Personal Injury: Slip & Fall Accidents

If you were injured due to a defect on the property of a store, park, public sidewalk or school, you are entitled to recover against the landowner, provided you can demonstrate that the landowner failed to act in a reasonable manner. Insurance companies never agree to pay voluntarily until a suit is filed against their policy holders.

Unlike car accidents, researching the facts of slip and fall cases requires additional investigation and inquiry into the documentation kept by stores, businesses, municipal governments and schools.

The law varies from state to state on the duty of the landowner, but generally speaking, a landowner must take care of his property and prevent defects.

For instance, businesses like retail stores, which have high foot traffic, usually have irregular or spotty maintenance policies , leading to defective conditions and possibly accidents.

Hotels and schools are special cases; they are held to a higher degree of responsibility, because of the sensitive nature of their business and the fact that you surrender personal control when you stay at or attend their facilities.

Universities can be held responsible for the dangerous conditions on their campuses, especially when they have had notice of previous crimes, such as sexual assault or violent crime.

Public institutions can also be held responsible; however, there are limits to recovery, set by individual state law.

Slip and fall accidents are some of the most difficult cases to progress, and victims in these incidents need qualified legal representation that is experienced in handling such cases.