Hire a skilled personal injury attorney and help build your solid slip and fall case at no upfront cost to you. Learn more about how Coleman Law Group’s slip and fall attorney will help you secure the maximum compensation for your injuries.
Accidental slips and falls can happen at any moment. They can happen in the workplace, in an apartment building, in a shopping mall, in a parking lot, and even on stage in a live performance. If it’s a direct result of someone else’s negligence, you can file a claim. Especially when you’ve sustained serious injuries or damages.
In many cases, falls occur in poorly-maintained premises or hazardous environments. They can occur in a slippery staircase, gaping potholes, broken concrete floors, and more. A personal injury attorney will establish culpability, collect evidence, and build a solid personal injury case to help secure compensation that is commensurate with your injuries.
Coleman Law Group’s slip and fall lawyer in St. Petersburg will assess your case from all possible angles and then seek to get you the total compensation you deserve. If the lines are blurred with some of the blame falling on you (inappropriate footwear, walking under the influence, etc.), we’ll still take a clinical look and make sure you don’t bear all the brunt alone.
If You Deserve Compensation, Our Slip and Fall Lawyers in St. Petersburg Will Help You Secure It
The first thing we do in a consultation is to establish the facts. Did someone make an unconscionable mistake that ended up putting others at risk of injury? Did someone fail to do something at the right time to remove the dangers at the accident scene?
Florida laws oblige property owners to maintain specific safety standards on their premises, including warding off people from risk-prone areas. If a property owner fails to do so and you fell and broke a joint or sustained serious injuries or damages because of that, they must be held accountable and responsible for the accident.
Frequently liability is established early on, and insurance companies offer an acceptable pre-litigation settlement offer. However, suppose their proposal does not adequately compensate you for your injuries. In that case, we’ll build a strong case against them to bring them back to the negotiating table or allow a jury of your peers to decide the value of your case.
The hardest part is proving to the court that the fall clearly happened because the property owner failed to take the right action at a reasonable time. Once that’s done, the more accessible part is debating your compensation.
Even if your case is not as strong as we would hope, it’s still possible to glean a percentage of compensation for your injuries. Our St. Petersburg slip and fall attorneys can settle for comparative negligence, where you get compensated in proportion to the amount of blame on the property owner’s part.
Nonetheless, our seasoned personal injury experts will work tirelessly to get you compensated for your injuries. We won’t charge you a dime upfront until we secure your compensation.
Book a free consultation today, and let’s get you the relief you deserve.
What Makes a Strong Slip and Fall Case?
If you have a slip and fall case, we’ll go all out to get you the maximum compensation. In order to prevail in a slip and fall case in St. Petersburg, we will need to prove that the fall happened squarely because the property owner failed to put the required safety measures in place or caution you against the risk of injury. It must be proven that the property owner was aware of or should have been aware of the hazard and was in a position to intervene but failed to do so on time.
The evidence you need ranges from those proving the fall and resulting injuries and the property owner’s actual or constructive knowledge of the injury risks. Photographs of the scene at the time of the fall, testimonies from eyewitnesses and people who work in the area, the property owner’s responses, and medical bills can all help cement your case. We’ll work closely with you to collect all the evidence and assemble the information to prevent the insurance company.
What Evidence Do You Need to Prove Your Slip and Fall Claim?
Surveillance footage:
In many instances, slips and falls are captured by surveillance cameras on the premises. The first place to check for evidence is the surveillance room. However, the assumption where the slip and fall occurred is not required to provide any footage until a lawsuit is filed during the discovery phase. Photos and images taken by the victim are also precious.
Photos of the scene taken from the victim’s phone:
Ideally, the footage and photos should show the conditions that caused the slip and fall – slippery floors left unmarked, uneven surfaces, poor lighting, obstacles like chords and equipment on the floor, broken handrails, etc.
Eyewitness testimony:
Eye witness testimonies are also significant. All the better if they took photos of the fall scene right when it happened or if they’ve had a near fall once before at the risk-prone area. Get their contact info, and keep in touch so that, if needed, they are available to discuss what they witnessed.
Documents from emergency services:
If a call was placed to an emergency service from the premises on your behalf, ask the emergency service for a copy of the event documents.
Shoes and clothing:
Your shoes and clothing at the time of the slip and fall incident can also provide strong evidence. If they were torn, drenched in mud, or stained with the substance you stepped on; they can increase the gravity of your case.
Store them away immediately after the incident without cleaning them, possibly in plastic zipper bags.
Pictures of injuries:
Pictures of your bruises, cuts, and swelling are also crucial right after your slip and fall. Document the recovery process as well to paint a clearer picture of your personal injury.
Official warning notices:
Some evidence that can help prove the property owner’s culpability include any official notice from an inspection team, a concerned patron, etc., warning against the risks of injuries. Suppose an occupant once wrote to the property manager or filed an incident report from another slip and fall injury regarding a broken staircase railing and did nothing about it. In that case, that could help prove the negligent behavior of the premise owner.
Evidence of the owner’s presence at the accident scene
Other crucial testimonies can come from people who saw the property owner at the accident scene right before the event. They can help prove that the property owner saw the dangers and hazards at the accident scene but deliberately sidestepped them for an unreasonable amount of time.
What Happens if the Evidence is Compromised?
You should contact an attorney right after a serious slip and fall injury to get a heads up on the evidence you should look out for during the first crucial moments of the incident. Slip and fall lawyers in St. Petersburg also take preemptive steps like sending the establishment a spoliation letter warning them against tampering with any evidence.
They’ll ask them to preserve any camera footage and talk to witnesses around the scene. In most cases, these preemptive measures are enough to deter the property owners or anyone else from destroying any critical evidence.
Findings show that an establishment may be more likely to tamper with the evidence to exonerate themselves without a timely spoliation letter. They could either negatively affect the case entirely or erode the credibility and fault-lines of the case to reduce the potential compensation.
Suppose your attorney senses that the establishment is jeopardizing your case, and the risk of losing evidence is high. In that case, the personal injury lawyer in St. Petersburg may decide it’s best to file your case sooner than later to get the court’s assistance to prevent any wrongdoing. It may also be necessary to file for an injunction in the court, ordering them to hand over evidence.
But in any case, your best option is always to hire a skilled personal injury attorney in St. Petersburg to help make sure the evidence you’ve gathered or seek – photos from your device, testimonies from eyewitnesses, and your shoes and clothing are preserved. In the case where other evidence cannot be obtained or preserved, you can fall back on your evidence.
What Type of Injuries are Considered in a Slip and Fall Case?
Slip and falls injuries are one of the leading causes of accidental personal injury in the U.S. They can lead to injuries ranging from minor bruises and cuts to life-threatening injuries or permanent disabilities.
However, your injuries must align with the fall’s description. The insurance attorney may try to disprove that the injuries directly resulted from the slip and fall.
Here are some of the most common injuries that result from slip and fall accidents:
Broken Bones
Slips and falls may lead to impacted bones, especially in the areas where you land, from the ankles to legs, wrists, and upper arm. Such bone fractures may require hospitalization and surgery or extensive rehab.
Shoulder Injuries
Shoulder dislocation, known as a ‘brachial plexus injury, is also common among slip and fall victims. It happens when victims try to brace against the impact of the fall with their arms and shoulder. The brachial plexus, a network of nerves connecting the shoulder to the spinal cord, can be overstretched and torn apart by the impact of a fall.
Injuries in the Neck, Back, or Spinal Cord
These are some of the most serious types of slip and fall injuries, as they can have a long-term impact on your mobility and productivity. If you fell on your back, you could dislocate your vertebrae or injure your spine, with serious symptoms like chronic back and neck pain or a partial stroke.
Head Injuries
Falling head-first could lead to serious head injuries with long-term consequences. If you sustain a concussion, the concussion could take weeks or months to heal and could result in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Head injuries from a slip and fall can have long-term effects like cognitive impairment, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and extreme behavioral changes.
Torn Muscles and Ligaments
You could also seriously hurt muscles in different parts of your body, from your hamstrings (hips) to your glutes (bottom), core (abdomen), and pectorals (chest muscles). Torn muscles are notorious for their chronic pain and lengthy recovery.
Lacerations
Many falls lead to skin cuts and bruises. Some may be minor, and others profound and severe. They could leave permanent scars or even disfigure your face.
How Does a Slip and Fall Attorney in St. Petersburg Prove your Injuries and Damages?
Besides ensuring that the recount of the fall clearly aligns with your injuries, your lawyer must also prove your injury using a raft of evidence. The most important piece is your medical report, where a certified medical expert clearly describes the injuries and possible causes, which should tally with your description of the fall.
It’s absolutely critical to see a doctor or physician right after a slip and fall in St. Petersburg. The longer it takes between the incident and medical attention, the more room the defense team has to concoct theories and disprove your case.
And the more comprehensive the medical test, the more vivid the case you make. X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and psychological evaluations can all help paint a clear picture of the damage you’ve sustained.
Your attorney can also prove other types of damages beyond those of your physical body, including psychological and economic damages.
A breakdown of all the damages featured slip and fall in St. Petersburg cases:
Medical bills:
Your medical report will also come with a full breakdown of all your medical expenses. We’ll seek accrued not only for medical expenses but also for future expenses as well.
Lost Working Hours
We can also seek compensation for missed work due to the effects of your slip and fall injuries. If the accident leaves you permanently disabled or permanently deprived of the capacity to make your current career, we’ll fight for the compensation that covers all your future earnings.
Pain and Suffering
Your slip and fall St. Petersburg attorney can also get you compensation for your pain and suffering. This is usually a tricky part, but your attorney can make a strong case by proving the severity of the injury, the degree of pain commonly associated with it, its long-term consequences, and its impact on your daily life.
Let’s Fight Together for Justice in Your Slip and Fall Case
If your case deserves compensation, we’ll explore every possible legal means to secure it for you. Our seasoned attorney will help you collect evidence, including a comprehensive medical report and testimonies from key witnesses. We’ll weave all the evidence and testimonies into a compact, coherent case with no cracks that the insurance company reviews.
Take advantage of the fact that you pay nothing unless we get you compensated for your injuries. Book a free consultation and let’s see how we can work together to get justice for your slip and fall injuries.
