Slip and fall victims suffer a variety of injuries, including strains, sprains, broken bones, and brain injuries.
You watch as medical bills arrive daily in your mailbox and wonder when you can return to work.
To check whether you have a valid claim, schedule a consultation and go over the following.
What Did You Slip On?
To hold a property owner legally responsible for your slip and fall, you need to understand what caused you to slip. For example, many people slip on:
- Worn carpets
- Freshly-mopped floors
- Waxed floors
- Liquid spills
- Rain in parking lots
- Poorly-lit stairways
Whether or not you have a legal case will depend on whether the premises owner had a legal duty to correct the hazard. The legal duty they owe will depend on whether you are an invitee, licensee, or trespasser. For example, a business customer is an invitee, and the property owner owes invitees a duty to keep the property reasonably safe and to warn of hidden dangers.
Soon after the accident, sit down and write down what you remember about how you slipped. Also try to get pictures of the hazard with your smartphone or ask a witness to take a picture if you are too hurt. For example, if a liquid spill caused you to slip, you can expect it to be cleaned up or evaporate shortly. Photographic evidence will be very helpful.
Ultimately, your lawyer might need to investigate further because it is not always obvious whether you have a legal case. For example, you might have slipped on a spilled liquid in a grocery store. But the store isn’t legally responsible unless they knew or should have known that liquid was in the aisle. In this situation, you will need to investigate what the staff knew at the time of your injury.
How Much Damage Have You Suffered?
To bring a lawsuit, you need legally-recognizable injuries. Typically, people sue because they have suffered physical injuries as a result of the fall. Generally, you can’t sue if the only harm you have suffered is purely emotional, e.g., being very scared.
Collect proof the following damages, which you can receive compensation for:
- Medical bills for doctor’s visits, hospital stays, transportation to the hospital, prescription drugs, and equipment like braces or crutches
- Lost wages, if you could not work because of your injury
- Any property damage, such as broken glasses, a broken watch, etc.
Add up the amount of lost money caused by your slip-and-fall injuries. You can typically receive 100% of your economic loss. You can also receive compensation for any pain and suffering, such as physical pain and emotional distress attributed to your injuries.
Bringing a lawsuit isn’t realistic in every case. For example, you might have suffered only a couple hundred dollars in damages. In this situation, you might not want to spend the time necessary to get compensation.
Speak with a Mississippi Slip and Fall Lawyer Today
If you need compensation for your injuries, you should move quickly. At the Harris Law Firm, we protect our clients’ rights to compensation, but we need to hear from you. Our team has secured many six- and seven-figure awards for our clients. To schedule your free case evaluation, please contact us.
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