Slip and fall accidents account for upwards of a million ER treatments each year, leading to billions in healthcare costs.
Since it isn’t fair to bear the burden for damages and injuries resulting from someone else’s negligence, the law allows you to seek compensation. But despite the numerous legal opportunities to seek remuneration, numerous challenges can hinder your recovery of the deserved amount.
The most effective way to overcome the hurdles with your mind at ease is to involve the Van Nuys slip and fall accident lawyers at Attorney Jeff Injury Lawyers. Our award-winning team of injury attorneys in Van Nuys can defend your rights and use every opportunity to get the deserved amount for a slip and fall injury.
How Do Slip and Fall Accidents Happen?
Most causes of slips, trips and falls are preventable. The primary causes of slip and falls might surprise you. But they highlight how easy it is to avoid or prevent them.
Uneven and wet surfaces
This is the most likely cause of slip and fall accidents. Property owners should clean up spills promptly and fix any loose floorboards, torn carpeting, potholes, poorly constructed staircases, loose mats, and other risks that make walking dangerous.
Improper training
This is a common accident threat at the workplace, especially if you or your loved one works in a high-risk industry like manufacturing. Therefore, employers must educate staff on safety practices and proper equipment usage.
Footwear
Improper footwear contributes to nearly a quarter of slip and fall incidents on record. Shoes that don’t provide the right level of traction can pose a big risk.
Neglect
Failing to fix a hazardous condition like a spill or object in the walking path could cause someone to fall and sustain substantial injuries. This negligence is a crucial element in a personal injury claim.
Malice
Surprisingly, about 3% of slips and falls have fraudulent causes where someone sets the stage for the fall. For instance, a malicious individual might purposefully spill oily liquid on the floor.
Common Injuries from Slips, Trips, and Falls
It doesn’t matter what made you fall or how you dropped; slipping unexpectedly and hitting the ground suddenly can cause traumatic injuries. Here are the most likely harms when someone slips, trips, and falls:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs): TBIs can range from minor concussions, bruises and bumps to major problems like hematomas or skull fractures.
- Spinal cord injuries: This may happen when someone falls on their back or overexert their body to avoid falling. Common spinal cord injuries include hernias, slipped discs, or even paralysis, and they can lead to severe pain, fatigue, or lost mobility.
- Shoulder or neck injuries: One is also likely to hurt their neck or shoulder, depending on how they fall or as a result of overexertion while trying to avoid falling. Injuries often require surgical treatment.
- Broken pelvis or hips: The impact of the fall can cause a pelvis fracture, which can be incredibly painful and requires surgical treatment. Such accidents can cause lifelong implications, especially mobility issues.
- Torn tendons, muscles, and ligaments: Injuries may occur when the victim overexerts or contorts themselves while attempting to prevent the fall. They may necessitate surgery but often require physical therapy. Moreover, it can be difficult to regain full mobility.
- Limb fractures: Seniors have more brittle bones, hence are more susceptible to this slip and fall injury.
How to Prove a Negligent Property Owner’s Liability
Slipping and falling on another person’s property or premises doesn’t guarantee compensation. Rather, you must prove that one or several parties are at fault for the harm.
Typically, liability for these accidents lies with the property owner or a premises occupant or tenant. Besides identifying the liable party, you must also prove that their negligence caused the incident. Negligence refers to the responsible party’s failure to exercise reasonable care. ‘
You must prove the following to have a valid personal injury case:
Duty of care
You or your loved one must establish that the liable individual owes a duty of care, or they can reasonably foresee that their actions (or failure to act) could cause harm.
Breach of duty
Next, the plaintiff must establish that the property owner or tenant failed to act with the level of care a reasonable person would exercise in similar circumstances.
Causation
The plaintiff must also establish a direct link between the defendant’s breach and their injury. In essence, you’ll prove that the injury wouldn’t have occurred without the person’s actions.
Damages
The last step is establishing damages — some of which we’ll discuss below.
Damages Available in a Slip and Fall Claim
The legal remedies for a slip and fall accident are in the form of compensation. This financial recovery may comprise the following two types of damages:
Compensatory damages
Consider this the cash awarded to the plaintiff to compensate for the injury, damages, and other losses that can be directly attributed to the accident. Compensatory damages are further classified into two:
- Economic damages: The term refers to monetary losses from the slip and fall accident. Examples include medical costs, lost income, the cost of domestic services, or lost business opportunities.
- Non-economic damages: This refers to personal injury compensation for subjective harms to which you can’t attach money value. Examples include pain and suffering, loss of consortium, inconvenience, and loss of quality of life.
Why You Need Reputable Van Nuys Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer
While the law makes it technically possible to file a personal injury claim against the party you deem responsible for your injuries, doing it without legal representation could lower your chances of getting what you deserve.
Filing a claim can stress you out. You’ll likely encounter difficult insurance adjusters who aim to reduce the compensation.
Moreover, the negligent party’s own lawyers may create a solid defense against your claim, and it’s easy to make mistakes if you’re unfamiliar with the process. Clearly, you don’t want all that hassle when recovering from the accident’s impact.
Fortunately, a reliable Van Nuys slip-and-fall accident attorney can relieve you from all that. They can help your case in the following ways:
- Protecting your rights
- Communicating with the involved insurance companies
- Gathering sufficient evidence of damages
- Filing the case on time
- Guiding you on the right steps to take
- Negotiating with insurance companies
- Taking the case to trial if it doesn’t settle
Let Our Van Nuys Slip and Fall Injury Lawyers Help You
You know how valuable an attorney can be to your slip and fall case, and Attorney Jeff Injury Lawyers wants you to get your money’s worth. So don’t waste time, as you could deny yourself justice. Our reputable Van Nuys slip and fall accident attorneys are ready to listen to your case and fight for a satisfactory outcome.
Contact us so our team can review your case for free.