Understand Your Legal Options After A Slip-And-Fall Injury

Property owners in Florida are responsible for ensuring that their premises are reasonably safe for visitors and guests. Litigation related to accidents on unsafe property is an area of law known as premises liability. One of the most common types of premises liability claim is the slip-and-fall accident.

If you were seriously injured in a slip-and-fall on someone else’s property, don’t assume that it was mere clumsiness or carelessness on your part.

Instead, the property owner may have been negligent. It is a good idea to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney like me, Jennifer Felipe, and my team at Felipe Law. We are ready to help you understand your rights and explore your legal options for pursuing compensation.

Slip-And-Falls Can Happen Nearly Anywhere

One of the reasons that slip-and-fall claims are so common is that they can happen in nearly any setting, including:

• Someone’s home or property
• Grocery stores
• Restaurants
• Parking lots and sidewalks
• Common areas of apartment buildings and condos
• Big box stores
• Gas stations and convenience stores
• Malls and shopping centers

In nearly all cases, insurance companies will be responsible for compensating the victim for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. In a retail or commercial setting, property owners will typically have liability insurance. In a residential setting, a homeowner insurance policy would likely apply.

What Does It Take To Prove Liability For A Slip-And-Fall Accident?

As you can probably imagine, merely slipping and falling is not, in itself, grounds for compensation. In Florida, you must prove all of the following in order to hold the property owner liable:

• You suffered injuries after slipping and falling on another’s property
• Your accident occurred because of a substance on the floor (even if that substance was water) that resulted in a dangerous condition
• The owner of the property knew or should have known that the dangerous condition existed
• The owner failed to remedy the condition despite having knowledge of it and opportunity to address it

The details are very important in a slip-and-fall case. Say you were shopping at a grocery store, and you slipped and fell because another customer accidently dropped a container of milk that flooded the floor near you. That dangerous condition probably didn’t exist long enough for the store management to learn about it and address it. Therefore, they likely wouldn’t be liable.

Now consider a scenario in which a refrigerator at that same store was leaking water onto the floor. This had been occurring regularly and the store management failed to get the fridge fixed and failed to clean up the water in a timely manner. If you slipped and fell under these circumstances, a court would be much more likely to hold the property owner liable.

We Will Fight To Maximize Your Compensation

Insurance companies may try to offer you a quick settlement that is both far less than what you need to cover your costs and less than your case is worth. Or, they may try to deny your claim entirely by blaming you for your own injuries.

In either case, their goal is to protect their own bottom line.

We know how insurance companies operate, and we will not entertain lowball settlement offers on your behalf. We will also conduct a thorough investigation to refute claims that you were negligent or irresponsible – claims which could reduce your compensation if left unchallenged.

Talk To An Attorney Who Listens And Cares

Felipe Law serves clients throughout South Florida, with two convenient office locations in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

To take advantage of a free initial consultation with a caring personal injury attorney, call us at 305-564-9879 or reach out online. Hablamos español.