Sometimes, a simple slip-and-fall is little more than a moment of embarrassment. You dust yourself off and continue on your way, but what are your options when a slip-and-fall accident causes serious injuries that disrupt your life and cause financial consequences as well as physical ones?
While nothing can erase the injury, a successful slip-and-fall claim against a negligent property owner recovers your financial losses so you can focus on healing. Contact GreeningLaw, P.C. to learn more about your legal options.
Why Choose the Slip-and-Fall Accident Lawyers at GreeningLaw P.C. for Your Case?
You have the right to a reasonable expectation of safety when you legally enter someone else’s property or a commercial premises. If you experienced a preventable slip-and-fall injury, GreeningLaw provides the following advantages to your case:
- Over 40 years of combined experience, knowledge, and resources behind your case
- A personalized strategy from a team of experienced Carrollton personal injury lawyers rather than a formulaic approach, so you have the best possible result based on the unique circumstances of your case
- Access to medical experts to support your case
- A trial-ready, certified personal injury attorney with a Martindale-Hubbell Preeminent® rating to put a well-respected voice behind your claim
A free consultation and our contingency-based payment system allow us to work at no cost to you until after we’ve recovered your compensation.
Understanding Personal Injury Law In Carrollton, TX Slip-and-Fall Accident Cases
A slip-and-fall injury case is a category of personal injury claim known as premises liability. The state’s Civil Practice and Remedies Code Sec. 33.003 states the following:
“The trier of fact, as to each cause of action asserted, shall determine the percentage of responsibility, stated in whole numbers, for the following persons with respect to each person’s causing or contributing to cause in any way the harm for which recovery of damages is sought, whether by negligent act or omission, by any defective or unreasonably dangerous product, by other conduct or activity that violates an applicable legal standard…”
In other words, if a property owner violates their duty of care to keep their premises in a reasonably safe condition, they may be held fully legally liable for your damages if you fall and suffer an injury through no fault of your own.
What Is a Property Owner’s Legal Duty of Care?
Even a private homeowner has a duty of reasonable care to maintain their property and to correct or repair safety hazards that could cause injury to anyone legally on their property, including delivery personnel, repair workers, solicitors, visitors, and neighbors.
For example, if a property owner has a broken front step, they must block it off, post warning signs, and make prompt repairs to prevent injuries. Commercial property owners have an enhanced duty of care toward those on their property because they’ve invited people there for business purposes.
A property owner’s legal duty of care includes the following:
- Regularly inspecting the property for safety hazards, such as slip-and-fall risks
- Providing routine maintenance
- Promptly repairing any dangerous condition and preventing access to the hazard until it’s repaired
Unfortunately, property owners sometimes violate their duty of care by cutting corners, delaying repairs, or ignoring slip-and-fall risks.
Proving a Breach of the Property Owner’s Legal Duty of Care
If you’ve suffered a serious injury in a slip-and-fall accident, you must provide evidence showing that the property owner was aware of the hazard, or should reasonably have been aware of it, that they owed a duty of care to you because you were legally on the property and not trespassing or committing a crime, they breached their legal duty of care, and the breach of duty caused your injury.
Proving liability requires evidence that the case meets the above standard. Evidence often includes photos, security camera footage, previous injuries, warning notes to the property owner, previous repair requests, and property maintenance records.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Slip-and-Fall Injury Cases In Carrollton?
The most common causes of dangerous slip-and-fall accidents in Carrollton include the following:
- Wet floors from mopping or spills
- Slippery floor surfaces due to tracked-in wetness or from improper cleaning products
- Cracked and uneven pavement or floorboards
- Loose debris or gravel
- Loose or rolled carpets or floor mats
- Unmarked floor level changes
- Broken steps or staircases
- Insufficient lighting
- Cluttered floors
- Dangling power cords
A sudden bad fall can cause serious harm to one or more body structures, resulting in temporary or even permanent injury. This may impact all aspects of life, including earning ability.
What Types of Injuries Happen In Carrollton Slip-and-Fall Accidents?
When the body suffers multiple traumas from twisting out of balance and taking a hard fall, the injuries range from mild to severe or even permanent. Common injuries reported in slip-and-fall accidents include:
- Traumatic brain injuries, ranging from mild concussions to permanent brain injury with impairment
- Soft-tissue injuries like sprains and torn ligaments in the knees, ankles, wrists, elbows, and shoulders
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Bone fractures, including those of the hip or pelvis
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- Facial and dental trauma
- Spinal cord injury
What Damages Can I Recover In a Carrollton Slip-and-Fall Accident Case?
Injuries are economically costly, as well as the physical and emotional toll they take on the victim and their family. Common damages recovered in successful premises liability claims after a slip-and-fall accident include the following:
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Anticipated future medical expenses for further injury-related care
- Out-of-pocket costs
- Lost income
- Future income loss or diminished future earning ability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Catastrophic injury compensation for permanent scarring, disability, chronic pain, or loss of enjoyment of life
If a loved one died in a slip-and-fall accident in Carrollton, a spouse, parent, or child may recover wrongful death compensation.
Injuries sometimes prevent a swift return to work or may make it impossible to work in a previous capacity, resulting in economic hardship.
Reach Out to GreeningLaw After a Slip-and-Fall Injury in Carrollton
Most premises liability claims result in a settlement from the at-fault party’s premises liability insurance. However, insurers may dispute, deny, or delay progress on a claim, especially without legal representation on your side. In about 4% of claims, an undervalued claim or wrongful denial requires a court case.
Contact GreeninLaw today to learn more about your right to financial recovery for your slip-and-fall injury during a free, confidential consultation.