Slip and fall accidents can be dangerous. You can easily break a bone, over-extend your joint, or tear a muscle when you fall and eagerly attempt to catch yourself and avoid injury. Property managers, business owners, and even homeowners have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their invited guests and patrons.
If you suffered a serious slip and fall injury on someone else’s property, you should get in touch with the experienced Gainesville slip and fall lawyers at H Groves Law. We can help you recover the compensation you are rightfully entitled to for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and much more.
Call us today at (770) 329-1868 to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation and case evaluation with a personal injury lawyer in Gainesville, GA.
What Are the Most Common Slip and Fall Accidents?
The most common slip and fall accidents in Gainesville, GA involve victims losing traction on a surface or tripping over uneven floors or debris.
Some common causes of slip and fall accidents include but are not limited to:
- Structural defects or improper maintenance that leads to potholes in streets and parking lots, cracked sidewalks, uneven steps, torn carpeting, or torn carpeting
- Malfunctioning escalators or broken staircases including those missing had rails
- Unlit hallways or walkways
- Hazardous debris e.g., tree branches, etc. that aren’t cleaned up
- Failure to clean up spills inside nursing homes, hospitals, stores, etc.
- Exposed electrical cables
- Slick/wet staircases, walkways, or floors
- Weather-related conditions such as snow or ice that isn’t salted or shoveled away
- Failure to install storm drains, gutters, or anti-slip devices which lead to hazardous conditions during heavy rainfall or snowfall
- Failure to place signs or restrict access to areas when hazardous conditions like any of the above exist.
Unfortunately, the dangerous conditions listed above often leave victims of slip and fall accidents struggling to pay for expensive medical care and long-term treatment, especially if they are unable to work because of their injuries.
If you have suffered a slip and fall injury due to the dangerous conditions listed here, you should consider pursuing compensation with seasoned legal support. Fortunately, that’s exactly what we offer at H Groves Law in Gainesville, GA.
Call us today at (770) 329-1868 to schedule a free consultation.
How Can a Gainesville Slip and Fall Lawyer Help Me With My Case?
If you were seriously injured in a fall, you should get someone on your side who knows how to build a strong claim, who knows how to handle insurance companies, and who knows the law and can fight for your rights.
Here are some of the ways our Gainesville slip and fall attorneys help victims.
- We investigate the accident to gather all relevant evidence, including accident reports, witness statements, photos, video footage, etc.
- We work with leading experts whose testimony can help you get the compensation you are entitled to.
- We calculate the total costs of medical bills and other expenses.
- We listen carefully to your story along with how the injury has impacted your life
- We handle communications with the at-fault party’s insurance company and defense lawyer(s).
- We complete all the required legal paperwork related to the case.
- We negotiate with the insurance company for a favorable settlement agreement.
- We are prepared to represent you in court if a settlement can’t be reached.
Our experienced slip and fall lawyers can help your case in these and many other important ways. If you have suffered injuries due to a slip and fall accident, get the help you need. Call our legal team at H Groves Law in Gainesville, GA at (770) 329-1868 today.
What Steps Can Be Taken to Help a Slip and Fall Case?
The best thing that you can do after a slip and fall accident is to protect yourself legally. If you slip and fall on someone’s property, you can be your best advocate. We recommend taking the following steps.
Take All the Photos You Can at the Time
If you fail to capture any evidence of what caused your fall by taking photos, you can be sure that the property owner or manager will fix it. Any evidence of the dangerous condition will be gone. You should take all the photos you can at the time of the exact place where you had your slip and fall accident and the specific hazard that caused it.
Report the Incident to a Manager
Never make the mistake of attempting to “walk off” your injury. Instead, you should report the incident right away to the manager or owner. You don’t need to cast blame, just ensure that they know about the hazard and your injuries. After you file a report, ensure that you get a copy of the same from the business.
Take Down the Names and Numbers of Witnesses
Did anyone witness your slip and fall accident or offer to help you?
Take down witnesses’ contact information including names, email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses so you find them later. If you are with anyone like a family member or a friend, ask if you can record their statement using your smartphone.
If You Need Medical Attention, Get It Immediately
It is absolutely critical to ensure that you seek medical attention after a slip and fall accident. Contact 911 and follow the first responder’s advice if you’re seriously hurt. Go to the hospital if directed.
Even if you aren’t directed to go to the hospital, still ensure that you do see a doctor within 48 hours and get documentation of your injuries, which will be highly beneficial when filing your claim.
If You Can, See If the Problem Is Addressed Right Away
If you are able to, ensure that the dangerous condition that led to your slip and fall accident is addressed immediately so that nobody else suffers the same fate. However, you should only do so after gathering evidence proving the existence of the dangerous condition in the first place.
Call a Lawyer
You should also contact our lawyers after a slip and fall to protect your rights and ensure that you are compensated for your injuries. Our slip and fall lawyers at H Groves Law will prepare your case, prove the property owner’s fault, and help you recover compensation for any expenses you have incurred along with pain and suffering.
How Can a Slip and Fall Accident Be Proved?
Proving slip and fall accident cases often presents several challenges. Our legal team will address these challenges as we fight for fair compensation. We may need to prove that the liable party exposed you to danger and is thus responsible for your accident and injuries.
To prove your case, our Gainesville slip and fall lawyers will establish the following elements.
- The property owner or manager must have owed you a duty of care, which means that they were responsible for keeping the property safe and free from hazards.
- The property owner or manager must have known or should have known about the dangerous condition or hazard if they were keeping up with maintenance.
- A hazardous or dangerous condition must be present. Simply falling on someone else’s property isn’t valid grounds to file a claim.
- You suffered injuries and damages as a result of the accident. If you fell but didn’t sustain any injuries, you may not be eligible to file a claim seeking damages.
Insurance companies will often try to deny slip and fall claims or offer a lower settlement than what you deserve. To ensure that you receive maximum compensation, you should consider partnering with our slip and fall lawyers at H Groves Law.
How Is Liability Determined in a Gainesville, GA Slip and Fall Case?
Slip and fall accidents are governed by premises liability law. In Georgia, property owners have the legal duty to properly maintain their property. They are held responsible under the law if they are negligent by allowing dangerous conditions to exist.
You may be legally entitled to hold the negligent owner, manager, or occupier of the property liable for your injuries and damages if you are hurt, but that’s only if you were on the property lawfully in the first place.
Slip and fall accidents can happen on personal private property or places that are open to the public. If you were visiting the property for business reasons, you are classified as an invitee, which makes it easier to recover damages.
The duties of the property owner to invitees include:
- A duty to fix a dangerous condition in a reasonable time frame
- A duty to inspect the property to find any hidden fall hazards
- A duty to provide adequate warning of the danger before it is fixed.
Every slip and fall case hinges on the following questions to determine who’s liable.
- Did you have a good reason to be on the property owner’s premises at the time of the accident?
- Would a person of reasonable caution (if they were not distracted in any way) in the same situation have noticed and avoided the dangerous condition?
- Were you engaging in activities that contributed to your slip and fall injury?
- Did the property owner give a warning of the dangerous condition that led to your slip and fall accident?
Comparative Negligence Doctrine and How It’s Likely to Affect Your Case
The liable party will often try to push back on the accident victim’s claim by using the comparative negligence doctrine, i.e., trying to prove that the injured party also bore part of the responsibility for the accident. The comparative negligence doctrine is used in personal injury cases to determine what percentage of fault lies with the plaintiff and what percentage lies with the defendant.
Georgia uses a slightly different version of comparative negligence known as modified comparative negligence. It means that the damages awarded to a plaintiff will be reduced based on their percentage of fault for the accident. However, if the court determines that the plaintiff was at least 50 percent at fault for their accident, they are ineligible to receive any compensation.
How Much Is My Slip and Fall Case Worth?
Every slip and fall case is different, which is why it is incredibly difficult to determine just how much your slip and fall case is actually worth. People regularly receive compensation in the range of tens of thousands of dollars, but numerous factors can affect the actual amount.
Things likely to affect the worth of your case include:
- How much fault the property owner had in your accident
- How much work you missed because of the accident
- How much treatment is required for your injuries
- The extent of your injuries
- The extent of your pain and suffering.
Are There Any Time Limits for Filing a Slip and Fall Lawsuit?
Yes.
Georgia personal injury law states that you have 2 years from the date of the incident to file a personal injury case. If you fail to file your claim within this period, the court will not accept it. You should file your claim in a timely manner and start collecting evidence immediately after the accident.
Contact Our Experienced Gainesville Slip and Fall Lawyers!
Slip and fall injuries are some of the most sudden and serious injuries that you can sustain. Worse still, you can become the victim of a slip and fall accident within a split second. The aftermath of a slip and fall can be confusing and challenging to navigate by yourself.
Fortunately, you don’t need to shoulder the burden of medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering on your own. You actually owe it to yourself to get in touch with the experienced Gainesville slip and fall accident lawyers at H Groves Law.
Our trusted legal team works on a contingency fee basis, which means that you aren’t obligated to pay us until you have received compensation for your injuries and losses. Call us today at (770) 329-1868 to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced lawyer in Gainesville, GA.
