Winter Haven Slip and Fall Lawyer

A slip and fall accident can result in catastrophic injuries that require long and painful recoveries. Victims often worry about how they will pay their medical bills or replace the earnings they miss from being out of work.

The good news is that if another person’s negligent conduct caused the slip and fall, the victim can file a personal injury lawsuit to recover monetary compensation. That’s where we come in.

Have you suffered an accidental fall? Let a knowledgeable slip and fall lawyer in Winter Haven help you explore your legal options. Contact us at JustCallMoe.

How Do Accidental Falls Happen?

Establishing how exactly a slip and fall happened is one of the key steps in seeking compensation (known in civil law as damages).

It helps to understand a few of the most common causes of these accidents, which include:

• Slick and wet floors: Spilled liquid and dropped food, especially problematic at bars and restaurants, account for a large number of slips and falls. The property owner or manager is responsible for either cleaning up these spills or warning people of them.
• Uneven flooring: Cracked, broken, or otherwise unlevel surfaces can cause someone to lose their balance and fall. Settling foundations are typically to blame, so the owner or manager should regularly inspect the premises.
• Cords and wiring: Carelessly running electrical cords and wiring across an area in which people walk is a strong indicator of negligence. There are relatively easy ways to cover up cords and wires or at least warn people of their presence, so there’s little excuse for this hazard.
• Broken steps, stairs, and railings: People who regularly use steps, steps, and handrails assume these structures to be safe and sturdy. Defects are often hard to spot and can easily cause injury to an unsuspecting victim.
• Unsafe design and low-quality construction materials: This broad category can include a number of dangerous conditions like poor lighting, insufficient water drainage, and failure to abide by building codes. The use of shoddy construction materials can also cause a slip and fall.
• No caution signs: Whether a particular area is inherently unsafe or temporarily poses a danger to individuals (e.g. due to spilled substances), visitors to the property should be warned. The absence of caution signs may lead to severe accident injuries.

When Is a Property Owner Liable for a Fall?

Property owners in Winter Haven, as well as managers, are obligated under Florida law to take reasonable steps to keep their premises safe. This means owners and managers have to be vigilant about identifying and removing hazards that can arise on their properties. An owner or manager may have actual or constructive knowledge about the dangerous condition.

Actual knowledge is straightforward and means the responsible party actually knew that something dangerous was present that could cause a slip and fall. Constructive knowledge essentially means that the owner or manager should have known about the hazard, given the circumstances. For instance, if the owner of a building knows there is a water leak, he or she can’t simply turn a blind eye to the risk that there is standing water somewhere on the property that could cause a slip and fall.

Once the owner has actual or constructive knowledge of a dangerous condition, that party should either remedy the problem immediately or warn people of its presence (for instance, by roping off the area) so no one gets hurt. In an extreme situation, the property may need to be closed until the issue can be fixed.

What Are the Most Common Injuries?

A slip and fall injury can range from relatively mild to severely debilitating. Whether you believe you were injured or not, it’s important to have a physician examine you as soon after the accidental fall as possible.

These are a few of the most common slip and fall injuries:

• Broken bones
• Sprains and strains
• Shoulder and neck injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Soft tissue injuries
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Not seeing a doctor can aggravate a mild injury. It can also give the property owner’s liability insurer or attorney an excuse to try to deny your claim. Victims can recover from their slip and fall injuries relatively quickly if they get prompt medical attention. But if they wait an unreasonable amount of time, the property owner’s insurance company and lawyers will argue that you made your own injuries worse.

Don’t put yourself in this position. See a doctor right away and follow all recommended treatments.

What Could Your Case Be Worth?

Our Winter Haven slip and fall lawyer will assess not only your past and present damages but future ones you may fairly be expected to incur. Depending on the nature of your accident, you could seek compensation for:

• Medical bills, including to cover adaptive medical equipment like crutches
• Lost earnings due to time spent recovering
• Lost future earnings and career opportunities if you can’t work your previous job
• Disfigurement
• Mental health injuries
• Loss of enjoyment of life

Why Hire a Slip and Fall Lawyer?

A slip and fall attorney is helpful in not only understanding the laws that govern these types of cases, but in determining the value of your lawsuit. It starts with investigating how the accident happened and acquiring the evidence you need to build a compelling legal case. We also consult expert witnesses who can help calculate a reasonable amount of damages to demand from the at-fault party.

Our injury firm in Winter Haven negotiate with the premises liability insurance carrier that covers the property where the slip and fall accident took place. Insurance companies are notorious for attempting to minimize a victim’s injuries and downplay their policyholders’ liability, so you need serious legal representation backing you.

Insurers are also known for using underhanded tactics in an attempt to deny perfectly valid claims or convince victims to accept unfair settlement offers. It is therefore strongly recommended that you let an experienced Winter Haven injury lawyer handle all negotiations with the insurance company.

If an out-of-court settlement can be reached that fairly compensates you for your injuries, this may save time and avoid a trial. However, we aren’t afraid to take your case in front of a jury if the insurance company refuses to negotiate in good faith.

Contact a Skilled Slip and Fall Attorney in Winter Haven Today

No one should be injured because of a property owner’s or manager’s negligence. But if this has happened to you, the team at JustCallMoe is ready to get to work. Speak to a lawyer and find out why so many slip and fall accident victims throughout Florida trust us to advocate for them. Connect with us now to get started.