We have enough to worry about each day, so the last thing on our minds should be that we might slip and fall on another person’s property. Unfortunately, there are times when property owners and the people who work for them fail in their duties to keep patrons safe.
When you need a Philadelphia slip and fall lawyer, Soloff & Zervanos Personal Injury Attorneys is ready to step in and help. A personal injury attorney will examine your entire case and do everything we can to ensure you are compensated for all of your injury-related expenses.
We know that the National Floor Safety Institute tells us that slip and fall accidents lead to around one million people going to the emergency room each year. Most people do not think that slip and fall incidents are serious, but they are. It is not uncommon to see the following injuries as a result of a slip and fall incident:
It is very important that you not brush off a slip and fall incident, even if you do not feel any pain when it happens. When we experience something like that, our adrenaline starts pumping and we may feel embarrassed. Please report the incident and seek medical attention. Follow all orders given to you by a doctor, including going to follow-up visits.
Slip and fall injuries can become incredibly costly, especially if they lead to long-term medical issues. When a person is not able to work for extended periods of time, they will lose their ability to support themselves and their families.
Over half of all slip and fall accidents are the result of hazardous walking conditions. It is up to property owners and the people who work for them to ensure that floors are clean, dry, and clear of any hazards. This includes:
Most slip and fall incidents are preventable. Whether you are at a private residence, a business, or on government property, you have the right to a safe walking environment, and a slip and fall attorney in Philadelphia could help you seek compensation.
Slip and fall accidents are not limited to grocery stores or icy sidewalks. They can happen in many locations throughout Philadelphia, including shopping malls, restaurants, apartment complexes, office buildings, schools, and hospitals. Parking lots and stairwells are also frequent problem areas because of poor lighting, broken handrails, or uneven pavement. Public spaces such as transit stations or government buildings may also present risks if maintenance is neglected. Identifying where and how these accidents happen helps us build stronger claims, because it highlights the responsibility of property owners to keep every part of their premises safe—not just the main areas customers or visitors see. At Soloff & Zervanos, P.C., we investigate every detail of the location where your fall occurred to uncover hazards and prove liability.
If you are injured in a slip and fall accident, the steps you take right away can have a major impact on your case. Here is what you should do:
By following these steps, you create a clear record of what happened and strengthen your ability to pursue compensation with the help of Soloff & Zervanos, P.C.
Again, slip and fall accidents often cause greater harm than many people expect them to. Data from the CDC indicates that falling accidents in general account for approximately 800,000 hospitalizations in the United States every year. One out of every five falling accidents will also result in serious injury to a victim. Injuries victims may sustain as a result of falling accidents include broken bones, head trauma, and more.
Statistics also indicate that slip and fall accidents may be particularly likely to cause injury when victims are elderly. In the US alone, three million elderly people are treated for harm resulting from falling accidents annually.
Such information highlights why it is so important for property owners to actively monitor for hazards that can result in slip and fall accidents. When they notice such hazards, they must eliminate them promptly. Until they are able to do so, they must take steps to ensure that guests on their properties are aware of the hazards and can avoid them accordingly.
Unfortunately, sometimes property owners and managers are negligent. If you are injured as a result of such negligence, you may be left facing losses like medical bills, lost wages, and non economic damages, such as pain and suffering. A lawyer in Philadelphia can file a slip and fall claim or lawsuit to recover financial compensation for the losses.
In Pennsylvania, your compensation can be reduced if you are found partly responsible for your own slip and fall through the modified comparative negligence rule. For instance, if a jury determines that you were 25% at fault because you were distracted or not wearing proper footwear, the amount you receive will be reduced by that same percentage. An award of $100,000 would become $75,000. Importantly, if you are assigned more than 50% of the blame, you lose the right to recover damages altogether. This makes it critical to have an experienced attorney who can push back against efforts by property owners or insurers to unfairly shift fault onto you.
There are many reasons someone might be injured in a slip and fall accident. Sometimes, victims who are injured in slip and fall accidents are actually harmed because they were trying to prevent themselves from being injured.
When someone begins losing her balance and falling, they often instinctively thrust their hands forward. They may do so because they believe they can grab a surface or fixture to prevent them from falling down entirely. At the very least, they believe that they can land on their hands and minimize the impact of their fall.
This is an understandable response. However, if someone thrusts their hands and arms out in this manner and lands on them at the wrong angle, they may be at risk of breaking bones in their arms, wrists, and hands.
It may be difficult to remember to avoid this mistake if you ever slip or trip over a hazard unexpectedly. That said, there are some mistakes you can at least remember to avoid in the immediate aftermath of a slip and fall accident. They include the following:
Strong evidence is the foundation of a successful slip and fall claim. Photos of the hazard, witness statements, medical records, and surveillance footage can all prove that negligence caused your injuries. Under Pennsylvania law, most slip and fall injured persons have up to two years from the date of the accident to begin a lawsuit. Missing this deadline will generally prevent you from recovering compensation, regardless of how badly you are injured. Acting quickly ensures that evidence is preserved and that your claim is filed on time. At Soloff & Zervanos, P.C., we begin gathering records and building your case from day one so that nothing is overlooked.
Typically, yes. In Pennsylvania, owners and occupiers of properties have a duty to maintain their premises free of any hazards both inside and outside. Therefore, a store owner can be held responsible for failure to remedy a hazardous condition in the parking lot or outside the store if a guest, visitor, or passerby gets injured.
“For example, if snow or ice was not removed from the sidewalk outside the store, the owner of the store or another liable party may be held accountable for any injuries caused by the hazard,” says our slip and fall lawyer in Philadelphia.
Basically, anything that makes the surface of the floor slippery and wet can be considered a hazardous condition. For example, in any store, all sorts of fluids on the floor are automatically considered a hazard that must be cleaned by the store employees.
The accumulation of snow and ice is another hazard that can cause slip and fall accidents, though it can be rather difficult to hold a store owner or other party responsible for his or her failure to clean snow or ice because it would require the victim to prove that the accumulation of snow or ice is “unnatural.”
“Slip and fall injuries caused by ice or snow typically happen on sidewalks or in parking lots outside of stores, shopping malls, and other types of business,” says a slip and fall attorney in Philadelphia from Soloff & Zervanos Personal Injury Attorneys A property owner must exercise reasonable care when maintaining his or her property, which includes promptly removing an unnatural accumulation of snow or ice to reduce the risk of injuries.
Many property owners choose to hire plow companies to remove the snow and ice from their sidewalks and parking lots to keep their premises free of hazards in the winter. Regardless of who performs the snow and ice removal, the property owner can be held accountable for your slip and fall caused by dangerous conditions.
It is vital to document the area where you slipped and fell. Our lawyer explains that taking photos of the area immediately after the accident is important to establish that your accident was caused by an unsafe condition. Talking to witnesses is also vital, especially when the property owner refuses to admit that your accident occurred on their property. Consider speaking with a slip and fall lawyer in Philadelphia from Soloff & Zervanos Personal Injury Attorneys, to build an efficient legal case.
Do not take slip and fall incidents lightly and do not let a store manager convince you otherwise. These accidents can cause serious injuries. You deserve to be fairly compensated when another person’s negligence causes you harm.
Soloff & Zervanos Personal Injury Attorneys will be your advocate, working to ensure you get the following:
There is no reason for you to suffer financially for this. We will gather all necessary evidence needed to support your case, from surveillance videos to witness statements. When you need a Philadelphia slip and fall lawyer, you can contact us.
Slipping and falling may not sound like a big deal, but injuries caused by these accidents are often more severe and catastrophic than injuries suffered by car accident victims.
As a victim of a slip and fall in Pennsylvania, you have the opportunity to seek compensation for your monetary and non-monetary damages and losses.
At Soloff & Zervanos, P.C., we know how disruptive a slip and fall accident can be to your health, finances, and peace of mind. Our attorneys have decades of experience holding negligent property owners accountable throughout Philadelphia. We will take the time to explain your legal options, guide you step by step, and fight for the maximum recovery available under Pennsylvania law. Protect your rights and your future by contacting our team at Soloff & Zervanos, P.C. today for a free consultation.
