to save them. Ask for copies of the incident report. Document your memory of the event and the people who have knowledge of the incident to the best of your ability and seek medical attention for injuries. 

When you work with a slip-and-lawyer, they will be able to preserve evidence as best as possible. Of course, time is often of the essence to obtain physical evidence or to learn about what witnesses observed and heard. But no matter how much time has passed since your accident, our attorneys at Steinger, Green & Feiner will collect as much evidence as possible to support your case. 

Compensation and Damages

Fair legal compensation in a slip-and-fall case always depends on the specific facts in an individual case. There are certain types of damages injured persons can generally recover, including:

• Medical expenses. You could recover the cost of past medical bills and the amounts reasonably expected to be incurred in the future as a result of the slip and fall.
• Lost wages. You could recover the amounts lost from work due to injuries from the slip and fall. In some cases, injured persons can recover future lost wages and damages for temporary or permanent disability. 
• Pain and suffering. You have a legal right to recover monetary damages for the pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life incurred because of a slip-and-fall injury. 

Calculating a fair and reasonable settlement or trial demand is based on the amounts of these and other damages and varies significantly from case to case. You must have your case evaluated by an experienced slip-and-fall lawyer to learn more about how to value your claim.

Choosing the Right Slip-and-Fall Injury Lawyer

It is not only essential to move quickly to consult with a slip-and-fall lawyer — it is critical that you find the right lawyer for the job. You should look for an attorney with a proven track record of successfully representing clients in slip-and-fall cases, with the expertise and ability to achieve a fair settlement, and, when necessary, to represent you at trial aggressively.

The lawyers at Steinger, Greene & Feiner know how to deal with insurance companies and property owners who attempt to cover their tracks and avoid responsibility. We will never hesitate to take your case to trial if necessary. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can provide you with a free evaluation of your case. If we work together, we will be able to begin gathering evidence and locating witnesses right away. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Steinger, Greene & Feiner for a Free Case Evaluation From a Slip-and-Fall Injury Attorney

If you have suffered a slip-and-fall accident, your claim could be subject to time limitations, making it very important to take action to protect your rights. Contact the law firm of Steinger, Greene & Feiner today for a free evaluation of your case. 

An experienced slip-and-fall lawyer can handle your case, developing the evidence and arguments necessary to settle your case for maximum value or take it to trial if necessary.