Falls are among the leading causes of personal injuries in the United States. Because slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall incidents are so common and we all experience it at one time or another, there is this general perception that such an incident is “merely an accident.” While it’s true that most falls are “accidents” in the sense that they were unintended, it’s important to remember that most of these accidents do not happen by chance and are not simply “unfortunate accidents.”
The Role of Negligence (carelessness)
A majority of slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents occur because a person or
entity in charge was negligent or careless. Here are just a few common examples of slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents that are the result of someone else’s negligence or carelessness:
• Slipping and falling on the floor of a supermarket that was not mopped properly by an employee.
• Slipping on spilled liquids in a restaurant that wasn’t cleaned up promptly.
• Slipping on a wet floor where a business had not posted warning signs for visitors or customers.
• Tripping on a broken stair that wasn’t promptly repaired by a property owner and/or manager.
• Slipping on ice or snow outside a business that wasn’t cleared promptly.
• Tripping on a broken or uneven floorboard.
• Tripping and falling in a stairway where lighting was inadequate.
In each and every one of these situations, your accident and injuries very likely occurred because someone else was careless and/or did not do his or her job. For example, employees of a supermarket have a responsibility not just to clean up a dangerous spill promptly, but they must also post warning signs to let people know that there’s a hazard. Business owners and operators in New York City are required under the law to clear snow and ice in a timely manner. Property owners and/or managers also have a responsibility to protect visitors and customers against dangerous conditions caused by lack of proper maintenance.
What to Do If You Have Been Injured
If you have been injured in a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident, it is important that you seek prompt medical attention and treatment. Not only does it put you on the road to recovery, but also helps document all injuries caused by the accident as evidence for your potential slip-and-fall lawsuit.
Renters who suffer injuries as a result of a property owner’s (or property manager’s) negligence (carelessness) should remember to take photographs and/or video of the accident scene especially the dangerous condition(s) that caused the fall. In addition, you should collect contact information for eyewitnesses and write down details of the accident such as time, location, and cause.
It would also be a good idea to file an incident report with the property owner or manager and get a copy of that report for your own records. It is important that you contact an experienced New York premises liability lawyer who knows and understands how to compile a strong case and can steer you away from the pitfalls that routinely jeopardize such claims.
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 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. 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 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 and/or 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