Helping Injured Victims of Slip and Falls Get Fair Compensation in Minneapolis
Slip and fall accidents can cause a host of injuries, ranging from mild to severe. These falls can cause a whole array of injuries like traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries, and lead to complications like paralysis, coma, and even brain death. In fact, one out of every five falls causes a serious injury.
While falls can happen at any age, 60% of all deaths associated with falls involve people 75 years or older. It’s also stated that the severity of injuries goes up with each decade of life, meaning the older you are, the more likely you are to receive serious injuries because of your slip and fall.
Falls are also 100% preventable, if all parties put in effort to keep their properties safe. This includes workplaces, stores, parking lots, and even homes.
[Frequently Asked Questions about Slip and Falls]
Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents
Slips and falls are caused by a long list of different things and can occur pretty much anywhere, even in your own home. Slip and fall accidents are caused most often because of someone else’s negligence. If someone fails to clean up a spill or maintain their parking lot, a slip or fall can occur, causing you harm because of their failure to properly maintain a safe environment.
Slips and falls occur because of:
- Parking lot hazards such as poor lighting, potholes, cracked pavement, unpainted wheel stops, and puddles
- Weather conditions such as snow and ice, specifically when not removed correctly or not removed at all
- Slippery surfaces caused by leaks or spills
- Uneven floorboards or staircases
- Clutter or messy floors
- Left out boxes or pallets
- Lack of handrails
- Unmaintained nursing homes
Where do Slip and Fall Accidents Occur?
Slip and fall accidents can occur in many different situations, and your case will differ depending on where your accident occurs.
For example, a homeowner will have a lot less to offer in terms of insurance in comparison to a big corporation like Costco or McDonalds. However, bigger corporations deal with lots of these lawsuits, and are more likely to push a low settlement offer and try to avoid taking the case to court.
Slip and fall accidents may occur inside of a restaurant, store, grocery store, or friend’s home, as well as in the workplace, or in a parking lot or nursing home. A slip and fall accident may also occur inside your own home.
Truthfully, a slip and fall accident can occur anywhere, especially if the area is poorly maintained by management.
Who is Liable for Your Accident?
Determining liability is a key factor in your case, and an important step in filing your lawsuit. Upon the first investigation of your case, when you first meet with your attorney, your attorney will look into who may be liable for your accident.
The liable party is the one who caused your accident because of their own negligence. That negligence can look different depending on your case and how the party was involved. Store owners, workplace managers, and even your friends owe a duty of care to keep their homes, stores, and workplaces free from anything that could cause injury. A breach of this duty can result in your fall and lead to injuries.
Homes and Apartment Complexes
Private property, such as the home of a friend or even your own apartment complex, can still be liable for any injuries that occur there. If a friend has you over for dinner and doesn’t take reasonable action to prevent any accidents from occuring, you could file a lawsuit for a slip and fall that occurs while you’re there. For example, if you were to slip on ice outside their house or fall down the stairs because of a broken floor board, they could be liable.
In the case of an accident that occurs in your own apartment building, don’t write off getting compensation just yet, you still may be able to. If your accident occurs because of a maintenance issue you’ve tried to get fixed, this could result in your apartment complex being liable for an accident that occured because of the unsolved maintenance issue. If the accident occurs outside your apartment but still in the complex, they may also be liable.
Stores and Private Businesses
You could be eligible for compensation for injuries that occur because of a slip and fall in a business. This can include grocery stores, small shops, and anything that’s open to the general public. Any injuries that occur in these places because of the negligence of the owner (for example boxes left in aisles or cracked parking lots) could qualify you for compensation due to their negligence.
Workplaces
Construction sites are an incredibly dangerous place, and many workers experience accidents there each year. These accidents can occur because of improper training, defective products, clutter, and more. While workers’ compensation may be offered to cover some costs from a slip and fall accident that occurs in the workplace, it may not be enough to cover all of your damages.
If you were injured because of a slip and fall in any of these places, you could be eligible for compensation for your injuries.
What Kind of Compensation Can you Receive?
When you’re injured in a slip and fall accident, you’re likely to have medical bills. If your injury is severe, you may be overwhelmed by the amount of debt you’ve collected in such a short amount of time. However, these are all damages that can be recovered in your lawsuit.
You can recover economic damages, such as compensation for any medical bills you may have, including bills for hospital visits, ambulance rides, therapy, surgery costs, and more. You may also receive compensation for any wages you lost while out of work and any wages you could lose in the future because of your injury.
Non-economic damages refers to the compensation that you can receive that isn’t tied to a specific bill or monetary loss. Pain and suffering compensation is given to those who experience a change in their quality of life when comparing their life before and after the accident. The greater this change is, the greater the compensation could be. You can also be compensated for permanent disability or disfigurement, loss of consortium, and loss of earning capacity.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
If you or someone you love has been injured in a slip and fall accident in Minneapolis, contact the experienced attorneys at Sand Law. Our attorneys have years of experience working with slip and fall cases and helping victims to get the compensation that they deserve. For more information, please contact us online or at 651-291-7263.