A dangerous slip and fall can negatively impact your quality of life. Your injuries could prevent you from working, leaving you unable to support yourself or your family. Without a steady income, paying medical bills can prove even more difficult. The stress of not being able to pay your medical bills coupled with a painful injury can make your life extremely difficult, which is why you should consider filing a personal injury suit to help cover your expenses.
Personal injury suits for slip and fall cases can be tricky, however. Even determining the responsible party can be challenging. Learn the details of personal injury suits caused by slip and fall accidents, and discover how a knowledgeable Odessa slip and fall lawyer can help win your case.
Who’s Responsible?
The first step in building your case is determining who to build it against. If you fell on private or public property then the property owner or government institution could potentially be responsible. It’s important to note that just because you fall on someone else’s property doesn’t mean that the owner of that property is automatically responsible. Various conditions have to be met in order to prove responsibility of the property owner. Without meeting these conditions, you won’t have a strong case.
Conditions for Valid Claims
Knowing the conditions required for a good slip and fall claim is essential to building your case. Some common unsafe conditions are:
- Snow and ice
- Wet floors
- Damaged sidewalks
- Potholes
- Debris
Not only must the property have one or more of these conditions, but the owner must allow those conditions to persist. Property owners are given a reasonable amount of time to fix dangers after the potential dangers are brought to their attention. If you slip on the floor at a store right after someone in front of you spills their drink, the store owner isn’t held responsible. However, if you slip on a spill that occurred hours ago, you probably have a good case.
Remember that the conditions must be dangerous and persistent. No one is expected to keep their property perfectly safe, just reasonably safe. Understanding what qualifies as reasonable can be difficult, which is why having a slip and fall lawyer on your side is so beneficial.
Things to Consider
If you’re moving forward with a slip and fall suit, you should consider the property owner’s defense. Some defenses are really effective and could largely eliminate your chances of winning. First, consider if the danger was obvious. People are expected to act with at least some reasonable agency. If you see a gaping pit on the sidewalk, you’re not going to walk right into it. A great way for property owners to avoid liability is by posting notices alerting others to the potential dangers. Remember that spill at the store? If the owner put a wet floor sign over it before you fell, your case is considerably weaker as you’re expected to read the sign and proceed with caution.
Above all else, you need to consider if a lawsuit is worth it. Litigation is time-consuming and very stressful. In some cases where medical bills and missed wages need to be reimbursed, lawsuits can be necessary, but other cases can differ. An experienced slip and fall lawyer can help you determine the value of your case and recommend how you should proceed.
Hire a Slip and Fall Lawyer in Odessa
A slip and fall can be unexpectedly damaging to your body and your finances, so make sure you get the compensation you’re owed. The process can be extremely taxing, but with the help of an Odessa slip and fall lawyer from Braker White, it doesn’t have to be. Call (432) 279-1420 for your free consultation today!
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