Norristown Slip & Fall Lawyers

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 premises

Once you have had a free consultation with and 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, 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 personal 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