Slip and Fall Accidents: How a Lawyer Can Help You Get the Compensation You Deserve

 

If you slip and fall on someone else’s property, you may sustain serious, life-changing injuries that require long-term care and rehabilitation. The cost of medical treatment for a slip and fall accident can add up quickly and cause financial hardship for victims and their families.

Depending on the situation and circumstances of your accident, it is possible to file a claim against the property owner and receive compensation to pay your accident-related costs.

We encourage you to contact our legal team at Fetterman Law to know if this is possible. We can review the situation, investigate what happened and file a claim on your behalf.

Keep reading if you are unsure if you need legal services for your accident and injuries. Here you can learn how our legal team can help you get the compensation you deserve.

Legal Guidance and Advice

A slip and fall lawsuit is more challenging to win than some people realize. Cases involve several complex legal issues; you must meet the specific conditions to receive a favorable outcome.

When you contact our Port St Lucie personal injury law office, we will review the situation and help you understand what to expect. We can let you know how long the case may take to settle and the compensation you can receive. While all this information is estimated, it is based on years representing slip and fall accident victims.

Once we have filed a legal claim on your behalf, we will handle all related paperwork and provide advice and guidance through the legal process.

Not all slip and fall cases are worth pursuing legally. We can review the facts and let you know if your case is not likely to succeed.

Because of this, contacting our law firm immediately after a slip and fall accident is more than worthwhile.

Understanding of the Legal Requirements to File a Successful Claim

You must meet specific requirements for your slip and fall case to be successful.

First, you must show that your injuries directly resulted from the slip, trip, or fall accident on someone else’s property. After that, you must prove that another party was responsible for the hazardous condition that led to your fall.

You must also prove that the owner or another party was responsible for the hazardous conditions that led to your fall. This is a challenging aspect of these cases.

Some of the legal issues we can help you address to ensure you achieve a favorable outcome include the following:

Proving Negligence

As the plaintiff, you must show that the owner of the property or premises was aware of the hazard and did not fix it within a reasonable time period. Also, you must show that a “reasonable party” would see the condition as dangerous or hazardous and know it would likely lead to an accident.

Without the help of an experienced Florida slip and fall lawyer, this is challenging.

The Open and Obvious Doctrine

The open and obvious doctrine considers if someone of “average intelligence” would have noticed a hazardous condition. Since several hazards can fit this description, many slip and fall cases are based on this concept.

While this is true, some plaintiffs win when confronted with this. Because of the complexity of these laws, it is best to talk to an attorney to know your rights and the best way to prove your case.

Comparative Fault

Florida Statutes establish that accidents are under comparative fault laws. This means that if you are partly to blame for your accident, your damages will be reduced by that percentage.

It allows you to recover compensation even if you are partly at fault.

It is essential to let our attorneys gather evidence to help reduce your percentage of fault, which can help you secure a larger settlement for your losses and injuries.

Recover Damages for Pain and Suffering

If your slip and fall accident claim is successful, you can receive two types of compensation.

  1. Economic damages. These include all direct costs of an accident, like medical bills and lost wages if you cannot return to work while recovering from your injuries.
  2. Non-economic damages. These are intangible losses, often called pain and suffering.

The insurance company for the at-fault party will try to “lowball” your settlement to reduce what they must pay you. Our legal team will negotiate with the insurance company to ensure you receive the maximum compensation for your accident and injuries.

We know what it takes to build a winning case and have the resources and knowledge to help with each step of the legal process.

Meet the Statute of Limitations and Other Filing Deadlines

The statute of limitations to file a slip and fall lawsuit in Florida is four years. You will lose your right to file a lawsuit if you do not meet this filing deadline.

Our legal team will help ensure you meet all filing deadlines and protect your right to recover compensation.

Contact Our Legal Team for Help with Your Florida Slip and Fall Claim

You have legal rights if you slip and fall on someone else’s property. At Fetterman Law, our personal injury lawyers can review the circumstances of your case and help you recover the compensation you are entitled to.