Philadelphia Slip and Fall Lawyers

Tough Cases. Tougher Lawyers.

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Don't Let Negligent Property Owners Off the Hook for Slip & Fall Injuries

slip and fall lawyer philadelphia You have a right to expect that the owners of restaurants, retail stores, malls, and any other public building will maintain the property in a safe and secure manner. However, some property owners shirk their responsibilities and fail to inspect their premises. Worse yet, these property owners sometimes fail to warn visitors of potential safety hazards even after they are made aware of the dangers. The unfortunate result of this property owner’s negligence could be a serious slip-and-fall accident.

When a property owner fails to adequately inspect their premises or warn visitors of potential safety hazards, the property owner needs to be held accountable. Profits should never come before the safety of patrons.

If you’ve suffered an injury due to a slip-and-fall accident on someone else’s property, you deserve justice. Since any kind of personal injury can interrupt your life, forcing you to take time off of work, lose pay and rack up medical bills, it is imperative that you speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer at the Philadelphia Law Office of Craig A. Altman today. We will fight to get you compensated for your medical fees, pain and suffering, and more.

What Is A Slip and Fall Case?

The term “slip and fall” is the informal term for the legal doctrine of “Premises Liability.” Under Pennsylvania law, a property owner has a duty to maintain their premises or property in a safe manner free of unsafe or defective conditions, any safety hazard or dangerous condition.

If a visitor to someone’s property slips, trips, or falls as a result of an unsafe or defective condition or someone else’s negligence, the injured party may seek compensation through a personal injury case. They are entitled under the law to recover money for their injuries.

Property Owners Have a Duty to Warn Visitors of Potential Dangers

Property owners have a duty under the law to maintain their premises and keep them free of dangerous conditions to prevent fall victims from suffering a fall injury. Those who can be held liable in a slip-and-fall accident lawsuit include:

  • Homeowners
  • business owners
  • landlords
  • location managers
  • security subcontractors
  • government agencies are potentially liable for injuries caused on their premises.

The duty of these property owners is two-fold:

  1. they must remove unsafe conditions on the property, and
  2. they must warn visitors of dangers on the property.

Additionally, certain property owners have heightened obligations under premises liability law. Although all property owners have a legal duty to warn visitors of dangers, commercial property owners owe a higher duty than single-family residential property owners. This is because commercial property owners may be held responsible for accidents caused by “natural” conditions such as something weather-related. They may be liable for a dangerous condition such as:

  • Wet floors
  • Poorly marked steps
  • Failure to remove snow and ice
  • Defective conditions

Where Do Most Slips And Falls Take Place?

A dangerous condition that can lead to slip and fall injury can occur at either a private property (home), public (owned by the government), or commercial premise (business). Under Pennsylvania’s premises liability law, these property owners must exercise reasonable care to prevent serious injuries to visitors.

Falls typically occur due to and at:

  • Private homes
  • Stores
  • Markets
  • City, state or other public property
  • Malls
  • Gyms and health clubs
  • Apartment buildings
  • Roadways
  • Sidewalks
  • Parking lots
  • Construction sites

The bottom line is a slip & fall can happen anytime, anywhere. If you fall are the victim of a slip-and-fall accident, after you seek medical attention, you should contact a slip-and-fall attorney for an evaluation of whether or not you are entitled to be compensated for your injuries.

Your personal injury attorney will look at all the facts and circumstances of your case. For example, they will investigate:

  • Private property owners who fail to quickly clear snow or ice on their sidewalks are potentially liable when a visitor or passerby slips and falls. Additionally, private property owners need to protect passersby against trip-and-fall injuries caused by a cracked sidewalk.
  • Construction sites are particularly likely to have unsafe structural conditions, such as unsecured scaffolding, that can lead to slip-and-fall accidents.
  • Owners and operators of commercial establishments, such as malls, need to constantly keep up with the maintenance of the premises. Failure to do this can lead to slip-and-fall accidents on unsafe elevators or malfunctioning escalators.
  • Owners of office buildings have an obligation to ensure that stairwells are sufficiently lit so that workers do not slip and fall.
  • Convenience stores and stand-alone pharmacies, such as Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens, have heavy foot traffic and customers are often in a hurry to come and go.
  • A slip & fall can happen anytime, anywhere. If you fall, call us to find out whether or not you are entitled to be compensated for your injuries.
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RECOVERING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR OUR CLIENTS

*The Law Offices of Craig A. Altman does not offer any guarantee of case results. Past success in litigation does not guarantee success in any new or future lawsuit.

When You've Been Injured, We Will Help

The Law Offices of Craig A. Altman will help you seek monetary compensation for:

Medical Expenses

Hospital bills can be overwhelming, particularly if your accident caused brain & spinal injuries or other serious injuries. Reimbursement for medical bills is an essential part of recovery in an injury case.

Future Medical Treatments​

Serious injury to your neck and/or back may require years of medical attention and exhaustive physical therapy.

Lost Income​

Recovery for lost wages is essential. In addition, you could be entitled to income continuation.

Timing Matters in Personal Injury Cases

You Need to Act Quickly to Preserve Your Legal Rights

A personal injury case must be filed within a certain period of time as per PA law. A personal injury lawyer can explain what is called the “statute of limitations” in detail. Basically, the statute of limitations on personal injury cases in Pennsylvania is two years from the date of your injury.

After this time has passed, you may be barred forever from bringing a claim. Additionally, your insurance company might require you to provide a statement within 30 days of the accident. Our Pennsylvania personal injury attorney will make sure all necessary documentation for your case is filed in a timely fashion.

Tough Cases. Tougher Lawyers.

The Law Offices of Craig A. Altman is proud of the reputation it has built successfully negotiating and litigating for clients who have suffered personal injuries due to someone’s negligence.

Learn more about this personal injury law firm, the legal team, and its verdicts and settlements. An experienced attorney is what you will need and want if you seek to obtain maximum compensation for your injury case.

PA Slip & Fall Law FAQs

A slip and fall accident can take place at almost any location from home to the market to the mall or even on a sidewalk or at a parking lot. If your fall accident occurred as the result of the property owner’s negligence then you may have a fall case for which you can recover compensation.

The causes of slip and fall accidents vary and include but are not limited to:

  • Wet, icy or slippery surfaces either inside or outside a premise
  • Food or liquid spills at a market, restaurant, bar or other business
  • Inadequate lighting inside or outside a premise
  • Cracked sidewalks or road pavement at either a public or private premise
  • Unsafe stairwells

A fall victim may have suffered severe or even catastrophic injuries leading to economic claims (lost wages, medical bills) or non-economic damages (emotional distress. Your fall accident lawyers will evaluate your case, determine how the fall occurred and advise you on whether you have a strong Philadelphia slip and fall lawsuit.

You may have minor or serious injuries or even catastrophic injuries which form the basis of your fall claim. Injuries for which you can recover damages include:

  • Broken bones – Fractures are common in the legs and arms
  • Brain injuries (TBI)
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Neck and back injuries – Rear-end collisions may result in a herniated or ruptured disc
  • Lacerations
  • Broken bones
  • Scarring
  • Sprain, strains and soft tissue damage
  • Mental or emotional anguish
  • Loss of vision or hearing
  • Paralysis
  • Wrongful death

An experienced attorney will be best able to evaluate your case and determine, based on the facts and circumstances, what kind of personal injury claim you may have under Pennsylvania law for your physical pain, medical bills, medical treatment, and non-economic damages.

  • Medical bills and medical expenses
  • Future medical care and rehabilitation
  • Compensation for permanent injuries
  • Permanent disability compensation
  • Compensation
  • Lost wages

Certainly, your health and welfare are the most important things right now. If you’ve been injured in a slip-and-fall accident, seek immediate medical attention. Make sure that you are treated for any injuries that you’ve suffered.

If you or a family member or other person on your behalf is able, you should follow these general guidelines. It will protect you, make your case stronger and enable your Philadelphia slip-and-fall attorney to better evaluate your case:

  • Obtain copies of the police report and ambulance report
  • Inform the property owner of your accident and injuries
  • Collect the names of witnesses
  • Obtain a copy of your medical records
  • Journal all facts and details you remember about the accident
  • Journal your medical treatment and condition
  • Keep all doctor appointments and follow doctor’s orders for recovery and treatment
  • Do not speak to the other party’s insurance adjusters
  • Do not admit fault to any parties, witnesses, insurance adjusters, or others
  • Stay off social media (no comments, photos, or updates on your status)
  • Take photographs or preserve evidence of the condition of the premises

Once you have had a free consultation with an experienced slip and fall lawyer at the Law Offices of Craig A. Altman, there may be more steps your fall attorneys want you to take. They will be the ones who deal with the insurance company on your behalf, but fall lawsuits require that a certain burden of proof be met to prove the property owner’s negligence. Your slip-and-fall lawyer will take the lead but advise you on what you need to do during your no-obligation consultation.

In fall cases, you may be able to recover economic, noneconomic, and punitive damages. In Pennsylvania, there are two main types of damages: compensatory damages and punitive damages:

Compensatory damages are designed to make you whole after an accident. You may suffer both economic and non-economic damages.

Economic Damages include:

  • Medical bills and expenses
  • Lost wages

Non-economic damages by their nature are more difficult to calculate. This is where pain and suffering and emotional distress are covered. These damages include:

  • Loss of ability to work
  • Loss of future earnings
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Loss of consortium 
  • Emotional pain and distress

Punitive damages are designed to punish a person for intentional conduct. This may be a high bar to meet in a slip and fall case but it doesn’t mean it’s not something fall attorneys won’t examine in the evaluation of your case.

Intent is going to be the key in such a case. This means the property owner’s conduct that led to your injuries was more than negligent. For example, if a property owner intentionally created or left alone a hazardous condition knowing that you might cross with it and then suffer serious injury, you would then begin to have a case for punitive damages.

There is no simple answer to this question. Each case has to be evaluated by an experienced attorney in order to determine the potential amount of damages an injured person can recover in a Philadelphia slip and fall case.

Initially, your slip and fall attorney will weigh how severe your injuries were; your age and health at the time of the accident; whether you have a job or not and if you were the sole provider for the family and how many members you supported; whether you had any fault in the accident; and the amount and type of insurance you have.

There are many other factors to be considered in any fall claim. There will be both economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages will compensate you for financial costs incurred as a result of the accident. The idea is to “make you whole” or in other words, put you back in the financial place you were in before the fall. Such damages would include:

  • Present and future medical expenses which includes ambulance fees, emergency room changes, hospitalization, surgery, medication, medical equipment, surgeries, and doctor visits
  • Physical therapy and other necessary and related rehabilitation treatment and costs
  • The cost of replacing or repairing damaged property
  • Lost Income and wages
  • Loss of future earnings
  • Temporary or permanent disability

These types of damages are relatively straightforward. So long as they are related to the accident, they are proven by the medical bills and expenses incurred.

Non-economic damages include:

  • Emotional distress
  • Pain and suffering
  • Disfigurement
  • Scarring
  • Loss of consortium
  • Loss of enjoyment of life

These damages require a different level of proof than the economic damages as there are no bills to prove the amount. This does not mean the damages are any less real. They require the experience and knowledge of an attorney. Fall lawyers will have knowledge of how the insurance company may weigh a claim for these non-economic damages and be able to evaluate what kind of demand they may make and/or argue for in a settlement conference or at a trial.

The fall attorneys at the Law Offices of Craig A. Altman are confident that they can best represent you and your slip and fall claim. We always handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis; this means we don’t get paid unless we win your case.

In addition, as opposed to many other firms who take more of your award, we never take more than 1/3 of any compensation you are awarded in your case.

After a slip, trip or fall accident, as with any personal injury lawsuit, there is a time limit to file fall injury cases. This time limit is legally known as the Statute of Limitations, and in Pennsylvania, the time is two years from the date of the accident.

Failure to file an injury claim after the statute of limitations has passed can result in the dismissal of the case. A Philadelphia slip and fall lawyer will ensure that your case is filed in time so that you can recover the compensation you deserve.

If you have been injured in a slip, trip or fall caused by someone else’s negligence, you deserve maximum compensation for your accident injuries, and someone needs to be held accountable for their negligence. An experienced slip-and-fall lawyer will thoroughly examine the available evidence in your case to determine the exact cause of your accident. We will determine the identities of all potentially liable parties and work tirelessly to get you compensated for your injuries and financial loss. Our slip-and-fall lawyers will assist in all ways necessary to make your case including:

  • Investigate the facts of your case
  • Preserve evidence – Physical evidence often disappears or gets destroyed during the time that follows an accident
  • Review photos of the accident scene
  • Locate and question witnesses and interview any and all parties who can potentially back up your insurance claim
  • Obtain a weather report for the date and time of the accident
  • Employ experts including medical and accident reconstruction
  • Speak with the responding officer(s) and examine the officer’s police reports and any drawings and measurements 
  • Inspect the property involved for potential defects
  • Review your medical records to determine the extent of your personal injuries
  • Negotiate with the insurance company
  • Appear at settlement conferences and court dates
  • Litigate your case in court at trial

Schedule a Free Consultation with an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney

Property owners need to be held accountable for their failures. If you’ve fallen on someone else’s property and suffered an injury as a result, it is imperative that you speak with an attorney who will fight to get you compensated. If your injuries are severe, the experienced personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Craig A. Altman can help you rebuild your life. We are seasoned personal injury lawyers with decades of experience in courtrooms in Philadelphia and surrounding counties. Additionally, we have a history of successful negotiations with insurance companies, so you know that we will not let a negligent property owner off the hook.

We have helped countless ski and fall victims across Philadelphia with their cases. We know your legal rights. Our law firm will ensure that you get fair compensation for your accident injuries, medical care, and medical treatment. 

We offer legal advice when dealing with your insurance company regarding your accident claim and insurance claim. We know how to effectively negotiate with insurance companies and persuade them to offer a fair and final settlement. The accident attorneys at our personal injury law firm will act in your best interest.

Our experienced attorneys not only have all the Philadelphia accident resources, they also have decades of experience. You can rest assured that you will receive aggressive advocacy of your case in any settlement negotiations and if necessary, at trial. You will also be treated with respect and the compassion you deserve after suffering a traumatic accident. 

We always handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis; this means we don’t get paid unless we win your case. Call us today, or use our online contact form to schedule a free consultation.

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