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It only takes a second to slip, fall, and find yourself on the ground in a lot of pain. The consequences of a fall frequently include head injuries or broken bones, especially arms, ankles, and hips.
Recovering from these injuries can be expensive, even with health insurance, and you may be unable to work until you’re back on your feet.
How Can a Duluth Slip and Fall Accident Attorney Help?
If another party’s negligence caused your fall, you shouldn’t have to bear these costs alone. In many cases, there is an insurance policy that may cover your damages, or we can seek compensation directly from the negligent party.
Even if you’re not sure what happened or why you fell, it’s a good idea to speak with an experienced attorney about your situation.
What Causes Slip and Fall Accidents?
There are a number of reasons that slip and fall accidents occur, and many of them involve obvious hazards that should have been addressed before someone was hurt. Here are some of the common causes of slip and fall accidents:
- Wet or slippery floors. Leaks, spills, and even condensation can sometimes make a floor surface slick. The problem might continue outside in a parking lot or on a sidewalk, especially when snow or ice is involved. Property owners have a responsibility to address potential hazards both inside and outside the premises in a timely manner, and if they don’t do so, they may be negligent when a visitor is injured.
- Loose tiles. These should be repaired, and in the meantime, property owners should warn visitors to be careful of them.
- Uneven surfaces. If uneven flooring can’t be fixed quickly, the property owner should at least put up a sign warning visitors about it so they can watch their step. Sometimes, sidewalks or other walkways also become uneven over time and need to be repaired.
- Clutter, debris, or other objects on the floor. These are technically trip-and-fall accidents, but they can be just as dangerous. The property owner should take care to remove any objects left on the floor or ground that could cause a person to trip. Outside, people may trip on gardening tools, hoses, or toys. Indoors, dropped items, wires, cords, product packaging, and other items can pose a problem. If it’s necessary to run a cord across the floor, the property owner should ensure it’s taped down.
- Snagged, torn, or lumpy carpeting. Even a small snag or hole in a carpet can be problematic if the toe of your shoe catches on it and you trip. Throw rugs or movable carpets must be laid flat to avoid lumps that can trip you.
- Stairwell issues. A loose tile, snagged or worn carpet, or debris can be treacherous enough on a flat surface. On stairs, they can cause even more severe injuries because a person who trips could fall to the bottom of the stairs.
- Poor lighting. Sometimes, people trip and fall because they can’t see where they’re going, where the bottom step is, etc.
- Lack of supervision or assistance in hospitals and nursing homes. Many patients in these facilities are considered at high risk of a fall due to various medical conditions that cause mobility issues, dizziness, fainting, or other difficulties. Older adults and people who have conditions associated with increased fall risk should be given a fall risk assessment and provided appropriate support if needed. If your healthcare facility didn’t take steps to keep you safe and you suffered a fall, the facility might have been negligent in your care.
What Should You Do After a Slip and Fall Accident?
First, check yourself for injuries and get medical attention if you have any pain or other symptoms. Even if your injuries seem superficial, it’s still a good idea to have them checked by a medical professional.
This creates a record of your injuries and allows your doctor to screen you for more serious issues. In some cases, you may have only minor symptoms at first but could develop more intense pain or symptoms later.
If you’re in too much pain to get up on your own, you should probably call an ambulance. Trying to push yourself when in pain is not a good idea.
If you’re able, look around the area where you fell and try to determine what happened. Do you see any defects in the floor, puddles, or other obstructions that might have caused you to slip?
If so, try to take a close-up picture of the obstruction, then take pictures of the surrounding area. If you don’t see any obvious causes, just capture the general area where you fell from as many angles as possible.
When a fall happens in a public place like a store, there may be bystanders who stop to help you—if you can, try to get their names and contact information. Sometimes, when investigating a slip and fall case, we need to speak with witnesses to the fall.
It’s likely that someone who works for the store or business will also come by to check on you, and they will probably be required to fill out an accident report about what happened. Give them your name and contact info, and ask for theirs as well.
That said, you should be careful what else you tell witnesses about the fall, especially if you don’t know what happened or think you were at fault.
Sometimes, people try to be friendly and assure the store employees that the fall wasn’t their fault. Or, the person who fell might say they weren’t looking where they were going. In other situations, the injured person may be in pain and unable to think clearly.
In these circumstances, we recommend that you keep your answers brief and avoid speculating about fault. If you don’t know what happened or why you fell, say that.
There is also nothing wrong with telling the manager you don’t feel up to answering any more questions right now.
You may receive a follow-up call from the company’s manager or from the corporate office if it’s a large national chain. Their insurance company may also call to ask you questions about your accident.
Keep in mind that while these people may seem friendly and well-meaning, they are usually calling to protect the store from liability. We’d advise you not to talk with them until you’ve spoken with a lawyer.
You can let the calls go to voice mail, or if you’ve already answered, simply say that it’s not a good time and you’ll call them back.
Finally, you should contact an experienced slip-and-fall lawyer as soon as you’re able. Even if you think the fall was your fault, it’s still helpful to discuss the situation with an attorney.
In some cases, injured people believe they are at fault when someone else’s negligence actually caused the fall. You may not have all the facts about your accident, and your attorney can help you fill in the blanks.
What if You Don’t Want to Sue a Local Business, Friend, or Family Member?
Sometimes, clients tell us that they need help paying their medical bills and other expenses from the fall, but they’re uncomfortable with filing a lawsuit.
Often, the reason is that they slipped and fell at the home of a friend or family member or perhaps at their favorite mom-and-pop business. They don’t want the local business to go bankrupt, or they don’t want to burden the friend or family member with their damages.
Fortunately, we can usually find a solution in these cases. If you were injured on someone’s personal property, such as their home or yard, their homeowner’s insurance may cover your injuries.
This is one of many reasons why people buy homeowner’s insurance. Likewise, businesses should also purchase liability insurance, especially if they are open to the public.
While business owners should make every effort to create a safe environment for customers, they can’t realistically control every variable. For example, a store manager might tell an employee to clean up a spilled drink, but if the employee doesn’t do the task and someone is hurt, the store could still be negligent.
Because many situations like these exist, a responsible small business owner will invest in liability insurance.
Learn More by Working With a Duluth Slip and Fall Accident Law Firm
If you or a loved one have been hurt in a slip and fall accident, please contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm for a free, confidential consultation. There is no obligation, and we never charge a fee until we win or settle your case.
We’ll discuss the accident with you, answer your questions, and explain your options for recovering damages. If necessary, we can also help you by investigating the accident and learning more about what happened.
Attorney Ali Awad founded the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm just a few short years ago and quickly turned it into one of the fastest-growing personal injury law firms in the country. With more than twenty years of combined legal experience, he and his team have recovered millions of dollars in compensation for injured people and their families.
When he’s not working on a case, Mr. Awad also posts entertaining yet educational videos for more than a million followers on social media. Call 833-254-2923 to begin working with his team of expert slip and fall lawyers.