Springfield Slip and Fall Lawyers
Springfield Slip and Fall Lawyers
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, it is never “just a fall,” no matter what the insurance company says. You may have suffered severe injuries that can cause significant effects on your life in both the short and long run. If someone else’s negligence was the cause of your injuries, you may be entitled to substantial financial compensation. Just know that a slip and fall claim is never easy, and you need an experienced attorney to fight for you at every step of the way. Do not delay in contacting a lawyer to discuss your case during an initial consultation.
How Do I Prove a Slip and Fall Case?
Like any other premises liability case, you need to prove that a property owner was negligent to win your slip and fall case. Here, negligence can mean one of the following:
- The property owners created dangerous conditions.
- Someone else created the danger, but the property owner did not do anything to warn you about it or fix the situation within a reasonable amount of time after they knew or should have known about it.
Similar to any other personal injury case, you have the burden of proof to demonstrate liability in a slip and fall claim. You must prove your case by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning that the facts that you allege are more likely than not to have occurred. If you do not have substantial evidence that can prove liability, you can expect that the insurance company will deny your claim.
What Evidence Can Help Me Prove My Case?
It is up to you to come up with the evidence that you need to prove your slip and fall case. Your best hope is that you were able to gather documentation at the scene of the accident, although it is not always easy when you are dealing with serious physical injuries. Your slip and fall accident lawyer would come in after the fact and work to gather the evidence you need to demonstrate liability.
The following sources of evidence may be helpful in a slip and fall case:
- Pictures from the accident scene that can show the conditions at the time you fell (or immediately beforehand).
- Testimony from objective third-party witnesses who either saw what happened or what the scene was like prior to your accident.
- Security camera footage that can show the scene and your accident.
- Testimony from an accident reconstruction expert who can give their opinion about what caused your fall.
Some evidence you need may be in the hands of the responsible party. For example, they may have maintenance logs or security camera footage that they would need to share with you in the discovery phase if you filed a lawsuit. However, you would need to act quickly to hire a lawyer because you would have to direct them to preserve the evidence before a potential lawsuit.
Who Can I Sue in a Slip and Fall Lawsuit?
Usually, it would be the property owner who is the one that you would sue for your slip and fall injuries. However, the actual owner of the property may not be the one to blame for what happened. For example, a store owner could lease the property from a commercial landlord. Here, the store owner was to blame for your injuries because the landlord did not exert any day-to-day control over the property. Your slip and fall lawyer would investigate your accident to determine exactly who you may be able to sue for your injuries.
How Much Money Can I Get for My Fall Injuries?
Your slip and fall accident compensation can be much more than you think. After all, the size of your settlement check is tied to the extent of your injuries. If you have been seriously hurt in an accident, and the responsible party has insurance coverage, you may be eligible for a large check.
Your slip and fall accident damages can consist of the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Embarrassment and humiliation
Your Springfield slip and fall accident lawyer will quantify your damages before you file a claim. They could negotiate suitable compensation if the insurance company accepts liability. If not, your slip and fall lawyer can make the case to the jury about how much you deserve, and they would award damages.
What Are the Challenges in a Slip and Fall Case?
Since falls are very common, the insurance company sees slip and fall cases all the time. Notwithstanding the fault of their policyholder, if insurance companies paid every single claim in front of them, they would certainly be in financial distress. None of this takes away from the merits of your claim, but you can expect that the insurance company would cast a skeptical eye on yours. Insurance companies are known for taking a hardline approach to slip and fall cases, forcing you to file a lawsuit to prove your claim.
Further, an insurance company may try to blame you for what happened. Georgia uses the law of comparative negligence, which keeps you from recovering financial compensation if you were more than half to blame for your accident. Even if you were partially to blame, your compensation would be reduced by the fault you bear for the accident. If the insurance company is trying to blame you, it can seriously threaten your claim’s viability.
In addition, insurance companies are also known to minimize the extent of your injuries, claiming that it is “just a fall.” Everyone knows that fall injuries can be extremely serious, and they may change the course of your life. However, the burden of proof is on you to show the insurance company how badly injured you have been. You need to gather the evidence that not only proves liability but also the full extent of your damages.
How Does a Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer Help Me?
The Springfield slip and fall lawyers at Kicklighter Law have a demonstrated track record of getting results for our clients. When you hire us for your case, we will immediately get to work investigating the circumstances and helping put you in a legal position to potentially recover financial compensation. We never stop fighting for our clients until the very last minute of your case.
Contact the Springfield Slip and Fall Lawyers at Kicklighter Law Today
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, the Springfield slip and fall lawyers at Kicklighter Law can help. Call 912-754-6003 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys. Our office is in Springfield, Georgia, and we serve clients in Effingham County, Savannah, and the surrounding areas.