Our West Palm Beach slip and fall lawyers have handled cases of injury on private and public property for residents across South Florida. A premise liability law firm like 24/7 Injury Law has the Boca Raton slip and fall lawyers that can help injured claimants file personal injury claims when the negligence of a property owner causes hazards that result in accidents.
A Fort Lauderdale slip and fall attorney can help you evaluate:
- the cause of the accident;
- proof that another party was negligent in the upkeep of a property;
- the extent of your injuries;
- the losses you have incurred due to the accident; and
- a fair settlement amount for your claim.
When Negligent Property Owners Create Hazards – Our West Palm Beach Slip and Fall Lawyers Are Here For You
The term “premises liability” refers to an accident that occurs as a result of a property owner’s negligence. Slip and fall accidents are a fairly common type of premises liability. The first step in determining if you are eligible to file this sort of injury claim is to consult with West Palm Beach slip and fall lawyers who can help you prove that the accident took place on someone else’s property.
Slip and fall accidents are just one type of accident that may lead to premises liability issues. Boca Raton slip and fall lawyers may handle cases where the victim is injured due to a number of other scenarios including:
- attacks by animals that reside on the property and are not properly restrained;
- being struck by falling tree limbs while at a party in a neighbor’s backyard;
- assaults that occur due to inadequate security measures or precautions;
- tripping on a cracked sidewalk in a city park; and
- falling off an unsecure ladder on a jungle gym.
In these cases, your Fort Lauderdale slip and fall attorney will need to prove that these accidents were due to the property owner’s negligence in keeping the property safe from hazards, and not your own carelessness.
Boca Raton Slip and Fall Lawyers Know Florida’s Premise Liability Laws
When property owners or occupants directly invite guests to the property or operate the property as public access (such as a retail store), they owe guests a duty of care to keep the premises safe from hazards. The owner/occupant must be aware of potentially hazardous conditions on the property and take action to either prevent access to those areas or notify guests of the hazards so they may avoid injury, and eventually correct the hazard.
It may seem like a simple concept to prove that you were on someone else’s property and were injured, but with so many variables to prove, a simple slip and fall or other premises liability case may turn complicated very quickly without the help of West Palm Beach slip and fall lawyers.
Cases become more complex when they involve filing your injury claim against a government entity in the case of an injury on city, county, state, or federal property. Your West Palm Beach slip and fall lawyers can help you meet the unique requirements, such as, for example, informing the state of your intent to file a lawsuit within three years of the incident, and then wait for a period of six months to allow the state agency to evaluate the claim and deny it or offer settlement before bringing the suit. Cases against government entities should be brought to a Fort Lauderdale slip and fall attorney prior to any legal action to avoid delays and mistakes.
Another more complicated scenario is when the victim was trespassing and suffered injury on property he or she was not legally allowed to be on. In this case, the ‘Attractive Nuisance Doctrine’ may apply, which requires property owners to keep the property safe from children who may be attracted to pools or other conditions on the property. Again, having good legal council from Boca Raton slip and fall lawyers is critical to the fair settlement of these cases.
These are the types of cases that benefit from the support that the West Palm Beach slip and fall lawyers of 24/7 Injury Law can provide. Every victim of a slip and fall accident that results in serious injury has the right to seek legal support from our Boca Raton slip and fall lawyers. Preparing a case for maximum recovery of the damages related to serious injuries from these accidents is easier when you have an experienced Fort Lauderdale slip and fall attorney on your side.
West Palm Beach Slip and Fall Lawyers Can Help Establish Your Case of Premise Liability
The first step to filing a slip and fall accident claim is to hire your West Palm Beach slip and fall lawyers and bring them up to speed with the details of your accident. With any sort of accident in which serious injury occurs, try to preserve evidence of the accident to support your legal claim. This should include:
- photographs of the accident scene;
- any damaged property;
- surveillance video of the area;
- medical records;
- witness statements; and
- police reports (if applicable).
- With good evidence, proving that the property was hazardous may become an easier task, but the work is not over yet. The next step is to prove that you were within your rights to be on the
- property and were behaving in a reasonable manner.
Witness statements can be a good source of evidence to prove your conduct and presence was justified at the time of the accident. Cases in which a person was trespassing on private or protected property can be very difficult – but not impossible – to take to court. For example, if a child enters an unsecured property and enters a pool, the property owner who left the premises unsecured may be considered liable for any injuries the child suffers despite not inviting the child onto the property.
Once it is established that your accident was due to no fault of your own and that the property owner was neglectful in the upkeep and safety of the property, your West Palm Beach slip and fall lawyers can help show the extent of damages your injury has caused to your physical, emotional and financial well-being.
Damages Boca Raton Slip and Fall Lawyers Find in Slip and Fall or Premises Liability Accidents
Some of the common injuries a Fort Lauderdale slip and fall attorney may discover from a slip and fall accident may include:
- fractures/broken bones (usually in the legs, feet, hands or arms);
- herniated discs (neck and back);
- meniscus tears (knee injuries);
- spinal cord injuries; and
- head injuries.
Injuries to bones or soft tissue (ligaments, tendons, etc) may heal within a few months, but result in chronic pain that may last years or a lifetime. In some cases, these injuries may require surgeries, physical therapy, and can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses.
During recovery, a victim may lose income if forced out of work for an extended period of time. These financial losses are damages your West Palm Beach slip and fall lawyers will help you estimate when you are seeking a settlement in a premises liability case.
In cases where spinal cord injury occurs, the victim may become paralyzed and suffer from life-long complications from loss of function below the injury site. Head injuries may also result in brain damage that alters a victim’s cognitive and mental functions. These life-changing injuries warrant cases in which the settlement value should reflect the impact that injury will have on your entire life.
Aside from medical expenses and lost wages, emotional damages may be a substantial part of your slip and fall settlement. Insurance companies often omit this type of compensation when making settlement offers and focus only on the tangible, economic damages that are more easily calculated. They do this in hopes that claimants will see they are being compensated for their current losses and are satisfied with that value.
In serious slip and fall accidents, the injured parties have a right to seek damages relating to the emotional suffering they may have gone through. A serious injury can lead to medical complications, pain and suffering – elements a Fort Lauderdale slip and fall attorney at 24/7 Injury Law can discuss as they pertain to your particular case.
Have Your Case Evaluated by West Palm Beach Slip and Fall Lawyers
Insurance companies are rarely willing to admit the long-term impact a serious injury from a slip and fall accident or other premises liability incident can have on a victim and their family. Premise liability cases rely on a good, solid case of negligence and supporting evidence to come to a fair settlement for the victim.
Our Boca Raton slip and fall lawyers will take every possible action to give your claim the best shot at settling for the compensation you deserve. When a case calls for expert witnesses, requests for evidence, and accident reconstructionists, we can provide!
Whether your case resulted in a fractured hip, a traumatic brain injury, or another serious injury, every victim has the right to speak to an attorney to go over their options. Some cases will settle out of court, some will go to trial, but whatever the case, our South Florida premises liability law firm will be there for you through the entire process!
Contact 24/7 Injury Law today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. There’s no risk in learning about your legal rights from West Palm Beach slip and fall lawyers when another’s negligence has caused you or your family harm. 888-984-4878