Bedford Slip and Fall Lawyers

Have you ever experienced the shock of your feet giving way underneath you? It can happen anywhere, from the icy sidewalks around Stonington Park, to the slippery floors of Sunnyside Mall. These incidents are always sudden, unexpected, and often painful.

But slip and fall incidents can result in more than just physical injuries, they can also cause a significant financial burden. Lengthy rehabilitation programs, mounting medical bills, and the inability to work can leave you struggling to make ends meet.

At NOVA Injury Law, we understand the devastating impact of slip and fall incidents on people’s lives. We know that slip and fall injuries can be unavoidable and agonizing, and we’re committed to treating you with the respect and empathy you deserve. Our team has extensive experience in slip and fall injury cases and will work tirelessly to build a compelling case on your behalf.

Adding to our experience, we have a practicing emergency room physician with special training in occupational medicine consulting on all of our cases, as required. Having this expertise built into our practice means two things:

1. We have ready-made access to a doctor to provide advice on your injuries from the moment your Free Case Review starts.
2. Depending on your injuries, our doctor can then organize fast advice from a specialist. So if you have a fracture or a torn muscle or ligament, we would consult with an orthopedic surgeon or if you believe your eye-sight has been affected following a bad fall, we would seek advice from an ophthalmologist. Likewise, our in-house physician can organize prioritized access to other occupational therapists who not only help our client’s recover from injury, but help us develop accurate forecasts of future recovery and rehabilitation needs.

From the moment you talk with us about your needs, you have immediate access to medical support and advice, and you give our lawyers the greenlight to build medically-backed watertight compensation claims in a way no other personal injury law firm can. Better yet, we operate on a no-win, no-fee basis. That means you get all of this for free, until we win your case and you receive a maximized compensation payout.

Don’t suffer in silence. Contact NOVA Injury Law today and let us help you get the justice and compensation you deserve. We’ll be by your side every step of the way, fighting for your rights and helping you move forward from this painful experience.

Common causes of slip and fall incidents

Slip and fall incidents are usually caused by a number of key factors, often outside of the victims control. For example, the winter months can cause surfaces in Bedford to be slippery, icy and uneven, particularly when they are exposed to outdoor conditions.

Parking lots and garages can pose a threat as uneven surfaces, debris, and potholes can cause people to trip and fall.

Inconsistent and unstable surfaces like broken or cracked concrete on sidewalks are a common cause of slip and fall incidents, as are slippery supermarket floors that aren’t properly signposted.

The workplace can also be a potential danger zone for slip and fall incidents due to a variety of hazards. Slippery floors, cluttered walkways, and poorly maintained equipment are just a few examples of hazards that can put employees at risk.

In all cases, employers, property owners and proprietors have a responsibility to maintain safe environments on their premises and to take reasonable steps to prevent slip and fall incidents occurring. This can include regularly inspecting and maintaining flooring, promptly addressing spills and other hazards, ensuring walkways are clear, well-lit and stairs have appropriate handrails. Employers may also be required to provide slip-resistant footwear for some work environments.

Studies estimate that over 1,100 people per year suffer serious enough injuries from slip and fall incidents that they need time off work to recover – and the average amount of time off is 71 days.

What can I do to prevent a slip and fall incident occurring?

Being aware of your surroundings can greatly reduce your chances of becoming a victim to a slip and fall incident. Suitable footwear with a good grip and showing extra caution in wet and icy weather is also essential. Be on the lookout for any potential hazards and report them immediately to your employer if at work or to local authority if the hazard is a public place.

Unfortunately it’s just not possible to be alert at all times, and human nature often means we are rushing from one place to the next.

Slip and fall incidents can cause several injuries

Slip and fall incidents occur when you least expect it, and can happen on both private and public property resulting in a range of injuries from minor scrapes and bruises to debilitating, traumatic, life-changing injuries, requiring lasting support.

1. Hip fractures: a common and extremely painful injury often sustained in slip and fall incidents; on impact the thigh bone (femur) can break and fracture. Most times it requires corrective surgery and sufferers have ongoing difficulty walking.
2. Spinal cord injuries: victims can suffer from herniated discs, pinched nerves and fractured vertebrae, resulting in severely restricted movement, or even paralysis.
3. Facial injuries: unfortunately when we fall down our faces take the brunt of the fall, causing painful nose and jaw fractures, shattered teeth and nasty gashes, requiring painful and costly corrective surgery.
4. Knee and ankle injuries: ankle fractures and sprains are common injuries of slip and fall incidents, as the muscles and tendons stretch and tear. Twisting and tearing your knee can result in tears to the meniscus, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), requiring expensive surgery and laborious rehabilitation.
5. Wrist, elbow and shoulder injuries: our natural reaction is to protect ourselves with our arms when falling, and this can cause rotator cuff tears, shoulder dislocations, tendinitis, and bursitis (painful, inflamed cushioning between joints).
6. Head injuries: slip and fall incidents are a leading cause of traumatic brain injury (TBI), the least serious of which is concussion. The more serious TBI injuries can cause hematoma’s hemorrhaging, skull fractures and other types of brain injuries that can result in seizures and in some cases death.

Slip and fall incidents could cost you greatly

Aside from immediate pain and discomfort caused by the injury, victims can expect medical bills for hospital treatment, surgery, rehabilitation (physical therapy and medication). In some cases, victims will require long term treatment and time off work.

Feelings of anxiety and depression can often be felt by victims who do not seek out appropriate care and attention, and the prolonged recovery process can leave victims feeling helpless and frustrated.

That’s why it’s important to contact NOVA Injury Law right away, if you’ve been injured. We’ll explain how the Occupiers’ Liability Act applies to your incident and look into the insurance coverage of the place where your injury occurred. We can also assist in helping you to find the best treatment and benefits available through your employer’s insurance policy or a plan you pay for yourself. This may include accessing long-term disability benefits. We want your recovery to be unhampered by financial stress.

Unlike many personal injury law areas, compensation for slip-fall incidents is not limited by legislation. Compensation amounts can vary greatly depending on various factors, such as the severity of injuries sustained, the age and earning capacity of the injured party, the impact of the injuries on their daily life and ability to work, and the extent of medical expenses incurred.

From the moment your Free Case Review starts we will work hard to determine the extent of the injuries sustained in the incident. If you decide to pursue the matter, we will review medical records and consult with medical experts specializing in your injury type to understand the type, and the extent, of the treatment required. We will consider how the injuries have impacted your ability to work and your overall quality of life – and forecast these impacts into the future.

How do you know if you’re eligible for compensation?

In order to launch a successful claim, you need to show that the other party (usually the property owner) was responsible for your injuries. Our team of lawyers will look to answer the following questions:

Who is liable for the incident?

To determine liability, we will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. We will examine the property where the incident occurred to identify any hazards or dangerous conditions that may have caused the slip and fall. If available, we will review any surveillance footage or witness statements to help establish fault. For example, if a person slipped on a wet floor in a grocery store, we would look to see if there was signage or any other warnings that could have alerted the person to the hazard.

Were you at fault in any way?

In some cases, victims may have contributed to the incident by engaging in negligent behavior themselves. For example, if someone was texting and not paying attention to their surroundings when they slipped and fell on a wet floor, they may be deemed partially responsible for the incident. This may still result in compensation being owed to you – only, it may be a reduced amount. Our lawyers will evaluate the facts of the case to weigh up whether you had a role in causing the incident.

Generally, a slip and fall claim will come down to whether the responsible party should have been aware of a dangerous condition and notified the victim before the incident, or whether the responsible party caused the dangerous condition that led to the incident.

It then comes down to whether both parties acted reasonably when trying to prevent the incident. Did the property owner reasonably take preventative measures to stop the incident from happening? For example, we may prove that the property owner was at fault for failing to put up proper signage in an area with slippery floors or uneven surfaces. And did the victim go about their activities in a reasonable way, trying to avoid the incident.

In Clements v. Clements, [2012] 2 SCR 181, where Justice Rothstein stated:

“The law of negligence imposes a duty on both the occupier of the premises and the person entering upon them to take reasonable care to avoid injury. The occupier must ensure that the premises are reasonably safe, while the visitor must take reasonable care for his or her own safety. In cases where an incident occurs, it is necessary to determine whether the occupier or the visitor failed to meet their respective obligations.”

If you’ve been the victim of a slip and fall incident, it’s important to act quickly.

In Nova Scotia, the general time limitation where you can make a claim for a slip and fall incident is two years. So it’s important to reach out to us for a Free Case Review, where we help you with your claim right away. Once you have us in your corner, you will get access to medical advice and a team of experienced slip and fall lawyers to quickly assess injuries and start building a compelling medical evidence file to support your claim.

Working so closely with medical professionals has allowed NOVA Injury Law to secure maximized compensation settlements for many Nova Scotians in recent years, and is the reason why we are considered the premier personal injury law firm in Atlantic Canada.

Our lawyers are a part of the community in Bedford, and our principal lawyer, Jeff Mitchell, is proudly Nova Scotian born and raised. He grew up in the Bedford neighborhood, and his team works closely with professionals, community groups and volunteers all over the city to build your case and get you the support you need.

We understand the devastating impacts a slip-fall injury can have on your life and the lives of your loved ones. Know that you are not alone with our team of lawyers and medical professionals in your corner fighting for you every step of the way.

If you’ve been in a slip and fall incident, contact NOVA Injury Law, so we can help you to recover today, and get your life back on track tomorrow with our no-obligation consultation, and contingency fee agreements.

For more information or to set up a Free Case Review, you can reach us by calling 1-800-262-8104 or writing Jeff Mitchell at jeff@novainjurylaw.com now. Our team of lawyers is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to support you and help you learn more about your legal right to recover compensation. Get in touch with us now to learn how we can help you!