If you have been in a slip and fall accident, you are not alone. They frequently happen to people. Slips and falls are common, and they describe when a person slips, loses their balance, and falls on a surface.
At least 1 in every 4 U.S. seniors older than age 65 will suffer a fall, according to the National Council on Aging (NCOA). In doing so, seniors may be injured in the fall or even die.
If you or someone close to you has fallen recently in a public place, at a business location, a restaurant, or a similar public setting, and suffered injuries as a result, you could seek the assistance of a personal injury lawyer on their behalf. The evidence may show that the public property manager demonstrated negligence in the area in which you or your loved one fell. This could lead to a civil suit for a personal injury.
Contact Ben Crump Law, PLLC, to speak to one of our representatives about the services of an Akron slip and fall injury lawyer. We will listen to your situation, learn more about the accident, determine the nature of the injuries, and possibly move forward to seek financial compensation. Call us at (855) 933-4005 for a free consultation.
Stumbles and Slips Dangerous for Older Adults
Slips, stumbles, and falls can be more serious for older, frail adults than young adults. When an older person falls hard, bodily damage can lead to broken or fractured bones. Stumbling over loose carpet, slipping on a dimly lit stairwell, or tripping over electrical cords in a hotel lobby could lead to a concussion, according to Injury & Violence. A hard fall down a set of stairs could even cause brain damage if the person falls onto their head and neck area.
If you are interested in pursuing legal action in a slip and fall accident, you can contact a personal injury law firm to help you formulate a legal strategy to reclaim some of the money you may have spent on medical costs or hospitalization and more. A law firm that is knowledgeable about personal injury law for premises liability issues might be able to help you.
If you have been injured in an Akron slip and fall accident and want to explore putting into motion a civil case against the building owner or management, an Akron slip and fall injury lawyer can review the details of your accident. Our legal representatives at Ben Crump Law, PLLC, can help you understand what’s involved in a premises liability suit with personal injuries. Contact us for support.
For a free legal consultation with a slip and fall injury lawyer serving Akron, call (855) 933-4005
Slip and Fall Accidents in Ohio
In Ohio, premises owners can be held accountable for any injuries that patrons, visitors, or customers suffer because of conditions that are broken down, malfunctioning, or poorly lit. All these conditions on a property could cause personal injuries. If someone falls and gets hurt, that person might be able to bring a lawsuit for personal injuries.
Thus, it makes sense that property owners and managers of public facilities ensure that every area of the premises is safe and in good working condition. However, if the slip and fall accident happened in an area that was clearly marked to be dangerous, or under construction, or something similar used as a warning, then at least some or all of the fault would be transferred to the person who fell.
A property owner defendant can counter any such personal injury claim with the argument that the hazard was an obvious danger. The defendant would argue that anyone who was paying attention could clearly see the apparent danger and would attempt to avoid it. In making this argument, the property owner then shifts responsibility for the fall (at least partially) onto the person who slipped and fell.
Akron Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer Near Me (855) 933-4005
Proving Negligence in a Slip and Fall Case
Proving negligence against a property owner or building management firm is the key aspect of filing a personal injury claim for a slip and fall accident. For example, if you fell and slammed your head against a marble floor due to an unmopped wet area in the lobby of a downtown Akron office building, you could have legal rights to bring a slip and fall personal injury case against the building management.
To make a case that the building owner was negligent, the areas that would need to be proven in a civil case are:
- Legal obligation of care was owed: That the owners or property manager owed a legal obligation (also known as a “duty of care” to the plaintiff) to visitors to keep safe conditions throughout the lobby to prevent any kind of danger or harm to their visitors and patrons. This same reasoning could stretch to having security guards watching the entrance for any kind of danger coming in.
- The legal obligation of care was breached. In the case of the fall, the management breached their duty to maintain the premises. This breach allowed the building lobby to become a dangerous area in which someone might fall and hurt themselves. But if the management put any warning signs out about the wet area, and a person still got too close and slipped near the signage, management could probably claim an “open and obvious” defense in a personal injury claim, which is addressed further below.
- A personal injury resulted. Due to the lack of care (breach of duty), someone suffered a personal injury, resulting in harm to the person and medical costs ensued, etc.
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What ‘Open and Obvious’ Means
Visitors have a legal right to expect safe walking conditions in a public place like a building lobby. And when these conditions become unsafe, it is the property owner’s responsibility to warn of the dangers near the area. But this does not always happen.
A building owner may use a defense about how some “hazards,” such as lobby planters 6 feet round or higher, a brick enclosure around a tree, uneven concrete, or instore redesigns are not really hazards, but “open and obvious” obstacles that are not a breach of duty to the customer or visitor. These defenses might work, but it depends on the circumstances and injuries suffered.
An attorney can help you navigate the different facets of a slip and fall case and answer any questions you have. Contacting an Akron slip and fall injury lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC, may help you understand what is needed to prove negligence in one of these cases.
If you are considering pursuing legal action, keep in mind that Ohio’s statute of limitations limits the time you have to do so. Per Ohio Revised Code § 2305.11(a), you have two years to file your lawsuit in civil court. If you do not file within this time frame, you risk losing your chance to sue liable parties in your slip and fall accident and any compensation you may be due.
Contact Ben Crump Law, PLLC, today at (855) 933-4005 to schedule a free case review with one of our team members. We can hear the details of your accident, answer your questions, and help you with the big picture and the small details. Give us a call today.
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