A “slip and fall” is the name associated with personal injury accidents that occur simply when someone slips or trips on the ground, suffers a fall and becomes injured. Slip and fall accidents typically occur on someone else’s property, which makes this type of case fall under premises liability. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about a million people are injured annually in the United States due to slip and fall accidents, and anyone of any age can be a victim. An Atlanta slip and fall attorney can help.
Many different conditions can cause an unsuspecting pedestrian to slip and fall, such as bad lighting, wet floors, uneven flooring, torn carpet, or otherwise inadequately maintained grounds or building infrastructure. Slip and falls can also happen outside in inclement weather, such as slipping on ice, snow, or sleet.
When an unsuspecting pedestrian slips, falls and suffers an injury due to someone else’s negligence, that pedestrian is entitled to seek compensation. As a slip and fall victim, you have the right to seek the help of a lawyer to prove who’s responsible for your losses.
If you’ve suffered a slip and fall in Atlanta, your personal injury lawyer will help collect evidence that determines the fault of the other party in order to seek the maximum amount of compensation possible. Even if you are unsure of who is liable for the accident, your lawyer can help determine fault and prove it before a judge.
How Is Fault Determined In A Slip And Fall Case In Atlanta?
If you have suffered a slip and fall in Atlanta, you have the right to seek a settlement for your injuries. Your Atlanta personal injury lawyer will help you prove that the accident was a direct result of someone’s negligence. For example, if you’re leaving work and your office building did not properly maintain an outdoor staircase after a snowstorm, you may be entitled to compensation because their carelessness caused you to fall.
Fault is determined if you can prove that the person in charge of the property, whether public or private, failed to act in a way that any reasonable person would, in order to keep others safe under dangerous or hazardous circumstances. For example, if someone’s home has a broken staircase leading to the front door, they may be held liable if someone falls over and gets hurt since there is no railing.
Property owners in Georgia may be held accountable for an injury if they create or are aware of a hazard on the property, and then fail to fix or repair that hazard, causing an unsuspecting person to become injured.
To determine the fault, a judge will question if the property owner met their legal duty to keep guests safe, but he or she will also question if the injured victim was careless. A property owner also may not be liable if someone is injured by an obvious hazard that an average person would naturally and normally see and sidestep.
Simply put, to be found liable for injuries in a premises liability slip and fall case, a judge and jury will determine if the property owner took reasonable steps to maintain the safety of their guests, but will also look at the injured person and try to decide if they acted negligently as well.
What Must I Prove To Win A Slip And Fall Case?
After a slip and fall accident, it must be proved that the property owner owed that victim “a duty of care.” For example, if an individual was trespassing on private property and suffered a slip and fall, the property owner may not be liable as the person who slipped was not permitted to be on the property, therefore meaning the owner didn’t owe them a duty of care.
You must also be able to prove that your injuries were sustained directly from the slip and fall, and not any other circumstance or accident. Lastly, it must be proven that the property owner’s negligence is a direct cause of the slip and fall, and that you otherwise would not have fallen if it wasn’t for their oversight or lack of care.
Your personal injury lawyer will assess the evidence that demonstrates the negligence of the property owner. This may include contacting those who observed the accident as witnesses and recording their testimony to bring before a judge in court. It needs to be determined that the property owner failed to make a good faith effort in maintaining their property’s safety and that you were injured as a direct result. Only a qualified slip and fall attorney can handle a case of this nature, so be sure to contact a lawyer as soon as you’ve become injured in order to ensure you’re adequately represented in court.
What Should I Do After Being Involved In A Slip And Fall Accident?
Premises liability law is complicated in Georgia. In most cases, employers in Georgia cannot be sued for any workplace and job-related injuries. Those cases are handled through the workers’ compensation system, an accident insurance program paid by your employer which may provide you with medical, rehabilitation, and income benefits if you are injured on the job.
Every accident is unique, as no two injuries happen in the same way. The only way to truly understand the legal options you can take after a slip and fall accident in Georgia is to consult with a personal injury attorney in your area.
How Much Does It Cost To Talk To A Slip And Fall Lawyer?
If you are unsure who is at fault in your slip and fall accident, you need to speak with a lawyer as soon as possible. Only a qualified personal injury attorney in Atlanta can listen to the circumstances of your case and determine a smart course of action for justice moving forward. Your lawyer will guide you through every step of the slip and fall lawsuit process and will ensure you feel strongly represented at all times.
At The Angell Law Firm, we offer a free, no-obligation consultation for any slip and fall victim that wants to seek compensation for what they have suffered. The Angell Law Firm will handle your injury claim and negotiate for your reimbursement as soon as possible, and you’ll pay us no fees until we obtain your settlement or verdict.
To see if you qualify to file a slip and fall lawsuit, contact The Angell Law Firm today at (770) 217-4954 to schedule your consultation at no charge.
Bryce is considered a highly esteemed trial lawyer and a passionate client advocate amongst his peers in the Atlanta legal community. Never afraid to go the extra mile for his clients, Bryce Angell works tirelessly to ensure that each client’s personal injury case gets the attention that it deserves.