Were You Hurt in a Fall on Another Person or Business’ Property? Call Our Slip & Fall Attorneys in Levittown, PA for Help
If you or a loved one were seriously injured in a slip, trip, and fall occurring on the property of another person, business, or government agency, you may have a “premises liability” case. This may entitle you to recover compensation for your personal injury caused by a fall, including pain and suffering, medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. Even if you believe you may have been partially at fault, you may still be entitled to recover compensation with the help of an experienced slip and fall lawyer in Levittown, PA.
Here at Silver & Silver, we have over 40 years of experience representing individuals and their families in nearly all types of serious personal injury accidents, including slips, trips, and falls. We know how devastating these types of personal injury accidents can be, which is why we give all clients personalized attention and truly listen to every possible fact, injury, and claim that could help strengthen a premises liability lawsuit. Whether you are hurt on the property of a neighbor, business, or government entity, call to learn how we can help recover compensation for you.
Common Causes of Slip and Falls in Pennsylvania
There are many different ways that a person could be seriously injured in a slip, trip, and fall accident. Many of the most common causes are due to the reckless, careless, or outright negligent conduct of a property owner, tenant, or maintainer. Some of the most common causes of slip and falls include the following:
- Spilled products on the floor of a store
- Snow and ice
- Tracked in rain on the floor/melted snow on the floor
- Leaky refrigeration units
- Debris or garbage on the floor
- Uneven flooring
- Excessive use of floor cleaning agents like soap or wax
- Holes in the flooring or ground
- Uneven steps or broken stairs
- Leaky AC units
- Unsafe floor mopping practices
- Broken handrails or no handrails on stairs, and
- Other common slip, trip, and fall hazards on the floor which could result in serious or disabling personal injuries.
Proving Liability in a Slip and Fall Accident in Pennsylvania
In order to recover compensation for a slip, trip, and fall accident in Pennsylvania, a victim must prove liability or fault. This can be done by establishing that the landowner, tenant, or maintainer failed to exercise reasonable care in the use, operation, or maintenance of their property which exposed others to an unreasonable risk of injury. That risk of injury could have been created by the defendant or failed to have been repaired in a reasonable period of time.
Thus, the general requirements that are necessary to prove in a slip, trip, and fall case in Pennsylvania include the following:
- There was a dangerous, defective, or otherwise hazardous condition on the property
- The defendant either 1) created the defect, 2) had actual knowledge of the defect, or 3) had constructive knowledge of the defect
- The victim was injured and suffered damages, and
- The victim’s injuries were proximately caused by the dangerous or defective condition.
Partial Fault is Not a Defense to a Slip, Trip, and Fall
Our slip and fall lawyers in Levittown, PA, know that most defense lawyers and insurance adjusters will try to argue that your slip, trip, and fall was your fault. This is known as comparative fault. While it is a viable defense in some cases, even if it applies, that does not mean that a victim may be barred from recovering compensation. Rather, Pennsylvania law reduces the victim’s proportional share of comparative fault.
For example, if you recover $100,000 in verdict but were 10% at fault for your slip, trip, and fall, your total recovery may be reduced by 10% to $90,000. This still allows you to recover a substantial sum of compensation, although most insurance adjusters will tell you that your comparative fault bars nearly all recovery. As you can see, that is not true.
Call Our Slip & Fall Attorneys in Levittown, PA for Help
If you or a loved one suffered any type of brain injury, spinal cord injury, broken bone, knee or shoulder injury, back injury, or any other type of personal injury on the property of another person, business, or government agency, call Silver & Silver today. Our compassionate and experienced slip and fall lawyers in Levittown, PA, can help protect your rights to compensation for pain and suffering, medical bills, lost wages, and other damages.
Learn more during a FREE consultation by dialing 610-638-7255 or by sending us a message with our “contact us” box available here.