Property owners must keep their premises in a reasonably safe condition. When they fail to do so, and someone slips or trips and suffers an injury, the property owner could be liable.
Consult a dedicated personal injury attorney immediately if you were on another party’s property when you fell and got hurt. A Cocoa slip and fall lawyer could review your accident and explain your legal options. If the property owner or business operator was negligent, you could claim compensation for your losses.
Anyone who owns property open to the public or leases property to operate a business must keep the property in a reasonably safe condition. They must inspect regularly to find hidden hazards and promptly repair any condition that threatens the safety of visitors. If immediate repairs are not possible, the property owner must post warnings or prevent customers from accessing the area where the dangerous condition exists.
When the hazard is a “transitory foreign substance,” Florida Statute § 768.0755 offers a property owner or business operator limited protection. A customer seeking compensation must prove that the owner had a reasonable time to learn of the presence of the substance and clean it up. The owner or operator also could be liable if the injured person could prove the condition occurred regularly and its presence was foreseeable.
If an injured person slipped on a wet floor in a hardware store, for example, a Cocoa attorney could investigate the slip and fall to determine whether it was raining on the day of the accident. If so, they could argue that it was foreseeable that the floor would pose a slipping hazard, and the store owner should have directed employees to post warning signs and mop it up regularly.
Spills on the floor are a common way for someone to lose their footing but not the only way. Business owners and others who open their property to the public must guard against other hazards to protect visitors from falling and getting injured.
Property owners and business operators have a duty to inspect their premises regularly. They must make reasonable efforts to identify and repair hazards such as:
Property owners also could be liable if the floors are marble, highly polished wood, or another inherently slippery surface.
If someone falls while visiting a business or other public space, they should note the reason for their fall. If they tripped on an obstruction or debris, they should take pictures if possible. An injured person should seek medical treatment immediately after the fall to establish a connection between the incident and their injury.
Many falls cause embarrassment and perhaps a sore knee. However, other falls cause significant injuries that could linger and lead to considerable distress. A Cocoa slip and fall attorney could hold a negligent party responsible for all an injured person’s expenses and lifestyle adjustments while recovering from this event.
Falls often cause fractures, as well as sprains and strains of the joints and muscles in the arms, shoulders, and legs. Neck and shoulder hyperextension (whiplash) can produce debilitating symptoms for weeks or even months.
A hard impact could cause disfiguring facial injuries like a black eye, broken nose, or fractured jaw. In the worst cases, falls lead to concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries. Falls are also the leading cause of spinal cord injuries among older adults.
If a serious fall to the ground required you to seek medical care or take time off work, the property owner or business operator could be liable for your damages. Consult a Cocoa slip and fall lawyer to understand your rights in this situation.
A legal professional from The Umansky Law Firm Criminal Defense and Injury Attorneys could investigate the incident, calculate your damages, and ensure the negligent parties are accountable.
The Umansky Law Firm Criminal Defense & Injury Attorneys
