Seattle Slip and Fall Attorneys
Falls are a very common source of injury. They are not always serious, but far too often they are. Fall injuries can be catastrophic or even fatal, or leave the victim with a long-term or permanent injury. Unfortunately, slip and fall claims can be notoriously difficult to prove. After a slip and fall accident, it’s imperative to get help from seasoned and knowledgeable injury attorneys who know what steps to take to hold the responsible party accountable for the full extent of your injury. You’ll find that level of skill and care at Emerald Law Group. Call our experienced lawyers today.
Seattle Slip & Fall Laws
Not every slip results in a lawsuit. Instead, we need to carefully review the condition of the property and the hazard which caused you to slip. People slip in fall in a variety of places, including sidewalks and parking lots, but also indoors.
Some common reasons for slipping and falling include:
- Ice
- Snow
- Condensation
- Spilled liquids
- Loose tiles or boards
- Poorly maintained staircases
- Worn carpeting
- Freshly mopped or waxed floors
Under Washington law, property owners owe certain duties to those who visit the property. However, the precise duties they owe depend on why you were on the property:
If you are an invitee, then the property owner must use reasonable care to keep the premises safe. This also includes reasonable inspections to uncover defects. As an example, a grocery store should have an employee walk down the aisle periodically to see if anything has spilled. Once they detect a hazard, property owners must fix it promptly or warn invitees. Common invitees are business customers, like shoppers in a store.
If you are a licensee, the property owner owes fewer duties to you. They must warn you of hazards they know about and take reasonable steps to fix a hazard. However, they aren’t required to periodically inspect the premises to uncover hidden defects. A typical licensee is someone who comes onto property for their own pleasure, like a friend or neighbor coming to visit.
Trespassers are owed very little care. In particular, the property owner must refrain from intentionally injuring you. But things are different if a child is drawn to trespass because of an attractive nuisance, like a swimming pool or an abandoned refrigerator. Property owners must take steps to protect children in these situations.
Once we know why you were on the property, we can analyze whether the property owner took enough care to protect you.
Help With Severe Injuries After a Seattle Slip and Fall
A slip and fall is a rapidly-occurring, unexpected event, and the mechanics of the fall often lead to painful and debilitating injuries. Common injuries after a slip and fall include:
- Back Injuries
- Neck Injuries
- Head Injuries, including concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Spine injuries, including paralysis
- Muscle tears
- Sprains and strains
- Facial cuts, scarring and disfigurement
- Broken bones, including ankle, wrist and hip fractures
Help With the Full Range of Slip and Fall Accidents in Seattle
A slip and fall can happen anywhere. If the property owner created the hazard, if they had actual or constructive notice of the slippery conditions, or if a slip and fall was reasonably foreseeable to happen, the owner can be held liable for the injury. Damages after a slip and fall accident can include medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, loss in quality of life, and other consequences of the injury. Emerald Law Group takes on all types of negligent property owners and holds them accountable for slip and fall accidents on their premises caused by their negligence. Our slip and fall injury practice includes cases against the following, among others:
- Stores and Restaurants
- Government Property
- Sidewalk Owners
- Retail and Department Stores
- Shopping Malls
- Big Box Stores
- Transit Agencies
Common causes of slip and fall accidents we see at Emerald Law Group include the following:
- Spilled liquids
- Slippery floors from mopping, waxing, buffing
- Tracked-in rain, snow or ice
- Missing or inadequate floor mats
- Leaking refrigerator cases or air conditioning units
- Marble floors or other naturally slippery surfaces without floor mats
- Stairs and ramps not equipped with handrails or non-slip treads
What to Do After a Seattle Slip and Fall
We recommend you take the following steps to protect your rights wherever possible after a slip and fall injury:
- Get medical help. Call 911 if necessary or ask someone to call for you. Take the ambulance or other ride to the hospital that is offered to you. If you don’t need emergency care, follow up with a doctor as soon as possible for a thorough examination.
- If the accident happened in a store, report the slip and fall to staff and make sure they document it or create an incident report. If the fall occurred in an apartment or home you rent, report it to the landlord or homeowner.
- If you are in shape to do so, take pictures of the hazardous condition that caused the slip and fall, or ask someone else to take pictures for you.
- Get contact information from any witnesses who saw the fall or can witness the hazardous condition. Your health comes first, and you should get yourself to the hospital if you need to, but if you are able to get witness information or statements, it can help your case later on.
- Preserve the clothing and shoes you were wearing by keeping them in a plastic bag in the condition they were in after the fall.
- Call an experienced personal injury law firm like Emerald Law Group for a free consultation on next steps.
- Don’t talk to an insurance company, store attorney, or other company representative until you talk to your own lawyer.
Contact Emerald Law Group Today
Slip and fall cases are more complicated to bring than many accident victims imagine. There are many hurdles to obtaining compensation. For example, the property owner might quickly fix the hazard after your fall and then deny it ever existed. Other property owners will blame you for ignoring warning signs and causing injury to yourself. The best step to take following a slip is to photograph the hazard or at least identify witnesses.
Contact Emerald Law Group today. Our Seattle slip & fall lawyer can begin your case by listening to your concerns. We will also analyze your right to bring a claim against the property owner for negligent maintenance.
