When you go to someone else’s property for a personal visit or on business, the last thing you might expect is to experience an accident. However, thousands of people suffer from injuries sustained on someone else’s property each year. Many times, these accidents happen because the owner failed to keep the property safe for guests or passers-by.
Our knowledgeable Allentown slip and fall lawyers can help you file a lawsuit against the liable property owner. If you or a loved one was injured in a slip and fall accident, call the Reiff Law Firm today to learn more about your case in a free, confidential consultation. Our phone number is (215) 515-8351.
Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents can happen for many reasons. Most of the causes associated with slip and fall accidents can be prevented with proper maintenance and upkeep, and you may be entitled to file a lawsuit if you suffered injuries that should have been prevented. Some of the common causes of slip and fall accidents include the following:
- You slipped on an icy sidewalk, or fell in an icy parking lot. With every brutal winter season that strikes Pennsylvania, our ice slip and fall lawyers are contacted by injury victims who fell on slick, unsalted patches of ice, snow, or slush. While wintry conditions do not automatically create liability, it may be possible to recover compensation for a slip and fall accident on ice if a property owner fails to “act within a reasonable time after notice to remove [snow and ice] when it is in a dangerous condition,” which is the standard Pennsylvania courts established for property owners in Harmotta v. Bender (1992).
- You slipped in a puddle at a bar, restaurant, or grocery store. Businesses that prepare or sell foods and beverages are especially prone to spills and leaks that can cause dangerous slicks or puddles. If the spill caused an unreasonably unsafe condition for shoppers or diners, and was not cleaned within a reasonable period of time, a resulting injury could give rise to a claim.
- You slipped on a surface that you didn’t know was dangerous, because a business failed to use warning signs. When a surface is slippery, such as a freshly waxed floor in a mall or department store, the owner is generally responsible for marking the danger with appropriate signage. A “failure to warn” could give rise to liability.
- You fell because of other property hazards or structural damage. A wet or waxed floor isn’t always the cause of a slip and fall accident. Other property defects, such as inadequate lighting, broken or rotten flooring materials, broken or unsecured support railings, or even poorly installed carpeting, can also lead to preventable accidents in the absence of proper maintenance and repair.
Common Injuries in Slip and Fall Accidents
A “slip and fall” may sound less harmful than other types of accidents such as car accidents. However, this type of accident can lead to severe and devastating injuries. Common injuries sustained after a slip and fall accident often include the following:
Broken Bone Injuries
Broken bone injuries can be excruciating and uncomfortable. Some of these injuries can be mild and require little recovery time. However, bone fractures where the bone breaks into multiple pieces or punctures the skin may need expensive surgery, ongoing medical treatment, and physical therapy.
Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI)
Spinal cord injuries are incredibly dangerous. The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves connecting to different parts of the body. It acts as a link between our body and the brain. If you sever your spinal cord, you may lose bodily function from the site of the damage down. For instance, if you sever your spinal cord in your lower back near your waistline, you may be paralyzed from the waist down. Severe spinal injury cases may require a lifetime of medical treatment.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
Traumatic brain injury is one of the most dangerous injuries a person can sustain. Generally, brain injuries happen due to severe blows to the head which damage the brain. Concussions, contusions, and penetrating head injuries are common types of TBI. Severe brain injury cases may require costly surgeries and continuing medical treatment.
Filing a Personal Injury Claim for a Slip and Fall Accident in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Most times, slip and fall accidents are resolved by filing a claim with an insurance company that covers the home or business where you were injured. Once the claim is submitted, the insurance company will make you an offer to cover damages such as medical bills. However, many times insurance companies will make you an offer that falls short of the compensation you can otherwise obtain through a personal injury lawsuit.
You may have a cause of action, or a legal basis for filing a slip and fall accident claim, if you were recently injured in a fall that occurred another person’s property. This is true regardless of whether the fall took place outdoors, such as a fall in a parking lot or parking garage, or indoors, such as a fall in a grocery store or apartment complex.
However, in order to recover financial compensation for your injuries, you will need to use evidence to show not only that you were harmed, but that the accident was caused by the negligence, or carelessness, of another party, such as a landlord or commercial property owner. For example, you may need to show that a property hazard was not repaired in a timely fashion, or that a maintenance company claimed to perform services that were never actually rendered.
Proving negligence is a difficult task for a claimant who is unfamiliar with the law – especially when facing experienced attorneys and insurance adjusters – so it is important to be represented by a skilled and aggressive personal injury lawyer, like the slip and fall attorneys of The Reiff Law Firm. When you call for your free initial consultation, we can analyze the details of your accident to determine whether you have a claim.
Each accident must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in order for our premises liability lawyers in Philadelphia to make this determination, so it is impossible to definitively state whether a claim exists without reviewing the circumstances of the fall. However, you may have a claim if you were injured in one of the following scenarios, which are all common in Philadelphia slip and fall cases:
Filing a premises liability lawsuit – a type of personal injury claim – can allow you to obtain fair compensation for your injuries. Commonly, individuals who sustained injuries while on someone else’s property file these claims against property owners. Property owners are expected to keep their premises safe from dangerous conditions that may injure unsuspecting guests or people passing through. If they fail to correct these issues on their property and an issue causes you harm, they should be liable for any injuries you sustain.
In winter, Allentown residents must be aware of local ordinances governing snow removal, as slipping on snow or icy on the sidewalk is a common cause of slip and fall injuries. Under Allentown Ordinance 711.05, residents occupying property along a city street must remove ice and snow from their sidewalk within ten hours after snow stops falling. If a resident ignores this ordinance and causes you injuries, you can sue the resident for damages.
All individuals looking to file a personal injury case with the court have a limited time to do so. Under Pennsylvania law, you have up to two years from the moment you suffered your injury to file a personal injury claim. If you do not file your lawsuit within the two-year timeframe, you can lose your chances of obtaining compensation for your injuries. Our skilled personal injury attorneys can help you prepare your claim to file it on time.
Our Allentown Slip and Fall Attorneys Offer Free Consultations
Dealing with a severe injury can affect both victims and their families. At the Reiff Law Firm, we understand the last thing you need after an accident to deal with the liable parties and their insurance companies. That is why we dedicate our legal practice to aggressively and strategically fighting to obtain the compensation you are entitled to. Thanks to our many decades of hands-on experience, we know what it takes to hold the responsible parties accountable for your losses. To learn more about your case in a free, confidential consultation, call our law offices at (215) 515-8351 today.
