Slip and fall injuries are common occurrences that are often caused by certain conditions that could have been prevented. Property owners have a legal responsibility to ensure their property is safe from many unreasonably dangerous or hazardous conditions. When a slip and fall accident occurs on someone else’s property and the victim suffers an injury, the property owner could be held liable. If you or someone you love suffered a slip and fall injury, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills and lost wages, among other damages. At Greg Monforton & Partners, our slip and fall lawyers in Chatham-Kent will work hard to help you obtain the compensation you need. We have helped recover millions in verdicts and settlements for personal injury victims, including more than significant settlements for slip and fall victims, including a client who became partially quadriplegic after falling from a ledge.
Contact our firm today to schedule a free, no obligation consultation. We can discuss the circumstances surrounding your slip and fall accident and determine your legal options to pursue a favorable outcome on your behalf. We provide all of our services on a contingency fee basis. This means there are no upfront costs or fees involved unless we recover compensation for your claim.
Give us a call at (866) 320-4770 or fill out our Free Case Evaluation form to get started.
Steps to Take After a Slip and Fall Accident
Being involved in a slip and fall accident can be a terrifying experience, which is why it is important to know what immediate steps to take in order to protect your health and your legal interests.
Receive Medical Attention
After a slip and fall accident, the first step is to seek medical attention for your injuries. If it is an emergency, call 9-1-1 so emergency responders will be sent to the scene. If you believe your injuries are not that serious, you might not need an ambulance, but you still need to see a doctor for a complete medical evaluation. Certain injuries may not become apparent until a few days or weeks afterward. A doctor can make sure to properly treat and document all your injuries.
Your medical records outlining the extent of your injuries and the treatments you need can help validate your claim. Make sure to obtain a copy of your records from your initial treatment and ongoing treatments you receive.
Report the Accident
You will need to report your slip and fall accident to the manager, owner or landlord of the property. If your injuries occurred at a business, the owner or person in charge may have a form for you to fill out. Filing an accident report and obtaining a copy for your records will be an important part of your claim.
Document Everything
Gathering strong evidence is an important part of proving your case and obtaining compensation for your injuries. Evidence includes contact information of any witnesses present during the time of your accident, pictures of the accident scene including the area where you fell, your injuries, and hazards that contributed to your fall, such as wet floors, obstacles that blocked your path or uneven surfaces.
If your clothes were damaged in the fall, take pictures of them and keep them for future reference. You should also take the time to write down everything you remember about your fall before you forget.
Avoid Providing a Statement Right Away
When you are involved in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, this person might have insurance, allowing you file a claim for compensation. When you file a claim you might be asked to give a written or recorded statement of what happened, which can be used to determine how much compensation you are entitled.
However, you should seriously consider not making a statement until you have consulted a lawyer. Insurers will do everything in their power to pay out the least possible amount of compensation. They want you to give a statement right away because then you are more likely to say something that lowers the value of your claim.
The experienced Chatham-Kent slip and fall lawyers at Greg Monforton & Partners can help you determine when to provide a statement and what to say so you do not hurt your claim.
Consult a Slip and Fall Lawyer
Having a lawyer on your side can make all the difference when a slip and fall injury is caused by another party’s negligence. He or she can handle all the details of your claim from investigating the accident scene to gathering evidence and negotiating with insurers to help you recover the maximum amount of compensation you deserve.
Our dedicated Chatham-Kent slip and fall lawyers understand the value of a slip and fall claim and have the experience and resources to help pursue fair compensation.
Complete our Free Case Evaluation form now.
Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents can occur at any time in a number of different public and private places, such as:
- Retail stores
- Restaurants
- Workplaces
- Private homes
- Public areas
- Parking lots
- Grocery stores
- Theatres
- Arenas and stadiums
- Nursing homes
- Hotels or resorts
- Apartment complexes
Some of the most common hazardous conditions that cause slip and fall accidents include:
- Wet or slippery floors
- Uneven surfaces
- Loose floorboards
- Cluttered walkways
- Potholes
- Cracked or broken sidewalks
- Torn or ripped carpeting
- Damaged staircases
- Missing handrails
- Icy or snowy walkways
- Poor lighting
- Lack of warning signs
Property owners who carelessly maintain their property or fail to warn guests or visitors of potential dangers should be held accountable for their actions.
During a free case evaluation, a dedicated slip and fall lawyer in Chatham-Kent can carefully examine the cause of your accident and help to identify any hazards the property owner should have been reasonably aware of prior to your accident.
Contact Greg Monforton & Partners today by calling (866) 320-4770.
Common Slip and Fall Injuries
Slip and fall accidents can often leave victims with serious injuries that result in long-term physical and emotional health issues. These injuries can include:
- Spinal injuries – When you slip and fall on your back, you may sustain a serious spinal injury, especially if the injury is further up the spinal cord and closer to your neck. Damage to the spinal cord can result in full or partial paralysis that requires long-term care.
- Broken or fractured bones – The impact from slipping on a wet or an uneven surface can cause a bone to fracture or break. Older adults living in nursing homes often fracture their hip bones from a slip and fall accident, which can make it especially difficult to walk or stand.
- Traumatic brain injuries – Hitting your head on a hard surface after a fall can cause a concussion or lead to a traumatic brain injury. These injuries can permanently affect your physical, behavioral and cognitive functions.
- Scarring or disfigurement – Slipping and falling on your face can cause serious facial injuries that require corrective surgery to repair. This may involve skin grafting if the skin becomes torn or broken. Any form of disfigurement or visible scarring can often lead to victims feeling self-conscious or depressed about their appearance.
- Back and neck injuries – When the back or neck is injured after a fall, it could lead to soft tissue damage affecting the muscles or ligaments. This could include strains, fractures and herniated disks and you may need an extended period of time to recover.
If you experienced a slip and fall injury, you should seek immediate medical assistance because waiting to be checked can cause your condition to worsen. After seeking treatment, you should contact the Chatham-Kent slip and fall lawyers to evaluate the extent of your injury and how it has affected your life to determine if your injury entitles you to compensation.
Fill out a Free Case Evaluation form today so we can start reviewing your case.
Liability for Slip and Fall Accidents
To file a slip and fall claim, you must first determine the liable party for your accident. Often times, it is the person who owns, rents or is responsible for the maintenance of the property. According to Ontario’s Occupiers’ Liability Act, this person is known as an occupier.
An occupier includes anyone who is in physical possession of the property and has responsibility and control over the property’s condition or the activities that occur there. Under the law, occupiers have a legal duty to ensure that their premises are safe and will not cause harm or injury to visitors.
If a hazardous condition does exist on property, the occupier must take certain measures to remedy the situation or warn others of the potential hazards. This could include posting warning signs of hazards present, repairing dangerous property conditions such as a leaky roof or broken staircase, removing ice and snow from walkways, installing adequate lighting, and routinely inspecting and responding to new and known hazards in unsafe areas.
Failure to take reasonable care could be deemed negligence, and the occupier could be held liable for any injuries sustained on property. To establish liability for the accident, the following elements must be present in your slip and fall claim:
- The occupier was aware or should have been aware of any hazardous conditions
- You were legally on the property and acted in a reasonable manner when the accident occurred
- The accident happened as a result of the occupier’s failure to exercise reasonable care to prevent injury
Although property owners have a duty of care to their guests or visitors, proving liability in a slip and fall case can be difficult to do on your own. A skilled slip and fall lawyer in Chatham-Kent with extensive knowledge of Ontario laws could help you build a strong case as you attempt to hold a property owner liable for his or her negligence.
Call (866) 320-4770 today to see how we might be able to help you.
Filing a Slip and Fall Lawsuit
Ontario’s Limitations Act has strict deadlines when it comes to filing a personal injury lawsuit. Slip and fall claims must be filed within two years from the date of your injury or from the date the injury should have been reasonably discovered.
However, if your claim is against a local city or government entity, you must provide a written notice to the appropriate municipality within 10 days after the accident. The notice must include the date, time, location and any additional details about the incident.
If you miss either of these deadlines, you will not be able to file a lawsuit and obtain compensation. Do not hesitate to contact our Chatham-Kent personal injury lawyers today to discuss the details of your claim. We will work to help make sure your claim is filed within the required deadlines.
Fill out our Free Case Evaluation form now.
Contact a Slip and Fall Lawyer in Chatham-Kent Now
Slip and fall accidents can result in serious injuries and significant long-term suffering that alters your daily activities and affects the lives of those around you. If this happens, you may be owed compensation because of the property owner’s inaction or negligence in creating a dangerous situation.
Our reputable lawyers at Greg Monforton & Partners can help. We understand the pain you are going through and are committed to pursuing the compensation you need to aid in your recovery. We have years of experience fighting for the rights of injury victims throughout Chatham-Kent and the surrounding areas.
Contact a slip and fall lawyer in Chatham-Kent now to schedule a free legal consultation. We work on a contingency fee basis and will not charge you anything unless we recover compensation for you.
Our law team is ready to discuss your case with you. Call (866) 320-4770 today.