Bradenton Slip & Fall Lawyer
A slip and fall accident is no joke. Slips, trips and falls happen to more than a million people in the U.S. every year, causing severe injuries such as broken bones, head injuries, back injuries, facial lacerations and scarring, nerve damage, torn muscles, sprains, and more. Close to 20,000 Americans die every year from a slip and fall or trip and fall.
Slip and fall accidents often happen because the property owner or employees allowed a dangerous condition to exist on the premises. Property owners have a duty to the people on the premises to be on the lookout for hazards and clean them up promptly or at the very least warn about the danger until it gets fixed. When a slip and fall accident happens because of the property owner’s negligence, the accident victim can and should be compensated for the harm inflicted, including compensation for medical bills, lost wages for time missed from work because of the injury, and the victim’s pain and suffering.
Serious accident victims need serious legal representation to make sure they are fully and fairly compensated for their injuries. Property owners and their insurance companies have ways to avoid paying what they should; Bradenton slip & fall lawyer Don Cahall fights hard to make sure that doesn’t happen. At The Cahall Law Firm, we strive with fierce determination to make sure property owners are held accountable for their negligence and that slip and fall accident victims get the full amount of compensation they need and deserve after suffering an injury brought about through no fault of their own. If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall accident in Bradenton, come get justice. Call Cahall.
When Property Owners Are Liable for Slip and Fall Accidents in Bradenton
Property owners can be held liable for accidents that occur on their property when the property owners were the ones who created the hazard. Even if they didn’t create the hazard – a customer or guest spills a drink and creates a slipping hazard, for instance – the owner of the premises can still be liable if they knew or should have known about the problem but failed to remedy the situation within a reasonable amount of time.
In legal terms, knowing about a hazard is “actual knowledge” while “should have known” about the hazard is called “constructive knowledge.” A property owner will be held to have constructive knowledge about a danger if it existed long enough that they should have known about it. Property owners who invite certain people or members of the public onto their premises have a duty to make routine, periodic inspections of the premises and clean up any spills, pick up merchandise or debris from the floor, or otherwise fix dangers or warn customers and guests about the hazard. If the condition exists long enough that it should have been noticed, the property owner has constructive knowledge of the danger and can be held liable for a slip and fall injury that follows.
Grocery stores and restaurants are places that are likely to incur drink or liquid spills throughout the day, making routine inspections important. However, in Bradenton, just about every store owner should be aware of the likelihood of a slippery floor from tracked-in rainwater or seawater. Shops on the beach or where drinks are served or allowed inside should always be on the lookout for slipping hazards, but so should any establishment that serves the public in a city where it rains just about every three days.
In addition to liquid spills, slip and fall accidents often occur because of other negligent conditions allowed to persist, including:
- Recently mopped or waxed floors
- Floor mats that are missing or misplaced
- Torn carpet
- Unmarked steps
- Broken or missing handrails
Holding Property Owners Liable for Slip and Fall Hazards
Holding property owners liable for a slip and fall hazard caused by a temporary or transient condition can be challenging and complex. How long did the danger exist before the accident happened? Did the property owner, manager or employees have a reasonable amount of time to discover it and fix it or put up a warning sign? Property owners and their insurers will say no and argue they shouldn’t be liable. At The Cahall Law Firm, our experienced attorney and team know how to document hazards by reviewing inspection and cleaning logs and security video, interviewing witnesses, and even bringing in industry experts as necessary to testify about proper industry standards. Armed with the facts, our firm is ready to go toe-to-toe with the insurer and exact a fair settlement or take them to court.
Insurance companies have other ways to squirm out of paying what they should. They might claim that the dangerous condition was obvious but the victim slipped and fell because they weren’t watching where they were going. They might also claim the person is faking or exaggerating their injury or that it was caused by a degenerative or preexisting condition. We know these tricks and tactics too and the proper way to respond to them.
Come Get Justice From The Cahall Law Firm After a Slip and Fall Injury in Bradenton
If you’ve been hurt in a slip and fall accident in Bradenton, call The Cahall Law Firm for a free consultation about your claims. We take cases on a contingency fee basis, which means our fees come from a portion of the recovery we obtain for you, and we don’t charge any fee if we aren’t successful in recovering compensation on your behalf. Get the help you need and deserve by calling a Bradenton slip & fall lawyer at The Cahall Law Firm today.
