Slip and Fall Accident Attorneys

We all know how dangerous falls can be. If you slipped and fell due to another party’s negligence or you got hurt in a fall, an experienced slip and fall lawyer can help you receive compensation for your injuries.

Slip and Fall Statistics

According to the World Health Organization, 37.3 million falls are serious enough that they warrant medical attention. Furthermore, around 684,000 people each year die after accidental falls.

The level of risk is higher for older individuals; 20 to 30 % of older individuals who suffer accidental falls sustain moderate to severe injuries. Even if they manage to survive the accident, it could compromise their life severely. You cannot afford to take a fall accident lightly. If you hit the ground a certain way, you could be badly hurt or suffer an even worse fate.

Injuries Caused by Slip and Fall Accidents

A slip and fall accident in Simsbury, Glastonbury or Hartford County, CT, can indeed have serious ramifications. To further understand why fall accidents are so dangerous, you can check out some of the injuries they may cause. Our Hartford County lawyers have detailed those injuries below.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

When we think of traumatic brain injuries, we tend to assume that they receive them by violent accidents. Car crashes, strikes to the head, or even bad bumps while playing contact sports are things an attorney quickly recognize as causes of traumatic brain injuries. However, a slip and fall accident could also be why your brain is injured.

The CDC even notes that traumatic brain injuries are most commonly caused by falls. Brain injuries can be severe. They can also cause short and long-term issues for people. Your body and brain may both function differently after you fell. If you suffered a brain injury after a fall, you and your personal injury lawyers must ensure the party responsible for your accident will be held responsible.

Hip Fractures

A person may also fracture their hip after suffering a slip and fall accident. Older people, in particular, are more susceptible to hip fractures if they fall. Hip fractures are incredibly painful. On top of that, those injuries can also effectively hamper your movement. You cannot move around much because putting any weight on your hip is too painful.

Get an X-ray exam if you are experiencing severe discomfort after falling. You may already have a fractured hip, and you must confirm if that is the case.

Broken Bones

Aside from your hip, you may break other bones in your body after your accidental fall. Bones you may break include your wrists and ankles. You may break those bones while trying to stop your fall.

Once again, you should visit a doctor if you suspect that you broke a bone. After that, you can pursue legal action against the party responsible for your accident.

What Are the Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents?

People do not fall without reason. Often, slip and fall accidents occur because someone did not maintain a particular area properly.

While walking around a store, you may accidentally slip on a wet spot. You may lose your balance and hit the floor hard. The problematic part of the commercial establishment could also be a broken staircase. You could end up falling if one of the steps collapses. You can also fall due to poorly designed structures.

If a staircase does not feature any handrails, it will be more dangerous than the usual staircase. The floor you are walking on may also feature certain elements that cause them to become slippery. You can even point to a lack of lighting near a staircase for why you slipped and fell.

Should You Hire an Attorney for a Slip and Fall Accident Case?

The services of a slip and fall lawyer will prove crucial if you were recently involved in an accident while visiting a commercial establishment or spending time at a friend’s house. Securing compensation for that type of accident can be tricky. You will need an experienced legal mind working on your behalf if you want to present a strong case.

Some of the different ways a slip and fall attorney can help include:

They Can Gather Evidence to Prove That the Accident Was Not Your Fault

One of the common defenses property owners use against slip and fall lawsuits is saying that the victim was responsible for what happened. They may claim you were careless while exploring the establishment and why you fell.

That claim may not hold much water once your slip and fall accident lawyer gets to work. They can gather video evidence, record witness statements, and investigate the scene to prove that you were not at fault.

They Can Show the Extent of Your Injuries

You must clearly define the losses you sustained from the accident if you want them to compensate you fairly. That is another thing your slip and fall accident lawyer can work on as they can coordinate with your doctor to show the extent of your injuries.

They Can Negotiate with the Other Party

Following your accident, the owner of the property may contact you to negotiate a settlement. Leave those negotiations to your slip and fall accident attorney. They know what a good deal sounds like, so count on them to get the job done.

What to Do Immediately after a Slip and Fall Accident

You and your premises liability lawyer can strengthen or weaken your premises liability lawsuit based on the actions you take after your fall. Make sure you do not do anything to jeopardize your case by following the steps detailed below.

• Check Yourself for Injuries: Bad falls can lead to serious injuries. The CDC even notes that one out of every five falls can lead to a head injury or broken bones. If you fell hard, your priority should be to check yourself for injuries.
• Seek Medical Treatment: A direct blow to the head can lead to a fracture and other serious complications, so get that checked immediately. Visit the nearest medical facility if you sustained an injury from your fall.
• Collect Evidence: If you are not badly hurt after falling, you can take a few moments to gather some evidence. Take a picture of where you slipped and see if there is a crack or a puddle of water there. You should also speak to people who saw you fall and ask for their statements. Ask for their contact details too so you can get more information from them later.
• Fill Out an Accident Report: The commercial establishment may ask you to fill out an accident report. Go ahead and fill it out and stick to the facts. That report can prove valuable if you ever need to prove that you were taking your accident seriously. Ask them to give you a copy of the report when it becomes available.
• Consider Hiring a Slip and Fall Law Firm: You have done all you can at this point. Now, you need to hire a slip and fall lawyer so you can take legal action against the party responsible for your accident.

What Types of Compensation Can You Expect after a Slip and Fall Accident?

The compensation packages awarded in slip and fall cases typically consist of economic and non-economic damages. Those damages account for the losses a plaintiff may have sustained from their involvement in the accident.

Economic Damages: When you seek economic damages, you should ask for enough money to cover your medical expenses, damaged property, and lost wages. Ask for more money if your doctor recommends continued treatment.

Non-Economic Damages: The non-economic damages in personal injury cases are meant to compensate plaintiffs for pain and suffering, diminished quality of life, missed opportunities, and numerous other intangible losses. The courts calculate these non-economic damages using specific methods.

What Is the Average Settlement for a Slip and Fall Accident?

There is nothing wrong with negotiating a settlement for your slip and fall lawsuit. Negotiating may even be the right move in your case if you need money quickly. However, you should negotiate with an appropriate number in mind.

The average settlement for slip and fall cases in Connecticut is right around $30,000. You may ask for something closer to $50,000 if you sustained a broken bone or another serious injury.

You should aim for a settlement amount in that range. If the other side will not give it to you, continuing with your lawsuit remains an option.

Connecticut Slip and Fall Laws

There are two important laws that Glastonbury, Hartford, and Simsbury, CT residents need to keep in mind if they are planning to move forward with slip and fall lawsuits. Those are the statute of limitations for such cases and the law of modified comparative negligence.

The Statute of Limitations

The Connecticut personal injury statute of limitations for slip and fall cases is two years. To be more specific, you have two years to file your lawsuit from the date of the accident. The clock for the statute of limitations may also start from the day when you discovered your injury. Furthermore, you cannot file a lawsuit if more than three years have passed since the date of your accident.

If you do not file your personal injury lawsuit on time, the court will likely dismiss it.

Modified Comparative Negligence

The law of modified comparative negligence can affect how much compensation you can receive. With modified comparative negligence in effect, a plaintiff can claim compensation as long as they share no more than 50% of the blame for the accident. They will lose the chance to recover damages if their share exceeds that 50% threshold.

Also, they can reduce your compensation by the percentage of blame attributed to you. Your $100,000 compensation award could be reduced to $80,000 if the court determines that you share 20% of the blame for what happened.

Who Is At Fault for Slip and Fall Accidents?

Slip and fall accidents that occur on commercial properties are covered by the principle of premises liability. The principle of premises liability indicates that commercial property owners must keep their establishments reasonably safe. That means they must routinely inspect it for hazards.

If they spot any hazards, they must remove those hazardous elements. If immediate removal of those hazards is not possible, the property owner should warn people about them. A commercial property owner failing to keep their establishment safe can be liable if you suffer a slip and fall accident. You can file a lawsuit against them and receive compensation.

Proving that a property owner was negligent is easier said than done. Try to gather as much evidence as you can following your accident to prove that you are not at fault for what happened. Work with your slip and fall accident attorney to gather and present the evidence in your case.

Slip and Fall Law Firm

Reach out to us at Hassett & George, P.C. if you were recently involved in a slip and fall accident. We will thoroughly investigate your accident and present the strongest case possible so you can claim the compensation you deserve.

Some of the locations in and around Hartford County our slip and fall accident lawyers serve include: Hartford, Simsbury, Glastonbury, New Britain, Bridgeport, Waterbury, Danbury, Norwalk, Manchester, Windsor, Farmington, Windsor Locks, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Avon, Bloomfield, Bristol, Enfield, Newington, South Windsor, Southington, Plainville and more.