Property owners must take reasonable care to prevent those legally on their property from sustaining an injury. However, they are not always liable if someone gets hurt. An attorney can help you prove the necessary elements to win your claim.
Falls are serious. Every year, over 8.5 million people in the U.S. are injured from falls, and another 35,000 die from fall-related injuries. Unfortunately, most falls are preventable, whether by the person who fell or those who controlled the environment where the fall occurred. If you suffered a severe injury because of a fall in or on business property, you might have a valid slip and fall claim. The best way to find out is to reach out to a qualified Huntsville personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Your attorney can determine if the company is liable for your slip and fall injuries.
Property owners have a duty of care to keep their property free from hazards that could pose a danger to anyone legally allowed onto the premises. A property owner or someone acting as their agent or employees must do everything within reason to protect those lawfully on their property from getting hurt. It’s important to note that property owners aren’t inevitably liable or financially responsible for every injury that happens on their property. This includes each slip and fall. By meeting with an experienced Huntsville personal injury attorney, you can find out if you have a valid claim.
A successful slip and fall claim should establish the following:
Reasonableness and foreseeability are crucial to the success of every slip and fall claim. Actions accepted as normal and appropriate by other property owners in similar situations are reasonable. If a property owner didn’t recognize a situation as dangerous or did recognize it and didn’t do something to fix it or prevent the slip and fall, they didn’t act reasonably.
Foreseeable means the property owner or someone acting on their behalf knew or should have known that the hazardous condition existed and that it could lead to injuries. Reasonableness and foreseeability are connected. Taking reasonable actions involves some foreseeability.
For example, a waiter who steps over several ice cubes on the restaurant floor knew they could cause someone to fall. If they don’t act to clean up the ice cubs, they are negligent if someone slips and falls.
Sustaining an injury in a slip-and-fall accident is challenging and stressful enough. Navigating the legal process to receive the compensation you deserve doesn’t have to be. At Cloud, Ryan & Rouse, we’re here to guide you every step of the way. Get the legal process started with a free consultation with an experienced Huntsville personal injury attorney. Help is only a phone call away. Call us at 256-801-1000 or complete our online contact form.
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