The idea that a slip and fall could lead to severe injuries surprises some people. After all, our culture tends to treat these kinds of incidents like a joke or a momentary inconvenience, not a real source of risk and injury.
However, slipping and falling can easily result in head injuries, broken bones or other severe injuries that could cost thousands in medical care and even prevent someone from working. Most of the time, a slip-and-fall incident will fall under the umbrella of premises liability claims, meaning that they relate to the risk a business or individual incurs when they allow others onto their property.
When can you bring a claim against someone for injuries you suffered in a slip and fall?
You have to show that negligence or default contributed to your injury
There are situations that truly constitute accidents, which means that no one has direct responsibility for the outcome. Those hurt in an accident where there isn’t obvious fault may not have grounds to bring a claim. However, many times, a slip and fall will result from negligence on the part of a property owner.
For example, they may know that a refrigeration unit leaks condensation onto the floor but have chosen not to repair or upgrade the system due to the expense. They may have minimized the staff members on shift, which means there’s no one there to mop the front entrance when people track in precipitation from outside or spill items somewhere within the facility.
If you can show that proper maintenance, cleaning or signage would likely have prevented you from getting hurt, you may have grounds to bring a slip-and-fall-related premises liability claim against the business where you suffered your injury.