Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer

In this section, we'll be talking about falls, what people often refer to as trip, slip, and falls. These can often be very serious injuries. We've handled hundreds of these claims that have led from complete paralysis to broken bones, to in some cases, brain injuries. So landlords, stores, supermarkets, municipalities, transportation providers, hotels, they all have a responsibility to keep their property in reasonably safe condition. One of the most common things that we find are uneven sidewalks or open manholes or electrical boxes. We've also seen a number of injuries relating to tree roots, grease and moss on sidewalks, uneven stairs with improper height and width. In the wintertime, we see mold accumulate that causes a lot of injury. We see improper painting where they're using slip paint instead of non-slip paint. In stores, we often see injuries in the freezer section or produce section where people drop items on the floor, or the condensers leak. Restaurants are another place where we find a lot of injuries. Many of the most serious falls that we've handled have been in construction zones where there are obstacles that are not warned of that are out as trip hazards for the public. Parking lots are another place in which there are frequent injuries. That's because of the dirt, grease, and oil that are often left on the ground and not cleaned up. We also find because of poor lighting conditions, people trip over the curbs. They're often not painted in such a way as to distinguish themselves from the ground. Hotels are another place in which we find a lot of injuries, especially in hotel bathrooms. Our firm has handled hundreds of cases that also involve public transit. This is in areas where the platforms are not kept clean and safe, where the stairs are often dirty or wet, and even on the transit themselves, where people have spilled liquids or put forth other tripping hazards. Sidewalks are an area in which there are a lot of injury. Now, a sidewalk can only be considered dangerous if it's more than a trivial risk. There are actually cases that have talked about misleveling of three quarters of an inch or more, but it depends much more on the other conditions because we look at the totality of the circumstances. Poor lighting, maybe there's gravel on the ground as well. So it's important to take photographs of wherever you've fallen. Many people get up, they're embarrassed, and they don't make a report or take a photograph. If you're a homeowner, you have a responsibility to maintain the sidewalk in front of your premises. Make sure if there's an uneven condition, it's reported to the city, and make sure to take care of it before someone gets hurt. Defenses to these cases include things such as inattention, or something so open and obvious that anyone should have seen it. There are also exceptions for if the property is being used for recreational use. In these cases, when someone falls, there is usually a claim of comparative fault, meaning the person who fell and was injured, is partly or completely at fault for their own injury. It's important that an incident report is made if it happens in a store or parking lot. What we will do is we will send out investigators, and we will obtain things such as a building permit history to see if the building was actually constructed in the manner in which it was supposed to. If you've fallen, keep the shoes and clothing and don't wear them again. They may have evidence of grease upon them or show some scuff that tells the story of how it happened. The type of damages that are recoverable include economic damages such as medical expenses, lost wages, people that have to care for you or take care of your home. They also include non-economic damages such as pain, suffering, loss of the ability to enjoy life, disfigurement, disability, fear, anxiety. We have the experience in handling these cases, how to investigate them, how to try them if necessary. Give us a call at dolanlawfirm.com.