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Helping The Injured Protect Their Rights
In some situations, slipping and falling is the result of a poorly maintained property where you are shopping or otherwise visiting. When this happens and you suffer injuries, the party responsible for any dangerous hazards should also be responsible for covering your losses.
Obtaining just compensation for injury-related losses after a slip and fall accident can pave the way toward a complete recovery, and consulting with an experienced slip and fall lawyer is a good place to start. Consult with Spaulding Injury Law today for more information.
Voted Among the Best Personal Injury Firms in Gwinnett County 6 Years in a Row
Why Choose Us?
- Voted Among the Best Personal Injury Firms in Gwinnett County 6 Years in a Row by Gwinnett Magazine.
- Founder and lead trial attorney, Theodore Spaulding, and the entire team at Spaulding Injury law provide the utmost in customer service to and relentless effort for each of their clients which is why Mr. Spaulding and his team are considered among the best lawyers in Gwinnett County.
- As one of the top law firms in the area, we provide honest and aggressive legal representation and work to get you the maximum amount of compensation.
- Our award-winning law firm does not charge you for our legal services unless you are awarded compensation.
- A Lawrenceville GA personal injury attorney from our team reviews your case during a free consultation and then provides you with sound legal advice
How Our Experienced Slip and Fall Lawyers in Suwanee Can Help
Our dedicated slip and fall attorneys in Suwanee can help you protect your rights following slip and fall accidents in all the following ways:
- Building strong claims that are based on strong evidence
- Communicating with the insurance companies and protecting you from their stealthy practices in the process
- Helping you avoid common and costly errors while effectively navigating the path forward toward advantageous outcomes
- Knowledgeably negotiating with the insurance companies for settlements that cover your complete physical, financial, and emotional losses
- Preparing to litigate cases in court – in those instances when the insurance companies will not engage in reasonable negotiations
Falls Are As Common As They Are Dangerous And Costly
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shares fall-related statistics that include:
- About 20 percent of all falls lead to serious injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries and broken bones.
- The most common cause of TBIs is falls.
- More than 95 percent of all hip fractures are caused by falls, and 300,000 people each year are hospitalized for these painful and often debilitating injuries.
- Every year, more than 800,000 people are hospitalized for fall-related injuries – most of which are head injuries and hip fractures.
- The total medical cost associated with falls in a recent year exceeded $50 billion.
Falls are as common as they are dangerous and costly. A single fall accident can even change the course of your life, especially if you are a senior or already at high risk of physical injury.
Slip and Fall Accident Claims
Slip and fall accidents are a form of premises liability claim, which involve property owners or managers who fail to maintain their premises in the reasonably safe condition necessary to support the safe passage of guests, customers, and visitors. In order to bring a successful slip and fall accident claim, four specific elements must be included.
The Owner’s Duty of Care
To begin, you must have been owed a duty of care by the property owner or manager. This means that the property owner or manager had a responsibility to the fall victim’s safety. This generally applies to property owners of commercial properties and includes all the following kinds of patrons:
- Guests
- Customers
- Shoppers
- Visitors
- Clients
- Members of the public who are killing time
This extends to restaurants, stores, firms, medical facilities, theaters, businesses, museums, and beyond. As long as the patron or guest is not trespassing, they’re generally owed a duty of care by the business’s property owner or manager.
The standard for premises liability claims is that property owners are required to employ the same duty of care for safety concerns they either know about or reasonably should know about that other reasonable property owners employ in similar situations.
The Owner’s Breach of Responsibility
The next required element is that the property owner or manager must have breached the duty of care owed to you. This means that they failed to uphold their responsibility to your safety while you were on their property. Common examples include:
- Failure to clean up spills
- Failure to maintain walkways and keep them clear
- Poorly maintained escalators
- Flooring that is naturally slippery
- Failure to clear away moisture and debris that’s tracked in from outside
- Inadequate lighting
- Staircases that present tripping hazards
- Frayed, torn, bunched, ripped, or otherwise worn flooring
- Uneven entryways
- Elevators that don’t stop flush with the floor
This list of hazards common to slip and fall accidents could go on and on.
Direct Cause
The property owner or manager’s breached duty of care must have also been the direct cause of your slip and fall accident. This means that the safety issue in question must have caused you to slip, fall, and be injured.
You Suffered Legal Damages
Finally, you must have suffered losses that are recoverable under the law, which include:
- Medical bills that can include medical costs reaching far into the future
- Lost income that can include deficits related to earning potential
- Pain and suffering, which can be immense
Our seasoned Suwanee slip and fall attorneys are standing by to help identify each of these primary elements and to help ensure a careful assessment of each category of loss.
Common Slip and Fall Accident Injuries
Head injuries and hip fractures are the injuries most closely associated with slip and fall accidents.
Head Injuries
The CDC reports that brain injuries like concussions and TBIs directly affect how the brain functions and that these very serious injuries are generally caused by bumps, jolts, or blows to the head. This characterization aligns well with the mechanics of slip and fall accidents.
Head injuries are unpredictable but are associated with an array of symptoms that can prove life-altering. Consider the following potential effects:
- Severe mood swings
- Physical impairments
- Memory issues
- Headaches
- Difficulty sleeping
- Sensory issues
- Difficulty concentrating
- Heightened anxiety
- Depressive episodes
- Cognitive impairments
- Lashing out
Hip Fractures
Hip fractures are often caused by falls to the side, which is all too common when a person slips and falls. Hip fractures are extremely painful injuries that often require surgery. Further, when complications develop, they can lead to chronic pain and significant limitations related to range of motion.
Evidence in Slip and Fall Accident Claims
Strong evidence supports strong claims, and the kind of evidence that generally pertains to slip and fall accident claims includes:
- The testimony of bystanders that saw you slip and fall or that witnessed the slipping hazard
- Any photos or videos that capture the accident or that depict related issues – including any security footage that may have captured something relevant
- The accident report
- Your related medical records and medical bills
- The doctor’s analysis of your condition
- The testimony of expert witnesses with relevant expertise
- Any physical evidence gathered at the scene of the accident
Understanding the Insurance Company
The property owner’s insurance provider will handle the slip and fall accident claim, but it’s important to recognize that they are in the business of generating profits. This means that they are willing to do what it takes to keep settlements low. Consider some common means of doing so:
- Making early settlement offers that are far too low but that some claimants are too desperate to refuse
- Making the already complicated claims process more so
- Making the already lengthy claims process more so
- Denying claims not because they are weak but as a means of coaxing you into giving up
- Calling the validity of your losses into question
- Denying their policyholders’ negligence
Insurance companies have deep pockets and can easily outmaneuver injured claimants. Working closely with a savvy slip and fall attorney in Suwanee is always the best choice.
Navigating the Claims Process
One person’s slip and fall accident claim is never exactly like another’s, but they all share similarities, and there are some universally helpful steps that everyone should take. These include:
- You are advised to seek immediate medical attention even when you don’t think you’ve been seriously injured. Symptoms can take time to develop, and early diagnosis is too closely associated with improved prognosis to skip this step.
- You should reach out for the professional legal guidance of skilled legal counsel as early in the process as possible.
- You are well-advised to carefully follow the advice and instructions provided by your doctors.
- You should steer clear of social media until your claims are finalized and should refrain from providing the insurance company with official statements. Anything said or posted can be misconstrued to mean something that it doesn’t and can damage claims in the process.
- You shouldn’t accept any settlement offers made by the insurance company before reviewing them with legal counsel.
Turn to an Experienced Suwanee Slip and Fall Lawyer Today
Slip and fall accidents are one of the most common kinds of accidents, and they often result in costly and serious injuries like TBIs and hip fractures. Because recovery often hinges on obtaining just compensation, you shouldn’t wait to discuss your situation with the practiced Suwanee slip and fall attorneys at Spaulding Injury Law.
Our trusted legal team takes great pride in our proven ability to help clients like you obtain the compensation to which they’re entitled and that they need to regain their health and well-being. For more information about what we can do to help, please don’t wait to contact us online or call us today.