A slip and fall accident has a much greater potential to cause serious injury than many realize. A fall can result in head injuries, broken bones, back injuries, and in the most serious cases, it can even be fatal.
Property owners and those responsible for maintaining properties, such as business owners, must take reasonable steps to prevent slip and falls from occurring on their premises. If you were injured in a slip, trip, or fall accident on another person’s property in Philadelphia because of a hazard that a property owner failed to address, you may be able to recover compensation for your losses.
Schedule a free legal consultation with one of our Philadelphia slip and fall lawyers at Stark & Stark to learn more about your legal rights.
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Philadelphia Slip & Fall Accidents: Common Causes
Not all slip and fall accidents are random occurrences that can be excused by clumsiness. There are many instances when slip and falls result from a property owner’s negligence, or lack of care. Examples of negligence include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Failure to install adequate lighting in the outdoor sections of a property, which may make it difficult to see tripping hazards at night
- Failure to repair or replace broken or loose flooring in a timely manner
- Failure to promptly remove items that have fallen off shelves and onto the floor
- Failure to promptly mop up spills and/or put up “wet floor” caution signs after mopping
- Failure to shovel snow or apply a deicing solution in a timely manner
Common Philadelphia Slip & Fall Accident Injuries
The types of injuries you may sustain as a result of a slip and fall will depend on various factors, including how and where you fell.
Injuries affecting the wrists, hands, and arms are particularly common as many people impulsively thrust their arms out in an attempt to help break a fall.
Other common fall-related injuries include the following:
- Head injuries, including concussions and traumatic brain injuries
- Back injuries
- Broken bones and fractures
- Neck injuries
- Cuts and lacerations
- Spinal cord injuries
- Sprains and strains
Falls can be particularly severe for anyone over the age of 65. This is a growing problem in Philadelphia and the state as a whole. Between 2015 and 2019, fall-related fatalities increased by 15 percent among older Pennsylvanians.
Steps to Take After a Philadelphia Slip & Fall Accident
If you are injured in a slip and fall, you should immediately report the incident to the relevant property owner, manager, or whoever happens to be the individual on the premises with the most official authority at the time. Do not make any statements that could suggest you were responsible for the accident occurring. For example, you should not say you might have fallen because you were looking at your phone instead of paying attention to your surroundings.
Next, get the names and contact information of anyone who may have witnessed your accident. If possible, take pictures of the scene, including the hazard that caused your accident. If you have any visible injuries, you should take pictures of those as well.
After taking these steps, see a doctor. Doing so is very important, even when you do not think you have sustained serious injuries. This is particularly true if you hit your head when you fell. A doctor can help identify and treat any injuries before they get worse, and they can also help document the severity of your injuries.
Once your immediate medical needs are addressed, you should contact a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer to protect your rights to compensation.
Pursuing Compensation After a Philadelphia Slip & Fall
If you are involved in a slip and fall accident in Philadelphia, you may be left with injuries that require expensive medical treatment. You might also be unable to work and earn an income if your injuries are particularly severe.
If your accident occurred because someone else was negligent, you may be able to hold them financially accountable by filing a lawsuit. That said, you should be aware that insurers are typically more inclined to protect their profits than offer fair compensation. You will have better odds of recovering what you may be owed if you hire a Philadelphia slip and fall law firm.
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How Our Philadelphia Slip & Fall Law Firm Can Help You
A Philadelphia slip and fall attorney can assist you in many critical ways when you are pursuing compensation. The following are a few noteworthy examples:
Conducting an Investigation
You can only recover compensation after a slip and fall accident if you are able to show the accident occurred as a result of someone’s negligence. To prove negligence, it is often necessary to conduct an investigation. This can generate evidence that shows that the property owner or business did not act in a reasonable manner by addressing the hazard that caused your accident. We have the resources and experience necessary to collect this evidence.
An investigation can also help show the severity of your injuries and the long-term effect they may have on your life. Our slip and fall lawyers can review your medical records and consult with medical experts to support your case.
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Negotiating
You should not expect an insurance company to immediately offer you fair compensation for your injuries. Insurers often prefer for injured individuals to work with them directly instead of hiring attorneys because the average person may not be able to spot an unreasonably low settlement offer. Our slip and fall attorneys can.
You do not have to correspond with insurers yourself. Nor should you. Our Philadelphia legal team can handle all negotiations on your behalf.
Allowing You to Focus on Your Recovery
The injuries you might sustain in a Philadelphia slip and fall accident may be severe. After being hurt in such an accident, you should primarily focus on resting and recovering. We will handle all the tasks that pursuing compensation may involve.
Why Choose Stark & Stark?
At Stark & Stark, our Philadelphia slip and fall attorneys have been providing clients like yourself with the representation they deserve for nearly a century. Our previous results are a product of our decades of experience.
Call us at 800-535-3425 or contact us online to schedule your free legal consultation. We can review the details of your accident and advise you on the next best steps to take.
