When a slip and fall injury occurs, it’s common to want to brush it off and walk away immediately. It can be embarrassing to fall in public; however, you may have sustained serious injuries during that fall. While you may want to get past the moment as soon as possible, moving may not be in your best interests if you’re badly hurt. If someone’s negligence was the cause for your injuries, you may be able to hold them liable with the help of a King of Prussia slip and fall lawyer from Shrager, Sachs, & Blanco.
Our attorneys are familiar with premises liability laws and how slip and fall injuries can typically happen when a property manager fails to maintain safety—whether it’s delaying getting hazards fixed or not warning others on the property of non-obvious hazards. When your injuries have caused financial damages and pain and suffering, our team is here to provide you with the legal assistance you need so you can recover compensation.
How Do Slip and Fall Accidents Occur?
Whether the business is in a restaurant, mall, store, or parking lot, you can sustain an injury if the property has a safety hazard. Unfortunately, these injuries are often preventable because they’re the result of negligence. Our lawyers in King of Prussia will carefully assess what events led to your accident and how it caused your losses.
Here are some of the common reasons for slip and fall accidents:
- Unsafe surfaces
- Poor lighting
- Debris and clutter
- Unstable railings on stairways
An unsafe surface can be caused by spills that aren’t cleaned up, recently mopped floors that lack wet floor signs, carpets that aren’t anchored to the floor, and outside walkways that are uneven or not treated for ice or snow. Iced over walkways and parking lots can easily cause injuries because people lose their balance and their feet can slide out from under them. Some of these falls can cause someone to hit their head.
Poor lighting can cause tripping hazards because the person walking cannot see where they’re going or what’s around them. They may not see the surface in front of them and could trip on something.
If walkways are full of clutter, there will be multiple tripping hazards someone could catch their foot on and fall. Exposed wires are tripping hazards and can also become fire hazards.
When someone is using a stairway, they usually use the railing for balance and support. If the railing gives out, someone could fall from the steps. Crumbling staircases could also cause someone to lose their balance.
No matter the circumstances that led to your injuries, we’ll find out the reason why your accident happened and who was responsible.
The Damages of Slip and Fall Injuries
Your injuries may have put you in the hospital. Head injuries, broken bones, a damaged spinal column, and severe cuts are all possible outcomes that require professional medical treatment. These injuries could need surgeries or have recovery times that could take weeks or months.
Other injuries that can occur are sprains and strains. When someone is falling, they may try to break the fall and catch themselves with a hand, arm, or elbow. To prevent losing their balance they may end up straining their back. These involuntary actions can cause painful soft tissue injuries that should receive medical treatment as well.
During your recovery, you may not be able to work. As medical expenses pile up and your saved sick and PTO days pass by, your lose wages from those days could be putting you and your family under considerable financial stress. In addition to the financial consequences, you may be experiencing pain from your injuries. Our lawyers will fight for your compensation to cover all the damages of your accident, including the ones that may not have a monetary value assigned to them, but are still negative outcomes of the responsible party’s negligent actions.
When a split second slip and fall occurs, you may not think about all it will take to recover from the injury. However, your actions after the fall can help your claim. After your accident, don’t jump up immediately. Assess how you’re feeling and see if you can move. If you cannot, call for help. If you can move, go see a supervisor or manager to report the accident.
Writing an official report will provide a date, time, and your first-hand account of what happened. The details will be fresh in your mind, so you have less of a chance of leaving out important details. When making your report, do not guess on details if you cannot remember something. If you guess wrong, this inaccuracy could jeopardize your account of what happened.
After you make your report, see a doctor as soon as possible for a medical evaluation. Don’t leave anything out or minimize your pain. Often, people may believe the pain will go away on its own or they don’t want to seem like they’re complaining about the amount of pain they’re in. This is never the case. When an injury is causing you pain, the best way to deal with it is to tell the doctor and they can evaluate the injury. They’ll be able to identify the extent of your injuries and start treatment so you can begin recovery. Then, it’s time to seek legal action.
Shrager, Sachs, & Blanco Protects Slip and Fall Victims
Having a slip and fall lawyer at your side is the best way to protect your rights. Our lawyers have held irresponsible property owners accountable for their actions in the past and we’re ready to do the same for you.
When filing a slip and fall claim, it’s important to act quickly. The sooner you get in touch with our lawyers, the sooner we can begin our investigation. You also may have a small window of time to file, depending on the premises where you were injured. Schedule an obligation-free consultation today and start the path to securing your future.
