In Pennsylvania, when you or a loved one are seriously injured due to the negligence of a business entity or another person’s negligence or reckless actions, you might be confused about where to turn for help. After a slip and fall accident you may qualify for benefits, medical care and different forms of monetary compensation. Problems can seem insurmountable with mounting medical bills, physical pain, emotional suffering or even disability. You must have a Philadelphia slip-and-fall lawyer on your side who knows how to fight for your best interests.
Baratta Law, LLC has experienced Philadelphia slip and fall attorneys in the field of Pennsylvania premises liability injury law. Slip and fall injuries fall under the area of law known as premises liability. Our resources and committed legal team will protect your rights and fight for justice when you’ve been seriously injured.
Steps to Seek Slip-and-Fall Accident Compensation
A slip-and-fall claim is a type of premises liability case, which allows you to seek compensation when accidents happen on another person’s property. A slip-and-fall accident occurs when you fall and are injured as a result of a dangerous condition.
These accidents can occur anywhere, including on public property, private property, or at someone’s home. They can also occur on commercial or residential properties. If someone’s carelessness has injured you on their property, you may have grounds to sue.
Slip-and-falls are often the result of negligence on the part of someone who has control over the property where they occurred. When you fall due to a hazard that was not properly addressed by someone who had control over that hazard, you may be able to file a personal injury claim for damages against that person.
But how do you prove you’re eligible for an injury claim? To be compensated for your injuries in a slip-and-fall claim, you need to prove that:
- You didn’t know about the dangerous condition
- The property owner knew about the danger (or should have known about it) and failed to address it
- Your injuries were directly caused by the dangerous conditions
To successfully file a personal injury claim against the responsible party, your slip-and-fall lawyer has to figure out exactly what went wrong and how it caused you harm.
How Negligence Is Proven in Slip-and-Fall Accidents
Negligence can be established through an investigation into the circumstances of your Philadelphia slip-and-fall accident.
Your personal records, witness statements, photographs, and security camera footage are tools that your personal injury lawyer can use. Our law firm also has established relationships with expert witnesses that can provide testimony based on your condition.
Typically, there is more than one factor that contributed to your slip-and-fall. Let’s say you slipped on a puddle in a parking lot. Was there a leak in the roof above the area? If so, did a reasonable person know that they should patch the hole? If they did not, then you may be eligible for compensation.
Once you establish that your injury was caused by the negligence of the property owner or manager, you’ll also have to demonstrate that you were on the premises legally. If you were trespassing at night, for example, you may not be entitled to compensation for injuries sustained during a fall.
You may also be accused of partial negligence for failing to see the puddle and avoid it. Under these circumstances, you may still be able to recover damages, but your award would be reduced by your percentage of fault. This is due to Pennsylvania’s modified comparative negligence laws.
Compensation For a Slip-and-Fall Accident Claim
Once fault is established, compensation in these cases is often significant because falls can cause major injuries, like broken bones or paralysis. Here are some of the things your slip-and-fall lawyer might seek compensation for:
- Medical bills, including doctor visits, surgery costs, and ongoing physical therapy
- Lost income from work
- If disabled, the loss of income from future work you would have been paid for
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
It is important that you seek compensation for all damages so that you can begin to regain some control over your finances after an injury.
Seek out a Philadelphia Slip-and-Fall Accident Attorney
The at-fault party may deny any wrongdoing until the last possible moment, sometimes even when the evidence is stacked against them. You don’t have to accept a low or no settlement when someone else is at fault for your suffering. You may instead contact the team at Baratta Law, LLC.
Your Philadelphia slip-and-fall lawyer is ready to help you move your case forward, starting with a free consultation. To speak with a lawyer, call 215-914-8132 or complete the following online contact form.
