Are you a victim of a slip and fall case? If you don’t know your rights after an incident of a slip and fall, let me give you a walkthrough of the definition of a slip and fall case, different causes of slips, trips, and falls and who could be held liable if injured.
Definition of slip and fall case
The slip and fall case is referred to the situation where the person has slipped, tripped, or fallen due to a dangerous surface and led to his or her injury or physical harm. Some consider it a case of personal injury and classified as premises liability law. Slips, falls and trips do happen without any warning. In fact, many cases of slips and falls arise during bad weather conditions such as the winter months where the pavements and sidewalks become slippery due to ice. But, when the pavements or sidewalks developed cracks and holes and not related to weather conditions and become hazardous to passersby, the owner of the property must be responsible for keeping his or her premises safe and be held accountable in a slip and fall led to serious injuries.
Different causes of slips, falls, and trips:
- A business shop may experience wet, muddy, or icy surfaces outside the entry point and when customers come in with wet shoes will lead to a wet or slippery floor. In the event a customer accidentally slipped due to the wet floor, the owner of the business shop can be held liable. Why? It’s the responsibility of the owner of that business or whoever is in charge of the day-to-day operation to ensure that the floor where customers walk is dry and will not lead to a dangerous slip or fall incident. A bad weather condition like heavy rain or snowstorm would be accepted as an excuse. The owner must make sure that someone will oversee the mopping of the floor to keep it dry as customers come in and go.
- Food and liquid spills are another common cause of accidental slips, falls, or trips in public places such as supermarkets, restaurants, and other dining outlets. If the customer accidentally spilled drinks on the floor and the owner of that store, shop, or restaurant isn’t mindful of these incidents that led to another person’s slip and fall case, he or she could be held liable. Keep in mind, in any public place where a huge crowd comes and go, it is the duty of the property owner to make sure that any accidental spill of food or liquid is cleaned that very moment to ensure nobody slip or fall.
- Poor lighting could also lead to accidental slip or fall injury. For example, when walking at the car park and the person accidentally tripped because there are not enough lights along the pathway, the property owner can be held accountable for not installing adequate lights.
- Cracks on the pavement chipped tiles, uneven flooring and loosened carpet flooring could all lead to a slip and fall accident. Again, the property owner or whoever is responsible for maintaining the safety of the place and didn’t do anything to fix these issues can be held responsible for a passerby injury.
Who can help you after a slip and fall accident?
Discussing your slip and fall accident must be confined only to a legal representative that specializes in slip and fall cases because these types of cases can be complicated. If you don’t know your legal rights, only a slip and fall lawyer in Philly can understand your situation and give you professional advice on what to do next. The lawyer will have to assess first the details of your slip and fall accident, extent of the injury, and from there determine approximately how much can you claim.
