Being injured in a slip-and-fall accident can lead to very serious injuries. There is a chance that you might have to seek medical care after the accident. In very serious cases, you might be unable to return to work. In all of these cases, you might choose to seek compensation for the effects of the accident.
One component of your case is that you have to prove that the property owner was liable for the accident. This isn’t always easy, but you will have to do this in order to have a chance at receiving compensation for your injuries.
Property owners have a duty to keep their property safe for others; however, this responsibility doesn’t mean that they have to baby-proof the property. Instead, they likely only need to control unusual hazards that a normal person wouldn’t think to watch out for. As an example, you might not be able to seek compensation if you trip over a lawn mower in a front lawn, but you might be able to pursue a claim if you trip over a green string of Christmas lights on the ground in June.
When it comes to these cases, you will often have to look at what the property owner could have done to make the situation safer. For example, a store can place mats at the front door and use wet floor signage if the floors are wet; however, there might still be slippery spots if it is currently raining outside.
Taking all of the circumstances of the case into account can help you determine how you will show that the property owner was liable for the conditions. The more you show in your case, the more successful it is likely to be.
Source: FindLaw, “Proving Fault in Slip and Fall Accidents,” accessed June 15, 2018
