Although some people tend to take slip & fall incidents lightly, they can be potentially damaging to both the victim and the owner of the accident area. This is why the best thing to do when you have been involved in such an event is to immediately contact a specialized accidents attorney, preferably one with extensive experience in slip & fall cases.

Below you can find a few of the most common questions about these incidents answered:

1)     Can I sue the city, if I fall on the sidewalk?

Municipal authorities are under legal obligation to keep streets and sidewalks in repair, so an injured party might have a case against the city if evidence is provided that the authorities have failed to maintain the sidewalk property. However, in such cases, very tight and specific deadlines are provided for giving authorities notice of such claims, so you need to start working with an accident lawyer immediately, if you want to have any chances at winning the case.

2)     I have been injured on a neighbor’s property, while invited to a party; can I have a case against them?

This specific situation is largely depending on the circumstances of the slip & fall incident. Typically, if you have been invited to a neighbor’s house and they failed to inform you about potentially harmful conditions or dangerous areas in their house, and you can prove this with solid evidence, you have a chance of winning.

3)     What are the chances of me getting compensation from a store where a slip and fall incident occurred?

As in most cases, this is very specific and depends on the actual circumstances of the incident. However, store owners and employees are under legal obligation to keep their floors and walkways reasonable level of safety for customers, so routine inspections have to be ensured in all areas where the public might have access. If a floor has just been cleaned or slippery substances have been applied, visual markers have to be placed in spots where everyone can see them. As a plaintiff, you will have to be able to prove that the substance had been there at the time of the incident, and that the store owner and employees did not do anything to warn their customers about the potential danger.

4)     What are my duties, as a property owner, regarding snow and ice removal?

Generally, by law, you are not under obligation to clear the ice that has accumulated outside your building as a result of weather conditions. However, if unusual weather conditions require it or an unnatural accumulation of ice has occurred, you should be made liable for slip and fall accidents outside the property, if you haven’t taken care of those specific areas.

5)     Who can generally be held liable in a slip and fall?

According to the law, there are generally a number of entities that can be held responsible for injuries resulted from a slip and fall. If a business rents some space from an owner, an injured party can make both parties liable, both the tenant (possessor of property who has the duty to care about the safety of the place) and the owner of the building.