When you enter a store, you put your faith in the store being a safe environment. Therefore, experiencing a slip, fall, or getting into an incident will be the last thing on your mind and will likely catch you completely off guard. Although slip and fall incidents regularly occur across the U.S. and might not seem like a huge deal, they should still be taken extremely seriously.
Every owner of public premises owes a duty of care to the public in ensuring their premises are a safe environment to the public. Therefore, slipping or falling on a public premise or within a store could mean that you’re entitled to huge amounts of compensation under premises liability law and neglect of duty of care.
At The Law Place, our personal injury lawyers have taken on many slip and fall cases just like yours and have been successful in receiving compensation for our satisfied clients. We will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about your claim with a free consultation at a time that suits your schedule best.
Contact us for free now at (941) 444-4444. Our lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents in a Store?
There are many reasons why somebody may slip and fall in a store. However, some of the causes for a slip and fall incident commonly seen by our accident attorneys are:
- Water- This includes any type of liquid such as water or oil which has spilled onto a surface. If a spillage occurs within a store from either a customer or colleague, the spillage must be cleaned up immediately, and wet floor signs must be put down by a colleague or store manager to prevent anybody from slipping over.
- Inadequate lighting- Poor lighting or badly lit walkways can make it difficult to see obstacles blocking walkways or stairs.
- Store items- Stock from the store might have been poorly put away by an employee or store manager and have become loose and fallen down.
- Walkway obstacles- For instance, loose wires or obstacles obstructing walkways which should be properly put away by shop employees or the store owner.
- Unmarked hazards- Steep stairs or trip hazards should be marked clearly with a warning sign.
- Weather conditions – Rainwater can be tracked in and out of the store. It is the store owner’s duty of care to ensure that there is a wet floor sign present within the store on rainy, wet, or snowy days.
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Common Slip and Fall Injuries in Florida
The usual types of injuries that our accident attorneys commonly see attained by slip and fall victims are:
- Back, neck, and spinal cord injuries- One of the most common injuries residents of Florida are known to receive. This can include a slipped disk, a broken vertebra, or even back injuries leading to paralysis. Back injuries have the potential to result in long-lasting damage and permanent pain for a slip and fall victim.
- Head, skull, and brain injuries- Anyone can hit their head when they fall, which can cause a skull fracture or a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Suffering a brain injury can result in a victim suffering from affected speech, memory loss, behavioral issues such as affected emotional state, effective cognitive ability. After suffering a head injury, a victim might require therapy or assistance from a health care professional.
- Broken bones and fractures-When suffering a fall, it might be your instinct to try and save yourself from hitting the floor, which can lead to a broken wrist, shoulder, arms, or knees from the impact.
- Soft tissue injuries- Torn ligaments, stretched tendons, sprains, and strains are all types of soft tissue injuries that are commonly suffered by slip and fall victims. Some soft tissue injuries that are left untreated can lead to further complications and have the potential to cause long-lasting problems further down the line for a fall victim.
- Bruising – Although bruising is a common injury, it is still recommended that you have your injuries checked over by a medical professional, as in some cases, bruising can be an indicator of internal bleeding or damage to organs.
- Cuts and scrapes – Depending on the severity of the cut or laceration, untreated wounds can lead to further complications such as infection or severe scarring if left untreated.
What to Do in a Slip and Fall Accident
- Take photographs – It is vital to your case that you take clear photographs of the incident scene, including the slippery surface on which you fell. It is also important to take photographs of your injuries as they can later be used as evidence for your claim.
- Gather store contact information – This includes the name, address, and contact details of the store in which you fell, including the store managers, contact details.
- File an incident report to a law enforcement officer – This is so the incident can be legally recorded by the police, as these records can be used as evidence towards your claim.
- Seek medical care – It is important to seek care immediately after a slip and fall so that your injuries can be recorded by a medical professional.
- Contact a personal injury attorney – The sooner you contact a personal injury lawyer, the sooner our team can get to work on building up a solid claim for your case. Please don’t hesitate to contact our legal team today.
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Negligence in a Slip and Fall Claim in Florida
When proving negligence for a slip and fall incident, you must be able to prove:
- Property owner liability and breach of duty- Every property owner has a duty of care in the State of Florida. Therefore it is a property owner’s responsibility to ensure that the premises is a safe environment for the public and ensure that there is no risk of someone slipping/falling. If they do not do this, they have breached this duty.
- Causation and damages – You must be able to prove that the slip and fall you experienced and the damages you sustained, as a result, were caused through the neglect of care from the property owner.
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Slip and Fall Statute of Limitations in the State of Florida
In each state in the U.S., there is a statute of limitations set in place, which means that there is a limited amount of time that an accident victim has to be able to file a claim before it is waived completely.
In the State of Florida, the statute of limitations set in place clearly states that an accident victim has up to four years from the time of the accident to file a personal injury claim if they stand any chance of receiving any type of compensation.
However, in slip and fall cases where the accident victim was killed, then the accident victim’s family has up to two years to be able to file a wrongful death claim against the negligent party before their claim is barred.
Contact The Law Place Today!
If you or a loved one has been unfortunate enough to have suffered a fall resulting in injury or damages, you may be feeling as though you have been served a huge injustice and deserve compensation for your pain and suffering. Even if you believe your accident to be minor, let our law team help you to establish whether we think you qualify for receiving potentially life-changing amounts of compensation.
With a free call, we can schedule you in a free consultation with one of our helpful injury lawyers, which will give you the chance to explain to us the case at hand in a little more detail. With over seventy-five years worth of experience in personal injury cases, including slip and falls claims, our knowledgable legal team here at The Law Place assures you that your claim will stand the best chance possible with our guidance and support.
The sooner you take the first steps in contacting us, the sooner our team can get to work on building up your claim, so why wait! Contact us now at (941) 444-4444. We look forward to hearing from you!
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