Slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents are the leading cause of some of the most
serious injuries to people across the country. A number of times, the incidents that lead to injury slips or trips are avoidable and tend to occur because property owners, managers and others in charge of maintaining properties failed to take reasonable care and ensure that their premises are safe for tenants, visitors, guests, etc.
When it comes to these types of accidents, it is important to remember that parking lots — open or covered — can be just as dangerous as stairways, aisles and other indoor locations. If you have been injured in a parking lot slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident, you may be entitled to compensation. It is important that you take the appropriate steps after such an incident to make sure that your rights are protected.
Why Parking Lot Slip-Trip-and-Fall Accidents Happen
There are a number of reasons why slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents occur in parking lots. Here are some of the most often cited causes:
Negligence or carelessness on the part of the landlord (property owner) or manager. When there is a dangerous condition that exists in the parking lot and poses a tripping or slipping hazard, property owners and managers or companies that are charged with maintaining the parking lot are required to warn visitors or people using the parking lot. It is also negligence (carelessness) when debris and other hazards are not cleared in time and allowed to remain there.
Lack of proper maintenance: Property owners and managers are required to make sure parking lots are maintained properly. For example, when there are cracks, potholes or other hazards present, these are required to be corrected and repaired in a prompt manner. If you slip and fall or trip and fall in a parking lot because of a defective condition or because the property is in a state of disrepair, you may be able file a claim against one or more responsible parties and seek compensation for your injuries, damages and losses.
Poor lighting: When there is a lack of proper or sufficient lighting in a parking lot, there is a risk of people falling and injuring themselves. Parking lots should be well-lit. Broken light fixtures or lights that are not in working condition must be promptly repaired and/or replaced.
Slick surfaces: Parking lots can also get icy in the winter. Property owners and managers have a duty to clear snow and ice in parking lots in order to prevent slip-and-fall accidents.
Proving Your Case
A victim who has been injured in a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall case can file a personal injury claim to recover damages. In such cases, the burden of proof is on the plaintiff (victim) to show negligence (carelessness) or fault on the part of the defendant. You must prove that the defendant had a duty of care, that he or she violated that duty, and that you suffered verifiable injuries and damages as a result of the negligence (carelessness).
Medical records and documentation can be vital pieces of evidence in your slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall case. Such documentation may include hospital admission forms, daily heath charts, diagnosis records, discharge instructions, medicines prescribed, test results, treatment plans, etc.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you have been 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, lost 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 50 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. We 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 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