Slipping and falling may seem like it’s inconsequential — or at the very least an embarrassing incident — but it can lead to quite serious injuries, particularly for older people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), slipping and falling is the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries for elderly individuals. Slip and fall injuries can cause head injuries; hip fractures; back and spinal cord injuries; and shoulder injuries as well as less severe injuries like sprains and fractures. What’s more, there are over 1 million visits to the hospital emergency room each year because of slip and fall injuries, according to the National Floor Safety Institute.
Slip and fall injuries can occur for a variety of reasons, such as poor lighting, wet or uneven surfaces, inclement weather, or improper footwear.
Unfortunately, slip and fall cases can be tough to prove if you don’t have the right facts. How, for example, can you prove you slipped and fell due to the negligence or recklessness of a business or an individual versus whether or not you were being careless?
Here’s how to prove your case and pursue compensation for a slip and fall injury.
PROVING NEGLIGENCE AND LIABILITY IN SLIP AND FALL CASES
In order to get compensated for a slip and fall injury, the injured party must prove the property owner failed to act reasonably to remedy a hazardous condition or obstacle. Did they fail to routinely check for potential hazards on the property or make the property less dangerous by using preventative measures? Did they move to relocate the hazardous obstacle, place warning signs in the dangerous area, or preventing access to the insecure location?
You can prove this negligence with a witness interview or even photos from your cell phone. A personal injury attorney may also investigate whether or not this type of incident has occurred previously at an establishment.
In addition to proving the individual or company was negligent, you need to prove you didn’t cause the accident yourself and aren’t totally or even partially responsible for the slip and fall accident that led to your injuries. You will need to prove you weren’t engaging in other activity that would have prevented you from noticing the obstacle or hazard (such as talking or text on a cell phone), that you weren’t on the property illegally where the hazard was located and that there weren’t signs you ignored warning you of the obstacle or hazardous area.
When you’re trying to seek compensation for your slip and fall injuries in Georgia, you’re going to need a legal team who will stick by your side and help you understand your rights. Call the Fry Law team today, at 404-969-1284, to schedule a consultation.
