Slip and Fall Accidents

While slipping and falling in a public place can be embarrassing, it can also be quite painful, resulting in serious injuries.

When we think of slip and fall, it often conjures up memories of funny, slapstick comedy scenes, right? However, slips and falls are a very serious and expensive problem. According to the 2010 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, the annual direct cost of disabling occupational injuries due to slips, trips and falls is estimated to exceed $11 billion.

The statistics are alarming! According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), slips, trips and falls account for over 540,000 injuries requiring hospital care, 300,000 disabling injuries, and over 20,000 fatalities per year in North America.

A slip and fall accident generally refers to a situation in which a person slips and falls or trips and falls due to a dangerous condition on someone else's property and is injured as a result. Under common law principles, property owners and tenants have specific responsibilities depending on how the people entering their property are classified. There are three classifications of entrants to property: invitees, licensees and trespassers. As an entrant, your classification will dictate what duty the landowner owed to you. Furthermore, your classification may ultimately affect your ability to recover for your injuries. Slip and fall accidents are extremely common and can happen in a variety of locations, including grocery stores, restaurants, office buildings and shopping malls, or outdoors in parking lots or on sidewalks.

Icy and snowy conditions are some of the most common causes of slip and fall accidents. Slick surfaces on sidewalks, outdoor steps and parking lots can be hazardous for pedestrians, especially if the hazardous condition is not obvious, as is the case with black ice. Retail stores and other businesses typically attract a large number of people who enter their premises to browse and shop or conduct other business. Slip and fall accidents are common in these venues. If you were injured after slipping or tripping and falling in a retail store or other business, the storeowner or business operator may be liable for your injuries.

If you or a loved one was injured after slipping or falling, you need to protect your legal rights. Notify the owner or supervisor of the premises of your injury. If possible, fill out an incident report with all the details of both the dangerous condition and your injury. Ask for a copy of the report. Seek immediate medical attention for your injuries. Call O'Malley & Langan. We can help you recover compensation for your injuries.