Premises Injuries

The firm’s practice includes premises related injury claims which include slip and fall injuries and animal related injuries.

People can be injured in many ways and it is impossible to list every possible mechanism of injury. However, two types of premises related injuries occur rather frequently: a) the slip and fall and b) the animal bite. Because our firm concentrates in accident and injury law we are well equipped to handle these type cases and any type of injury claim. The firm has helped obtain recoveries for many who have fallen due to another’s failure keep safe premises, as well as many people who have been injured by dogs, horses, and other animals which have not been safely controlled.

If You Fall, Get Photos Showing Fall Conditions

The Slip and Fall Injury

The term “slip and fall” refers to circumstances where people are injured when they slip or trip and fall as a result of a danger or hazard on another person’s property. Such falls can occur indoors or outdoors. A fall can be caused by a defective floor, a wet floor, poor lighting conditions, or the result of snow or ice. Cracked concrete, a pothole, or any other poorly maintained premises can also be the cause of a slip and fall injury.

All slip and fall accidents are covered by negligence law and deal with the area of the law described as premises liability. Property owners have a “duty of care” to see that their property is safe. This includes insuring that a building (interior or exterior) has no structural defects that could cause a fall or temporary hazards or defects. Structural defects can include: loose floor mats, rugs, or tiles; water on the floor; the wrong type of wax or cleaner applied to a floor, poor lighting in stairways, building code violations, and cracks or holes in sidewalks or parking lots. Weather-related hazards include ice and standing water.

If you experience a slip and fall injury, you can do several things immediately:

• Be sure to note what made you fall – was it water, ice, a hole, a rock, a banana peel?
• Note as many details about the location of the item that made you fall as you can
  • Is it something that you would expect to find there?
  • Is it hard to see for some reason?
    • Did the object match the color of the floor?
    • Was it hidden some how?
    • Was the lighting poor?
  • Is it in a walkway?
• Try to determine whether the hazard could have been anticipated and prevented or eliminated.
  • Is it something that should have been cleaned up?
  • Is it something that was being used for a special purpose such as a construction project?
• Were there any witnesses? If so, take down names and addresses.
• If possible, get a sample of what caused you to trip
• Take photographs – a cell phone camera is great for this – of what you slipped or tripped on and the area all around. Try to include objects in the photos that will make the photo easily identifiable later, such as a sign or other permanent structure.
• Report your fall incident to the manager or owner of the property and request that a written report be made.

Our legal team is always available to consult on slip and fall injury cases. There is no fee for an initial consultation, and if we accept your case we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we do not get paid until we make a recovery for you.

Other Premises Liability Claims

• Dog Bite and Animal Attack Injury
• Faulty Security
• Fire Hazards
• Sexual Abuse and Assault
• Playground Accidents
• Stairway and Escalator Accidents

For more specific examples of the areas of law in which we concentrate, the firm has compiled a list of notable cases for your review.