Thousands of people are injured in slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents in New York each year. According to the National Safety Council falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in the United States. In 2020, 42,114 people died nationwide in falls at home and at work.
Many slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents lead to serious injuries and possibly, long-term disabilities as well as numerous medical expenses. If you have been injured in a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident, you may be wondering how to seek compensation for your losses and what your case is worth.
Here are the five factors that potentially affect the value or worth of your slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall case:
1. The reason you were on the property.
When your accident occurs on someone else’s property because you were present there legitimately or for a specific purpose, you may have a valid claim. For example, if you slipped and fell on spilled water in a supermarket aisle while shopping, you have a valid claim because you had a reasonable expectation that you would be safe from such hazards while shopping.
2. A safety hazard caused your accident.
A vast majority of slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents occur because of dangerous conditions due to lack of maintenance on the part of the property owner and/or property manager including, but not limited to:
• Presence of debris on stairways or walkways
• Damaged flooring, stairs, handrails, etc.
• Loose rugs or carpets
• Torn or damaged carpeting
• Slick floors or stairs
• Poor or inadequate lighting
• Electrical cords across walking surfaces
3. Property owner had notice of defect.
In order to prove liability, the plaintiff (injured victim) may need to show that the property owner and/or manager knew or should have known about the hazard on the premises that caused his or her slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident.
4. The severity of your injuries.
Slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall injuries can range from soft tissue injuries and bone fractures to brain trauma and spinal cord injuries and even death. Some injury symptoms may not surface for several days. This is why it is crucial that you pay your doctor a visit soon after your incident. By doing so, you will be able to establish the severity of your injuries.
5. The nature of your evidence.
The quality of evidence you secure in the aftermath of a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident can help substantiate your claim, particularly if your incident is related to negligence (carelessness) on the part of another party. Eyewitness accounts can also prove that the accident was not your fault, and help strengthen your claim.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you were involved in a slip-and-fall or a trip-and-fall accident as a result of someone else’s negligence (carelessness), please remember that you have rights. Some of the damages that victims of such accidents can claim include, but are not limited to, medical expenses, loss of wages and benefits, cost of hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy, past and future pain and suffering, permanent injury, etc.
The experienced New York personal injury attorneys with the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. For over 51 years, our skilled attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims.
Our law firm recovered $1,700,000 for a woman who slipped and fell and received no hospital or medical treatment for one month after the accident. Our law firm also recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com