Lehigh Acres Slip and Fall Lawyer
While gun violence and traffic collisions are at the forefront of most people’s minds when it comes to leading causes of injuries that require hospitalization, the number one spot belongs to falls. Falls land millions of people in the emergency room each year, and cause 800,000 Americans to be hospitalized overnight. Many of these falls are caused by the negligence of property owners and business owners. If you or a loved one fell, a Lehigh Acres slip and fall lawyer may be able to help you recover damages resulting from your injuries. The lawyers at Cardinal Law, P.A. handle every step of the personal claim process for our clients, from gathering evidence to litigating in court. We defend our clients’ best interests aggressive and passionately, no matter how big or how small their claim may be.
Causes of Slip and Falls
A property owner can be held financially liable for a fall victim’s injuries if a hazard existed, the property owner had real or constructive knowledge of the hazard, and if the property owner had enough time to remedy the hazard but failed to do so. Examples of hazards that exist in retail stores, office buildings, pirate residential homes, public buildings, shared space in apartment complexes, and on sidewalks and parking lots include the following:
- Spilled liquid and rainwater puddles
- Spilled merchandise
- Cluttered walkway
- Construction debris or un-roped off construction zone
- Greasy or overly slippery flooring
- Cracked, damaged, torn, ripped, worn out, or otherwise negligently maintained walking surface
- No warning about an uneven surface
- No warning about a step up or step down
- No handrail protecting against a drop off
- Damaged handrail or no handrail on stairs
- Damaged stair steps
- Stairs not to code
- Poor lighting
- Nursing home abuse and negligence
Real Knowledge Versus Constructive Knowledge in a Slip and Fall Claim
As noted above, a successful personal injury claim or lawsuit requires proving that the property owner had real or constructive knowledge of the hazard, and that they had adequate time to resolve the hazard, yet failed to do so. To put it simply, real knowledge is hearing about or seeing the hazard for oneself. For example, the owner of an apartment complex might be told by the groundskeeper that a sprinkler head was damaged and spraying a set of exterior stairs. This is real knowledge. Constructive knowledge is knowledge, to put it simply, is knowledge the property owner should have had. For example, a property owner who failed to employ a groundskeeper would have known about the leak if they had fulfilled their duty of care by ensuring that the apartment complex was being looked after.
Call a Lehigh Acres Slip and Fall Lawyer Today
The first steps to take after a slip and fall include notifying the property owner of the fall, obtaining any eyewitness statements and contact information, seeking medical care, and calling a Lehigh Acres slip and fall lawyer as soon as possible. Call Cardinal Law, P.A. today at 239-610-0845 to schedule a free consultation.
