What to Do if You Fall on Someone Else’s Property

Slipping and falling on someone else’s property can be a painful, upsetting, and embarrassing experience. This type of accident often leads to injury and financial loss.

Our slip and fall accident attorneys can help protect your rights if you or your loved one slips and falls on someone else’s property. Call us today at (561) 998-0770 for a free consultation to discuss your fall.

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Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents

Accidents can happen anytime, especially if property owners are not adequately maintaining their land. Slip and fall accidents commonly occur in the following situations:

A "Caution Wet Floor" sign warns passersby as a string mop cleans a wet concrete floor.

Slippery surface – It is hard to safely walk on a wet floor or a sidewalk covered with ice or snow. These slippery surfaces often lead to dangerous slip and fall accidents.
Damaged walkways – Cracks in the ground, loose floorboards or tiles, broken stairs, potholes, or uneven pavement can cause people to lose their footing and fall.
Obstructed pathway – Objects in a walkway commonly cause people to trip. Cables or wires across a footpath, boxes on the ground, or any other object that clutters the pathway can lead to a fall.
Poor lighting – A poorly lit space makes it challenging for a person to see obstacles or surface area changes in their way, increasing the likelihood of a slip and fall.
Improper safety measures – A missing or damaged handrail on a staircase or elevated platform is a common cause of a slip and fall. The lack of a visible warning sign after a freshly mopped floor or near a known spill is also a common cause of this type of accident.

Types of Slip and Fall Injuries

Slip and fall injuries can range from a minor bump or bruise to death. In the beginning, what may seem like a minor injury can lead to chronic pain.

Common injuries from slip and fall accidents are:

Cuts and abrasions – Cuts, scrapes, lacerations, and abrasions are all common after a slip and fall accident, leaving you with an open wound on your skin.
Contusions – Bruising often occurs after a person falls and makes hard contact with the ground or another object.
Sprained ligaments – Your wrist or ankle can easily sprain when the ligaments overextend in a trip and fall accident.
Strained muscles or tendons – Muscles and tendons can strain when overstretched in a fall.
Dislocated joint – Your shoulder or patella joints can dislocate in a fall if you land on them wrong or if they get caught on something during the slip.
Ruptured discs – The discs in your back can fracture or dislocate due to a slip and fall accident.
Fractured bones – A hard fall can result in fractured or broken bones.
Dental injury – If you hit your face while falling, you could chip a tooth, knock a tooth out or loose, bite your tongue, or break your jaw.
Internal bleeding – Not all injuries are visible. Some falls can cause internal bleeding.
Spinal cord injury – Slipping and falling on your back can result in a spinal cord injury. Severe spinal cord injuries can cause permanent disability and premature mortality.
Traumatic brain injury – Hitting your head in a slip and fall accident can lead to a mild traumatic brain injury, like a concussion, or a major one that results in severe brain damage.

What to Do After a Slip and Fall

To protect your rights after you slip and fall on someone else’s property:

Document the Scene

Documenting the scene with photographs and videos can aid your attorney in providing circumstantial evidence for your case. A property owner can fix a loose floorboard or clean up a cluttered pathway after you leave, so you must have documentation to preserve the scene’s conditions as best you can.

Taking photographs and videos of the area where you fell, making notes of what you recall from the event, and documenting observations from your inspection are all good forms of documentation.

Keep your clothing from the accident. Proving that your shoes had a good grip or providing blood-stained or torn clothing from your fall can help your case.

Meet Any Witnesses

Having a witness to your accident can significantly help your case. Make sure to introduce yourself to any witnesses and get their contact information. Any employees, bystanders, or passersby that saw you or your loved one fall are good witnesses.

Report the Injury

Create an official record of the injury. When you slip and fall at a place of business, notify the property owner or manager on duty of your accident while on their property.

Report the incident, but do not discuss it at length. It is essential to make sure that there is an official record of the accident. However, discussing too many details with the business owner or an insurance company without including your attorney in the conversation could be at your disadvantage.

Do Not Sign Anything or Accept Any Blame

A business owner might try to get you to sign away their liability while you are still frazzled and recovering from your fall. Do not sign anything or admit any blame for your fall.

Follow Medical Advice

A doctor conducting a medical examination with a patient.

Even if you feel fine immediately after your fall, seeking medical advice is vital. Some slip and fall injuries are not visible, and others may not manifest until a day or two later.

Keep documentation of all doctor visits and medical advice you receive. Follow your doctor’s advice and treatment plan.

Track Your Expenses

Record all costs associated with your accident, including medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage.

Contact an Attorney

Contact an attorney as soon as possible after your slip and fall to ensure you file your lawsuit within Florida’s statute of limitations.

Grife Law Firm’s slip and fall team is experienced in handling these types of cases. Call (561) 998-0770 for your free consultation.

Bring all your documentation, medical treatment plans, witness contact information, expenses, and any other information associated with your accident to your meeting.

Compensation for a Fall

You could recover monetary compensation after a slip and fall accident to cover your damages. Medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and mental and physical pain and suffering are all recoverable.

Working with an attorney at Grife Law Firm will help you maximize your chances for monetary compensation after a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property.

Call us today at (561) 998-0770 for your free initial consultation.

Why Choose Grife Law Firm

Michael K. Grife founded Grife Law Firm in Boca Raton in 2014 to fulfill his passion for protecting the rights of injured people. Our team of skilled personal injury attorneys prides itself on providing individualized service to our South Florida community in a first-class environment.

We have successfully recovered the below slip and fall compensation:

$2 million trip and fall injury from a dangerous parking lot condition
$1 million slip and fall injury on a staircase

Our team is at two convenient locations in South Florida. Call (561) 998-0770 to schedule your free initial consultation at one of our locations.

Boca Raton in the Atrium at Broken Sound off Broken Sound Parkway NW
Naples near the northeast corner of Tamiami Trail North and Vanderbilt Beach Road

Slip and Fall Accidents in Florida

In one recent year, the rate of Floridians per 100,000 people involved in a slip and fall injury was reported at 2,536, or 2.5% of the population, according to data compiled by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) through the Florida Department of Health. The rate of non-fatal emergency room visits was 2,276.1, and the rate of deaths was 12.2.

The AHCA reported over 80,000 hospitalizations from non-fatal falls in one recent year. More than 6,000 were in Boca Raton’s Palm Beach County, and over 1,700 were in Naples’ Collier County.

That same year, emergency room visits from non-fatal falls in Florida amounted to over 556,000, with an estimated 38,000 in Palm Beach County and approximately 10,000 in Collier County.

Deaths from falls in Florida totaled over 4,200 in one recent year. There were 323 reported in Palm Beach County and 173 in Collier County.

Working With a Personal Injury Attorney

Working with an experienced personal injury attorney will make navigating the stressful aftermath of a personal injury much less challenging. Your legal team will manage the legalities and cumbersome claims process, allowing you to focus on your recovery.

Contact one of our attorneys at Grimes Law Firm if you or your loved ones were involved in a:

Legal law, advice deal justice and law concept.

Slip and fall accident – When you slip and fall due to a poorly maintained surface, you can recover compensation. An experienced personal injury attorney will ensure your rights are protected.
Pedestrian accident – A vehicle can cause serious physical injuries and long-term damage to pedestrians. A diligent personal injury law firm can navigate the trying times after a pedestrian accident.
Motorcycle accident – Not all drivers share the road safely with motorcyclists, often resulting in motorcycle accidents. Personal injury attorneys can protect your rights and recover proper compensation.
Car accident – A reckless driver can create a dangerous situation for you and your loved ones. A strong legal team will help you get the proper compensation.
Truck accident – Large truck collisions can be catastrophic. A good personal injury attorney will hold all responsible parties accountable.
Medical malpractice – Many things can go wrong when seeking medical treatment. A well-versed medical malpractice personal injury attorney will be able to identify points of malpractice to support your case.
Nursing home negligence – A personal injury attorney can protect the rights of your loved ones and help recover compensation when a loved one has been neglected in a nursing home.
Wrongful death – It is a devastating time when someone else’s negligence results in the death of your loved one. A skilled wrongful death personal injury attorney can handle estate issues in your case.

Call the Grife Law Firm today at (561) 998-0770 if a slip and fall or other personal injury accident injured you or one of your loved ones.

Dealing With the Insurance Company

When you slip and fall at a place of business, you can file a claim under the business’s commercial liability insurance policy. You can file an insurance claim under the owner’s homeowners insurance policy when you slip and fall on someone’s personal property. Regardless of the location of the fall, an insurance company will most likely be involved in settling your case.

Insurance companies try to reduce the money they must pay after a slip and fall accident. They often contact the victim soon after the accident to request a recorded statement and try to negotiate a quick settlement.

Speaking to an insurance company too soon after your fall and without the help of an experienced personal injury attorney can be detrimental to your case. The insurance company can use your own words and recorded statements against you if you do not have the proper legal guidance, which could result in a reduced settlement or the insurance company denying your claim.

Working with a skilled personal injury lawyer will make dealing with insurance companies easier while ensuring your rights are being protected.

A good personal injury attorney will:

Prove fault – Insurance companies and business owners will try to deny any fault in the accident while attempting to prove the victim is to blame. A trusted personal injury attorney will prove the fault in your case lies in the unsafe conditions that caused your slip and fall.
Recover all costs – You can recover compensation for physical and mental pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage. A strong personal injury attorney will recoup all costs associated with your accident.

Let a skilled attorney deal with the insurance company so you can focus on your recovery. Call the Grife Law Firm today at (561) 998-0770 for your free consultation.