Talking About Privacy Law

If you suffered a slip and fall accident that you feel is not your fault, there may be a responsible party that you can seek compensation from. Here are some questions about slip and fall accidents that you may have.

Can A Sidewalk Be Considered Defective? 

It is possible that your slip and fall happened from something as simple as tripping on a sidewalk that was defective. It could be from a concrete slab that was raised higher than the adjoining slab, leading to a dangerous condition where your foot got caught and you took a terrible tumble. Is this enough for someone else to be liable for your injury? It's possible, but it really depends on where and how the fall happened.

If you tripped on a public sidewalk in front of someone's house, know that the homeowner is not responsible for the maintenance of their public sidewalk. That is owned by the city and considered municipal property, and it would be tough filing a personal injury lawsuit to receive your compensation. There may be a town charter that requires you to notify the city about the injury shortly after it happens. 

For injuries that happen on a privately owned sidewalk, such as walking up to a business or using a walkway to a home's front door, then the owner of the property would be responsible. You could seek compensation from their insurance provider through a liability insurance policy.

Could The Property Owner Have Prevented The Slip And Fall?

Another key part of a slip and fall is if the circumstances allowed the property owner to take action to prevent the accident from happening. This is common in situations where there is a dangerous condition that happened suddenly, and the owner had no time to react before an accident occurred.

For example, if you are walking around a store and a customer spills a liquid on the floor, this could create an immediate situation where you can slip on the liquid and fall. The owner should react to the spill by cleaning it up as soon as possible to prevent an injury. However, leaving the spill on the ground for hours until it is finally cleaned up is an example of negligence, and could be enough to justify a slip and fall claim where you can receive compensation. 

Work with a personal injury attorney to review your case and see if you are eligible to receive compensation based on the circumstances.