Slip and Fall Injury Lawyers

If you have experienced an injury caused by a slip and fall in Florida, you may be going through a lot of suffering. Your injury could mean that you are unable to return to work, or you have an increasing pile of medical expenses that you are struggling to afford. The sooner to speak to one of our skilled personal injury attorneys in Florida, the better. You and your family should not have to suffer through no fault of your own.

At The Law Place, we have a team of lawyers with more than 75 years of combined experience. Therefore, we are very familiar with the laws in Florida concerning slip and fall accidents. Don’t simply ignore your injuries from the accident in the hope that they will improve over time. Act today and seek the guidance of a reputable personal injury lawyer. Call us today for a free consultation with one of our skilled personal injury lawyers. A lawyer at our law firm will be able to offer you a free case review where they will clearly outline your best legal options. If you think you have an injury case, call us now at (941) 444-4444.

What Is a Slip and Fall Case?

What Is a Slip and Fall Case?

A ‘slip and fall’ refers to a variety of accidents that cause many different injuries. At The Law Place, we understand a ‘slip and fall’ to be an accident that occurs when a victim loses their footing, which results in them suffering a fall. These accidents are likely to leave victims suffering an array of injuries. The severity of the injuries that a victim can experience will depend on the severity of their fall. A lot of the time, these slip and fall accidents occur on someone else’s property. If you have suffered a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, the property owner may be at fault and could be held liable. If this is true for your injury case, you may be able to file a premised liability claim.

Types of Slip and Fall Claims

Slip and falls come in different ranges of severity, and it can be further complicated by whether it occurred on private or commercial property. Read on to learn about different hazards that can contribute to a slip and fall and the consequences that occur.

What Is Considered a Hazardous Condition in a Slip and Fall Case?

There are many circumstances that can constitute a hazardous condition. They include anything that has the potential to be harmful, cause injury, or have adverse health effects on someone.

What Are Some Examples of Dangerous Conditions That Qualify for a Slip and Fall Claim?

Trip hazards.
A wet floor.
A substance on the floor.
Changes in the height of surfaces.
Failure to have a proper handrail.
A lack of slip-resistant paint on a walkway.

How Long Does a Hazard Need to Be Present for a Property Owner to Be Found Liable?

There is no set time period for a hazard to be in place for a property owner to be found liable. However, they should have cleared the hazard as quickly as a reasonable person would have. A reasonable amount of time varies depending on the situation. But your lawyer will work to discover if they were aware of the hazard or whether they had proper systems in place to detect and remove hazards. Any unnecessary risk factors such as poor lighting and inadequate numbers of staff could secure their liability.

What If I’m Partly At Fault in a Slip and Fall Case

What If I’m Partly At Fault in a Slip and Fall Case?

Florida operates under comparative fault laws. So long as you are deemed to be less than 50% at fault for the incident, you can still make a claim. However, your settlement will be reduced by the amount you were deemed to be at fault.

What Safety Standards Do Property Owners Have to Have in Place?

Property owners in Florida have a duty to maintain a safe environment. Florida state law outlines safety standards that vary depending on the property. Everyone must meet certain fire regulations, while commercial property owners must ensure that their doors, windows, floors, and stairs are all safe and free from hazards. Landlords must also ensure that their properties are secure, toxin-free, smoke alarms, and working plumbing.

What Is the Difference Between Slip and Fall and Trip and Fall?

Trip and fall – injuries occur from these slip and fall accidents when people fall due to an uneven surface or because of an object in their way.
Step and fall – An accident of this nature in Sarasota occurs when a victim suffers a fall as the result of a low spot on the path or a hole existing in the ground.
Slip and fall – People frequently suffer these accidents in Sarasota, FL., when their fall is caused by an object or slippery liquid on the ground.

Regardless of your slip and fall accident, if you have suffered an accident in Sarasota, Florida, that has left you suffering a painful injury, contact The Law Place in Sarasota, FL., today! When you contact us, our slip and fall lawyers will be able to offer you a free consultation where they will schedule a free case review. Every case matters to us; allow our law firm to help you. We can help you win the compensation that you are entitled to for your accident in Sarasota County.

Who Are Most Vulnerable in Slip and Fall Accidents?

The most vulnerable group for slip and fall accidents is the elderly. It has been estimated that approximately one in every three people over the age of 65 in the United States will suffer a fall resulting in injuries.

Both men and women experience the same number of incidents when it comes to slip and fall fatalities. However, women tend to experience slip and fall accidents more than men.

Falls are responsible for more than forty percent of nursing home admissions of the elderly in Florida. Moreover, approximately sixty percent of nursing home residents will fall each year in Florida. Many conditions can contribute to a slip and fall accident. These include:

Narrow or poorly lit staircases.
Poorly lit areas.
Freshly mopped floors.
Walkway obstacles.
Potholes on outdoor surfaces.
Uneven surfaces on sidewalks.
Differences in floor height with no warning signs.

Where Do Slip and Fall Cases Occur?

You or a family member can suffer a slip and fall practically anywhere in Sarasota, FL. However, from our experience, some of the common locations where our clients have suffered falls include:

Restaurants.
Grocery stores.
Public restrooms.
Curbs.
Nightclubs.
Bars.
Construction areas.

Does Premises Liability Cover Slip and Falls?

Premises liability is a legal term used in cases where people have suffered injuries in an accident because of someone else’s property being in an unsuitable and/or unsafe condition. For example, premises liability cases often involve slip and fall accidents.

Most premises liability cases are the result of negligence. If you experience injuries in an accident and are hoping to win a premises liability case, you will have to prove the negligence of the property owner or business owner. Premises liability attorneys at The Law Place can help you with this. With the help of premises liability attorneys, you would need to prove that the property where you suffered your accident in Sarasota, Florida, was in a dangerous condition and that the property owners or business owners lacked reasonable care of their property. Premises liability attorneys at The Law Place will help you gather all of the necessary evidence required to do this.

However, just because you have suffered injuries on someone else’s property does not automatically mean that the property owners and business owners are classified as negligent in Sarasota County, Florida. Premises liability personal injury claims need to prove that property owners were aware that their properties were in an unsafe condition, and yet they chose to do nothing about it.

What Do I Do if I Want to File a Premises Liability Claim?

If you are considering filing a premises liability claim, contact us today at The Law Place. Our premises liability personal injury lawyers will be able to offer you a case review in a free consultation to determine your best course of action. Every case and story matters to us. You may have experienced life-changing injuries as the victim of a slip and fall accident. Let our personal injury law firm help you and your family. Our practice areas encompass the whole of Florida, but we have an office based in Sarasota.

How Do I Protect My Rights After a Slip and Fall Accident?

After suffering injuries in a slip and fall accident, you do have legal rights. It is critically important that you take the right steps necessary to protect those rights. This means that you must:

Seek medical attention – Your health should be your top priority after the accident. If you have experienced a serious injury, you should head straight to the emergency room. We would still recommend that you seek a professional opinion on a minor injury, as getting documentation of your injuries right from the very start will be hugely beneficial for you and your case.
Notify the property owner – It is very important that you notify the property owner if you have suffered an injury on their property. If you have injured yourself on business premises, you may be required to fill out an incident report. If this is the case, ensure that you acquire a copy of the report for yourself.
Collect evidence – Evidence is hugely beneficial in proving fault in a slip and fall accident. This evidence can include medical bills, photos of the accident scene, proof of lost wages, and your medical records.
Continue to document – Throughout your recovery and treatment, keep a journal of how your injuries are impacting your life and how your recovery is going.

What Should I Do After Injuring Myself on Someone Else’s Property?

If you injury yourself on someone else’s property, then you should take all of the steps listed above. Collect evidence, seek medical attention, collect evidence and continue to document.

What Damages Can I Receive for a Slip and Fall Claim?

Slip and falls occur all the time in Florida, and there are many injury victims entitled to compensation for their bills, pain, and suffering caused by their slip and fall accidents. The National Safety Council (NSC) has reported that over 800,000 people are hospitalized every year in the United States after suffering slip and falls. Our personal injury law firm, The Law Place, can help ensure that injury victims receive the compensation they deserve for their slip and fall accidents. All of our clients and every case matters to us. If you have suffered an accident that was not your fault, we will fight for your compensation. Injury victims can often receive compensation for the following:

Lost wages.
Medical bills and medical expenses.
Pain and suffering.
Permanent disability or injury.
Many other bills are directly related to your accident and injury.

What Further Compensation Could I Receive After a Slip and Fall in Florida?

Aside from receiving compensation for the general damages related to your injuries caused by a slip and fall accident, you may also be able to claim compensation for how your injury has impacted your personal life and family life. For example, you could file for your pain and suffering based on:

Your grief and worrying.
Missed family events and events with friends.
Sleep problems.
Your loss of enjoyment of life.
The inconvenience.

How Much Is The Average Slip and Fall Settlement?

How Much Is the Average Slip and Fall Settlement?

All slip and fall accidents in Sarasota, Florida, vary greatly. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately predict just how much you could expect to receive in a settlement for your injury case. Usually, the amount that an injury victim can expect to receive in compensation for their case will depend on the circumstances surrounding their accident. The amount of compensation that you can expect to receive in a settlement for your case will depend on:

The severity of the injuries that you have sustained.
How great of an impact your injuries have had on your life.
Who the negligent party was; in a slip and fall case in Florida, this is usually the property owner.

By contacting The Law Place today, an attorney will be able to offer you a free case review. In this free case evaluation, they will examine your case to try and determine what sort of settlement you could expect to receive after suffering your experience.

Should I Accept a Cash Settlement From the Insurance Company Adjuster For my Slip and Fall Injury?

We recommend that you reject the first settlement you are offered as it is likely to be much less than what you deserve. Remember that once you accept a settlement, you cannot fight for anything more. The goal of insurance adjusters is to save insurance companies money. They want you to accept a low settlement. Most of the time, if you reject a settlement, negotiations will continue. Speak to a personal injury lawyer first so they can ensure that you are not taken advantage of.

What Is the Statute of Limitations for a Slip and Fall Claim in Florida?

If you have suffered injuries as the result of a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property in Sarasota County, it is important that you act quickly. Florida Statute 713.23 states that after suffering an accident, you have four years to make a personal injury claim. If a slip and fall accident in Sarasota, Florida, has tragically resulted in the death of the victim, you only have two years after the accident happened to file a claim for wrongful death.

Despite these limitations, our Florida personal injury law firm recommends that you file your claim for compensation to insurance companies and property owners way in advance of these legal limitations.

Who Can I Sue in a Slip and Fall Claim?

You can sue any property owner (or their insurance company) following a slip and fall.

Is It Important to Act Quickly After Suffering a Slip and Fall in Florida?

One of the main reasons why you need to act quickly after suffering a slip and fall is that as time goes on, the critical evidence required to prove negligence in your case can become less and less credible. This is because some evidence may only be available for a short period of time after you have suffered your slip and fall accident in Florida. For example, surveillance footage. Surveillance footage tends to be wiped after a while, so if you don’t act quickly, you may lose this critical evidence that could prove the negligence of the property owners.

It is also important that you act quickly because it is inevitable that witnesses’ memories will fade over time, and their statements will become far less credible for your case. This can make your personal injury claim for compensation far more difficult.

If you want to receive the maximum amount of compensation you can after suffering a slip and fall accident, contact us today at The Law Place. Our personal injury law firm in Sarasota, Florida, has a team of Sarasota slip and fall lawyers ready to fight your case. All of our clients matter to us, and we fight our very hardest to ensure that they receive the compensation that they deserve to cover their pain and suffering and medical expenses. Call us at The Law Place today for a free case evaluation.

Should I Get a Lawyer for a Slip and Fall?

At The Law Place, we highly recommend that victims of slip and falls seek the legal guidance of a personal injury lawyer. One of the main reasons for this is because, in Florida, comparative negligence can be used in slip and fall cases. This means that a court in Florida will compare the victim to the property owner to decide who is most at fault for the accident.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for courts in Florida to decide that a person who is careless enough to get injured should not receive the compensation that they desire, even if the property was in a dangerous condition. Personal injury lawyers at The Law Place in Sarasota, FL., fight for their clients to ensure that this is not the outcome. By seeking the help of legal experts, you will greatly improve your chances of receiving the compensation that you deserve for your case.

What Do Slip and Fall Lawyers Do?

A lawyer will be able to build you a case by gathering all the necessary evidence to prove the negligence of the property owner. Your lawyer will handle the negotiations and paperwork so that you do have to. You don’t have to experience this alone. By hiring a lawyer, you will be able to lift a massive weight off your shoulders and enjoy more valuable time with your family, knowing that your lawyer is in control of the situation.

Additionally, if negotiations are not progressing and you are not being offered the settlement you deserve, a lawyer will not hesitate to take your case to court. To achieve the maximum amount of compensation possible after suffering a slip and fall accident in Sarasota, Fl., it is crucial that you have a lawyer fighting your case. Call us today to speak to one of our lawyers to schedule a free case evaluation. Don’t experience this alone.

Will My Slip and Fall Case Be Settled Out of Court?

Usually, in Florida, premises liability claims and personal injury claims filed as a result of a victim suffering a Sarasota slip and fall accident are resolved in a settlement with insurance companies and property owners, avoiding going to trial.

You may be relieved to know that only 2% of slip and fall accidents ever go to trial. There are many reasons for this, the main one being that if every slip and fall case went to court in Florida, the courts would not be able to manage the volume of slip and fall cases. The National Floor Safety Institute has published that half of all the accidental deaths that occur in the home are caused by falls. This is a huge number of cases, and it would not be possible for the courts to hear every single one.

Furthermore, the threat of taking a premises liability claim to court against property owners after an accident will usually be a catalyst to receive a settlement from the insurance companies and property owners. The threat of a trial in most injury cases will result in cases being resolved relatively quickly. If you have further queries about the possibility of going to court with your Sarasota slip and fall accident case, contact us today. A personal injury attorney at our personal injury law firm will be able to answer all of your questions in a free consultation.

How Can I Prove Negligence in a Slip and Fall Case?

Proving negligence in a slip and fall claim is surprisingly difficult to do. This is why, at The Law Place, we strongly recommend that you seek the guidance of legal experts and an attorney to work on your case with you. Proving negligence is difficult because you must be able to prove that the owner of the property where you suffered your accident was aware of the dangerous condition. This unsafe condition must have been an unreasonable risk to you and must be a condition that you could not have reasonably anticipated.

Furthermore, the property owner must have been aware of the dangerous condition and failed to correct it. For a property owner to be held liable for your injuries, they must have been able to understand that an accident could occur if they did not act upon the dangerous hazard.

What Evidence Do I Need to File a Slip and Fall Claim?

To win a slip and fall claim, you must evidence that:

The property owner knew or should have known about the hazard.
The owner did not take actions as a reasonable person would to remove the danger or protect you from harm.
Due to their negligence, you suffered injuries

How Can a Lawyer Help Me with My Slip and Fall Case?

A slip and fall lawsuit is usually quite complex and not the easiest to win. At The Law Place, we strongly recommend that you seek the professional guidance of a personal injury lawyer if you are pursuing a lawsuit against a property owner or insurance company. Your lawyer will help you to prove that:

That the slip and fall are directly related to the injuries that you have sustained and are claiming compensation for.
That your accident was caused by the negligence of the property owner.
That your injuries sustained through your slip and fall have led to the financial losses that you are claiming for, such as your medical bills.

Our slip and fall lawyers are experts in winning our clients their lawsuits and compensation that they deserve. Don’t just forget about your accident. Our personal injury law firm can help you claim the compensation that you deserve for your medical expenses. Don’t let the negligence of a property owner ruin your personal life and family life. Your accident was not your fault.

How Long Does a Slip and Fall Claim Take to Settle?

If you have been in negotiations with a property owner or insurance company about your injury caused by a slip and fall accident, and you find that you’re making no progress and are not coming to a settlement, you may be wondering how long it typically takes for these cases to be settled. Unfortunately, the difficult nature of proving negligence in these accident cases means that settlements often take quite a while to complete.

The typical timeline of a slip and fall case will include the following stages in Florida:

Seek appropriate medical care and attention.
File a complaint and summons.
Wait to receive the defendant’s answer. In slip and fall cases, this is typically the property owner.
Send the demand letter.
Pre-trial discovery phase.
Pre-trial discovery motions.
Mediation and settlement.
Trial.
Collect your judgment.

Therefore, it is clear to see why settlements for slip and fall cases can take so long. We understand that this whole process may seem daunting, and we would like to reassure you that most of the time, cases will be resolved without needing to go to court. Usually, the threat of taking the party at fault to court is enough to achieve a settlement that you would be satisfied with. Contact us at The Law Place, and a lawyer will be able to guide you through the whole process and help you achieve the compensation that you deserve.

Slip and Falls at Theme Parks in Florida

Most of the time, theme parks in Florida are safe places to be. However, with millions of people visiting these parks every year, accidents inevitably happen. For most people, a slip and fall in a theme park will leave them with cut knees and/ or bruises. However, if you or a family member experience a serious injury in a theme park because of the park’s negligence, you may be eligible to receive compensation for those injuries.

We strongly recommend that you seek the guidance of one of our lawyers at The Law Place if you are planning on filing a claim against a theme park. Most theme parks are prepared to aggressively defend themselves against slip and fall claims. Therefore, without the help of a highly skilled lawyer, the chances are that you will be unsuccessful in your claim.

On a positive note, theme parks wish to avoid bad publicity at all costs. This can help your case massively as it will usually mean that the park will want to settle the case quickly and quietly. However, it is important to understand that theme parks will typically offer you a settlement for far less than what you deserve in the hope that you agree and the case can be forgotten about. Theme parks have a duty of care to maintain themselves as safe environments for visitors to enjoy. If you or a family member has been injured at a theme park, contact us today at The Law Place in Sarasota, FL. One of our Sarasota lawyers will begin work on building you a strong case straight away after your free case evaluation.

Slip and Falls in Florida Stores

If you or a family member experience a slip and fall accident in a store, the first and most important thing to do is to check whether you have sustained any injuries. If you experience serious injuries, you should seek medical attention immediately. If you have experienced minor injuries, we would still recommend that you get your injures checked by medical experts, but there is no urgent need to rush to the hospital.

If you are well enough, try and gather as much evidence as you can. We recommend that you take photographs or videos of the scene to help your case later. You can also try and speak to the store manager if the property owner is not present. Make them aware of your slip and fall accident, and together, you may be able to come to some sort of agreement to resolve your slip and fall case.

Depending on the severity of your slip and fall case and the willingness of the store manager or property owner to cooperate, you may instead wish to seek the professional help of personal injury attorneys. Our attorneys at The Law Place can offer you a free case review if you have suffered a slip and fall accident in a Sarasota, FL., store. Your attorney will be able to approach your insurance company or the property owner on your behalf to try and reach a financial agreement to compensate you for your slip and fall accident.

If I Suffer an Injury on Public Property, Is the City Liable?

If you suffer an injury on public property – a property that is government-owned, then you can still claim damages through a liability lawsuit. However, the laws are slightly different, and there is a limit to how much you can obtain in compensation. Under Florida Statute 768.28(5), actual damages are capped at $200,000.

When Can I Expect to Get Paid from My Slip and Fall Claim?

There is no average or common amount of compensation that people receive after suffering an injury as the result of a slip and fall accident in Sarasota, Florida. All accidents and injury cases are different, and therefore, it is difficult to predict the precise amount of compensation you could expect to receive for your personal injury after a fall. If you or a family member experience a slip and fall in a supermarket, you could be eligible to claim compensation.

This is because slip and fall cases in Sarasota, Florida, fall under a category of law known as premises liability. The property owners of supermarkets have a duty of care to ensure that their property is safe and at no risk of causing injury to their visitors and customers. Often, this responsibility is delegated to store managers in big chain supermarkets. Therefore, supermarkets should not have liquids on the floor or any other hazard that could result in a person tripping, slipping, or falling. If the property owner or supermarket manager is aware of a hazard, it is their responsibility to warn customers in an attempt to avoid accidents happening.

What Happens When Store Owners Ignore Their Duty of Care?

Unfortunately, not all property owners and store managers make it their priority to maintain the safety of their premises. It is common for store owners and managers to put off essential maintenance work for dangerously long periods of time to avoid spending money on their store and achieve a greater profit. If this was the case when your slip and fall accident occurred, the store owner or manager would have breached their duty of care to their customers, and they can be held liable. At The Law Place, we strongly recommend that you seek the guidance of a Sarasota slip and fall lawyer.

Your personal injury lawyer will be able to offer you a free case review to examine your Sarasota accident. You should seek the legal advice of legal experts in Florida if you are planning on filing a personal injury claim or premises liability claim against a store. This is because stores tend to have aggressive legal teams ready to defend them and minimize their financial losses, especially larger chain stores that can afford them. The insurance companies of the stores are also very reluctant to payout.

Do I Need the Help of a Lawyer if I Fall in a Florida Store?

It is important that you seek the help of an attorney after suffering an accident in a Sarasota store. Stores in Sarasota frequently try and devalue cases held against them by claiming that they were unaware of the hazards and dangerous conditions in their stores. Not only this, but they often try and shift the blame of the accident onto the innocent victim and their carelessness.

It is for these reasons that you must seek the professional legal help of a reputable attorney. If you don’t have a skilled team of attorneys fighting your case, you may end up settling for an agreement that is less than what you deserve for your pain and suffering. Contact us at The Law Place if you think you may have an injury case eligible for compensation.

What Happens if I Don’t See a Doctor After a Fall in Florida?

If you or a family member has suffered a fall, the most common immediate reaction is embarrassment. The sad truth is that many people will ignore their accident and hope that their injuries improve overtime or get better on their own. However, if a person does this and their injuries do not get better, claiming compensation for these injuries later on, after finally seeking medical attention, will be incredibly difficult.

Property owners will refuse to pay out for medical bills, lost wages, or pain and suffering because they will claim that their injuries were not caused by the fall they suffered on their property. They will exploit the time between the accident taking place and you seeking medical attention to argue that the two are not related.

Should I See a Doctor After a Fall in Florida?

At The Law Place, we strongly recommend that you seek medical attention immediately after sustaining injuries from suffering a slip and fall accident in Sarasota, Florida. If you have been the victim of an accident and received serious injuries, go to the emergency room straight away. Seeing a doctor will mean that the injuries you suffered due to your slip and fall will be independently documented. This documentation by a doctor will hugely help your premises liability or personal injury claim. It will also prevent the property owner from denying the fact that your injuries were sustained on their property as a result of your fall in Florida.

What Are the Most Serious Consequences of a Fall?

Slip, and falls can result in many serious injuries. Sometimes, people who suffer injuries because of their Sarasota slip and falls deny just how serious their injuries are. The adrenaline in most people leads them to believe that their injuries are only minor and not serious enough for a visit to the emergency room. What may initially seem like a minor injury can develop into something much more serious over time. If you or a family member has suffered a slip and fall for your own benefit, our law firm strongly recommends that you seek medical attention from a doctor. Some of the most serious consequences of a slip and fall include:

Spinal cord injuries – A Sarasota slip and fall accident can result in a victim suffering these injuries. The spinal cord is very delicate, and a fall of any kind can damage it. A person who suffers a great impact on their neck, upper back, lower back, or even buttocks is at great risk of suffering a spinal cord injury. It possible for a person to become paralyzed after suffering a Sarasota slip and fall and landing on their back
Broken and fractured bones – These injuries are incredibly common in people who have suffered a Sarasota slip and fall. These cases, although not as severe as spinal cord injuries, can prove to be a major issue for an elderly victim. Regardless of the severity of the injury, every person should seek to receive compensation from their insurance company or property owner after sustaining injuries in an accident through no fault of their own.
Brain injuries – People can experience these injuries after suffering from Sarasota slip and fall accidents that caused them to experience a great impact on their neck or skull. Even accidents that involve the smallest impact to the head can cause bleeding on the brain, known as hematomas. Brain damage is incredibly severe and can have life-long consequences.

What Should You Check After a Fall?

If you experience a Sarasota slip and fall, you may have suffered a severe injury through no fault of your own. We strongly recommend that it is in the best interest of your health to seek medical attention. Have a doctor check over the injury you have sustained to see if any major damage has been caused.

If you experience a slip and fall in a store or on someone else’s property and have hit your head, the likelihood is that you will have suffered a concussion. After your accident, there are certain things that you should check to determine whether you may be concussed:

Whether you have a headache.
Whether you feel nauseous.
If you are suffering fatigue.
If you are confused.
Whether you have ringing in your ears.
Whether you are suffering dizziness.

We also highly recommend that you go and visit a doctor if you notice you are suffering back pain after your Sarasota slip and fall in Florida. Depending on the severity of your back pain, it might be wiser to approach a physiotherapist if your back pain isn’t too severe. Your health is paramount, so you should never let the fear of lost wages or medical expenses deter you from seeking the help that you need. Call us today in Florida if you think you may have a case. A personal injury attorney at The Law Place will offer you a free case evaluation and case review in your free consultation. Contact us today to begin your journey of claiming the compensation that you deserve, your story matters to us. Don’t let the negligence of a property owner dampen the lives of you or your family.

How Long Are You Sore After a Fall?

After suffering a Sarasota slip and fall accident, if you experience minor pain, the likelihood is that your pain will eventually go away with plenty of rest. It is also recommended that depending on your pain or injuries that you apply ice packs and take some over-the-counter pain relief to help combat the soreness of your injuries.

If the minor pain you have suffered from your Sarasota slip and fall case does not subside after a few weeks, it is in your best interest to seek the medical attention of a doctor.

In slip and fall injury cases that result in sprains or strains, injuries can be incredibly sore for the victims. Back or neck pain of any kind can signal a spinal cord injury. It is very important that if you have suffered a slip and fall and experience changes in sensation or lose sensation in your legs and arms that you head to the emergency room immediately. This could indicate a very severe injury that could be life-changing. Therefore, getting the help of a professional is strongly recommended.

How Do You Know When an Injury Is Serious?

If you or a family member has suffered a slip and fall accident in the State of Florida, there are some signs that you can look out for to determine whether the injuries sustained are severe. These include:

Tingling or numbness.
Weakness.
Instability.
Limited range of movement.
Swelling.

If you or a family member experience any of these after your Sarasota slip and fall accident, seek medical attention immediately. After suffering your accident, if you are badly hurt or unable to move at all, call as loud as you possibly can. It is also crucial that you keep as warm as possible whilst you wait for help.

What Happens in a Slip and Fall Case?

The process begins with a summons and a complaint which explains the details of your case, who is responsible for your injuries, and what you expect in a settlement.

The defendant will then Answer your Complaint where they will admit or deny allegations. They can also ask for more information and ask for ‘affirmative defenses,’ – legal doctrines that the defendant will try to prove to reduce their liability.

Following this is the discovery phase, where evidence can be gathered. This may involve requests for production for things like CCTV or documents related to the case, as well as interrogatories (questions that people must answer under oath).

It may sound complex, but an attorney will guide you through the process and minimize any stress that you might be feeling.

What Happens When You Go to Court for a Slip and Fall Case?

Most cases never go to trial, but if yours does, then it will happen when the discovery phase is closed. Your case will be on a ‘trial docket,’ and you will be given a date that could change.

Depending on how complex your case is and what judge you have, your trial could last two to five days.

If you are successful, then the defendant has 30 to 60 days to pay a judgment. If they fail to pay, then your lawyer will work to force collection.

Do I Need a Lawyer for My Slip and Fall Case?

Although you can represent yourself in a slip and fall case, you may face a stressful battle that can be overwhelming when managing yourself. Slip and falls cases are difficult to navigate, but a lawyer will know how to carry out your case.

No, you do not need an attorney for a slip and fall accident. You can file a personal injury claim or lawsuit by yourself, negotiate a settlement, and even represent yourself in court.

With the help of a lawyer, you are more likely to be successful in your claim, and you will be more likely to receive a greater amount of compensation.

The Law Place Can Help You

If you or a family member has been the innocent victim of a slip and fall accident in Sarasota and you have suffered injuries, you should contact our team of skilled lawyers at The Law Place today. Our lawyers care about your story. We promise that we will do all that we can to ensure that you receive the compensation you are entitled to for your injuries.

We understand that suffering an injury of any kind can be very traumatic, and the consequences that follow can be hugely stressful. Losing wages because of your inability to work and mounting medical expenses are a burden that you shouldn’t have to face alone. If you have been injured on someone else’s property through no fault of your own, you may be entitled to compensation. Don’t waste another moment. Contact us today for a free case evaluation to check whether you have an injury case worthy of compensation. Call us now at (941) 444-4444.