Walking into a grocery store, convenience store, or restaurant in Jacksonville is usually a safe and uneventful visit. However, what if hazardous conditions existed in one of these locations, and the establishment’s managers did nothing to keep you safe from these dangers?
Generally, that would constitute negligence on the part of the property owner, who has a duty to keep conditions safe for visitors. If you fell because a hazard did not get repaired or cleaned up and seriously hurt yourself, you would join nearly 8.2 million other people who suffer preventable nonfatal injuries each year, according to the National Safety Council (NSC).
That’s the idea behind personal injury lawsuits for slip and fall accidents. Essentially, slip and falls often result from a breach of duty by a property owner.
If you recently suffered injuries in a slip and fall accident that resulted from negligent property maintenance, a Jacksonville slip and fall injury lawyer could help you seek compensation for your financial costs. Contact the team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC, today at (855) 933-4005 to discuss your circumstances and determine whether you have legal grounds to recover an award.
Slip and Fall vs. Trip and Fall
There are slip and fall cases, and there are trip and fall cases. These accidents both cause injuries and sound like similar situations, but personal injury lawyers recognize the different circumstances involved in each accident type.
In slip and fall accidents, a person suffers injuries when they slip and fall on a slippery surface, such as a spilled liquid, icy sidewalk, or water leak. They typically fall backward and land in such a way as to cause injuries to their lower back, hips, or back of the head.
In trip and fall accidents, a person generally receives injuries from tripping on defects in the ground as they walked. These defects could include uneven floors, wrinkled carpeting, loose wires, or dangerous floorboards, causing people to fall forward and suffer injuries to their hands, arms, face, or knees.
In both types of accidents, individuals could suffer severe injuries such as:
- Traumatic brain injuries and concussions
- Cracked skulls
- Sprains
- Broken bones
- Permanent disabilities
In extreme cases, injuries from slip and fall or trip and fall accidents can cause death.
A Jacksonville slip and fall injury lawyer can determine from your injuries and evidence from the accident scene what type of fall you experienced and what compensation you could recover.
For a free legal consultation with a slip and fall injury lawyer serving Jacksonville, call (855) 933-4005
What to Do if You Fall
Like in any accident that a person experiences, it’s imperative at the time of the accident to remember to document the scene, the time, the evidence of injuries, and the overall situation.
To have the right evidence to present in a slip and fall injury case down the road, here are a few reminders of what to do at the scene of the accident:
- Take photos and video if possible: After checking yourself for any bleeding or broken bones, try to take pictures or video of the hazardous condition that caused you to fall. This step accounts for property owners who conveniently clean up the evidence before police officers or EMTs arrive on the scene. So, it’s imperative to get whatever photos and videos that you can.
- Call 911: The next step is to call for emergency medical help to arrive. You may see injuries on your body (e.g., a broken wrist or sprained ankle) or feel woozy from hitting your head, but it’s always the right call to seek medical attention as soon as you can after an accident.
- Get an incident report: Immediately after the accident, contact the property manager and document what happened in an incident report. Make sure you cover all the details you can see that caused the fall, describe any injuries you experienced, and any other information.
- Ask for witnesses: Were there people around you who saw everything? Ask them if they would attest to the fact that a spill, a loose electrical cord, the owner’s cat sprinting under your legs, or other hazardous conditions caused your fall. Get their contact info so you can follow up with them later.
Falling and injuring yourself in a slip and fall accident often causes more than just embarrassment. It’s downright painful, and you might have more than just surface injuries. You might want to contact a Jacksonville slip and fall injury lawyer to review your legal options. Call Ben Crump Law, PLLC, today to get started.
Jacksonville Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer Near Me (855) 933-4005
How to Prove Negligence
The key aspect of winning a slip and fall injury case is to prove that the property owner negligently failed to provide safe premises. How does negligence get proven, exactly? Here are a few ways that the evidence can support a claim of negligence:
- The property owner owed a duty of care: Building owners and store managers owe visitors a legal obligation known as a duty of care, meaning they will keep conditions at a property safe for visitors.
- They breached their duty: Florida Statutes §768.0755 states that an injury victim must show that “the business establishment had actual or constructive knowledge of the dangerous condition and should have taken action to remedy it.” Thus, if the owner or manager dismisses or disregards unsafe conditions—for example, failing to warn visitors or putting safety tape around where water had pooled from a leaky roof—this could result in a finding of negligence.
- Their breach caused your injuries and damages: If you slip and fall on a known hazard that the owner or manager failed to remedy, you might suffer severe injuries that lead to medical bills, lost income from missing work, and other damages. You could recover awards for these losses in a personal injury lawsuit.
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Speak with a Jacksonville Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer
Slip and fall accidents happen all the time, and getting hurt in one is nobody’s idea of a good time. You might benefit from working with a Jacksonville slip and fall injury lawyer who understands the complexity of premises liability law and can help you file a personal injury lawsuit within the four-year statute of limitations outlined in Florida Statutes §95.11.
The team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC, understands the pain and suffering you experienced after a serious slip and fall accident. We can help you build a negligence case, negotiate with the at-fault property owner’s insurance company or legal counsel, and manage the entire legal process. Call us today at (855) 933-4005 to review the legal options available to you with a team member.
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