Halifax Slip and Fall Lawyers

The law requires that property owners maintain a safe property for visitors. Despite the clear standard to which property owners are supposed to be held, safety isn’t always guaranteed everywhere we go. In fact, property owners are often found to have deficiencies in their premises that are unsafe, and these may lead to injury for workers or visitors.

Many accidents, including slip and fall cases, usually arise because the owner of a property didn’t realize the danger or because systems were not put into place to fix a potentially dangerous situation. While the property owner may not have intended for someone to get hurt, an injury claim can be pursued so long as the owner acted negligently. The question to be asked is whether or not the premises were reasonably safe for a visitor.

If you have been injured because of unsafe premises, contact our team of slip and fall lawyers to discuss the details of your case. We look forward to explaining more about Occupiers Liability law and reviewing the insurance coverage in place at the home or business through which your claim will be pursued.

What Kinds of Benefits are Available to Slip and Fall Victims?

Your access to benefits in a slip and fall claim is different from those applicable to a motor vehicle accident, for example. Your lawyer is able to assist you in obtaining access to available treatment and benefits under an applicable policy of insurance. Injuries from a fall can be just as severe as injuries from a serious car accident, and both can leave lasting effects on the lives of the victim for many years of their life.

In fact, because your claim is not a car accident case, you may be able to access higher levels of compensation for certain injuries. Major injuries can also occur, leaving the victim in hospital and exposed to potential surgery. In addition to physical injuries, victims are often left with serious mental or psychological effects from the incident.

No matter how severe your injuries are, be sure to access the help you need through an insurance policy when possible. The personal injury lawyers at NOVA Injury Law can assist you through the entire process, from the original injury through to the settlement of your claim, no matter how long that claim may take.

What Kinds of Injuries Can You Get During Slip and Fall Accidents?

Slip and fall accident cases represent an incredibly varied selection of injuries, all varying in severity and the length of time that the victim may be affected by them. Everyone’s situation is different; while this is not an exhaustive list, your slip and fall injury might include one or more of the following:

Head injuries

Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injury (TBI). A TBI may be a minor concussion that heals with rest, or a severe injury that causes ongoing seizures, sudden difficulty with communication, mood changes, cognitive impairment, and other debilitating symptoms.

Hip fractures

More than 95 percent of broken hips are suffered from falls. A hip fracture typically requires major surgery and hospitalization for about a week, followed by extensive rehabilitation. A hip fracture may impact the victim’s ability to walk and will often prevent the victim from being able to work.

Back and spinal cord injuries

The impact on the body in a slip-and-fall accident can fracture vertebrae or cause slipped or herniated discs, which cause significant pain and limit mobility. In many cases, damage to the spinal cord is considered a serious injury that can lead to permanent paralysis, temporary paralysis, and other neurologic and sensory impairments.

Shoulder injuries

A slip-and-fall accident may result in a shoulder dislocation. These painful injuries are treated with surgery followed by physical therapy to rehabilitate the injured limb and joint.

Sprains and fractures

Slipping, tripping, and falling can cause the victim to twist a knee or ankle and sprain the connective ligaments at those joints. The impact of landing on the ground or floor or hitting something while falling can break bones. The most common fractures suffered in falls are of the hip, spine, forearm, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm, and hand.

Should I File a Slip and Fall Accident Claim?

In order to advance a claim, the victim must be able to show that someone (usually the property owner) was at fault (responsible) for the injuries. For your case, a slip and fall lawyer will help you define the following:

Who is responsible for the injury?
Were the responsible parties actually negligent?
What amount of compensation best matches the victim’s losses?

When organizing your case, you should be able to complete the following sentence: “X was responsible for my accident, and had X not done Y, the injury wouldn’t have happened”.

The burden of advancing evidence in a legal claim is on the injury victim. In order to win a legal claim, the victim will need to prove that “X” was responsible and “Y” was, in fact, negligent and led to the injuries. An example of negligent behavior that may lead to a slip or fall would be a failure to draw attention to sudden drops in elevation, like stairs, with signage, reflective safety paint, or other indicators. A lawyer experienced with slip and fall accident claims will be able to help best define these statements, as well as back them up with medical evidence.

What is My Slip and Fall Settlement Worth?

Personal injury law is complex, and there are many factors that impact a claim’s worth that will vary from case to case, including the area where the accident took place, the type of property or injuries involved, and more. Please contact a personal injury lawyer with experience in slip and fall cases for specifics related to your case.

Most important is the injury victim’s pre- and post-accident condition. Lawyers don’t go to medical school, and they don’t have the medical experience to understand some injuries fully. A properly constructed claim will clearly detail the health of the injured person before the incident and the impact of the injury on the individual in various areas of his or her life. That’s why we have an in-house physician, Dr. Laura Mitchell, on our team.

Our lawyers work with Dr. Mitchell to understand the extent of the injury and its impact and collect supporting medical evidence.

Are Slip and Fall Accident Cases Hard to Win?

Winning Slip and Fall claims generally make one of two arguments:

The responsible party should have been aware of a dangerous condition and done something about it.
The responsible party caused the dangerous condition leading to the accident.

Dangerous conditions can occur all the time. Consider the pothole in the parking lot, uneven walkways, or icy entryways. Hazards can also be caused by, for example, a pallet left around a corner by movers or water spilled on the floor by cleaners.

The question is whether the responsible party and the victim acted “reasonably”.

Insurance lawyers and adjusters are quick to say, “accidents happen, and my client can’t be responsible for everything. No one can be perfect”. This is correct, and the law will excuse someone who acted reasonably, even if something still happened. The law does not require perfection, just reasonable efforts to avoid unsafe conditions. However, if it can be determined that the owner of the property was negligent with safety, then victims have the right to be granted the compensation they deserve for their injury.

An experienced personal injury lawyer will assess whether the responsible party acted reasonably. He or she must also consider whether the injured person also acted reasonably for a person in the setting (i.e., shopper, guest, etc.).

When Should I Contact a Slip and Fall Lawyer after I Fall?

Do you know when to call a personal injury lawyer to help you with a slip and fall claim? As with any accident or injury, your first and most important step is to seek medical attention. Pain or other symptoms from some injuries, like concussions or other head injuries, may be subtle immediately after the accident and increase in severity over time.

When you have received medical attention, it is often best to speak with a lawyer before speaking with any insurance adjusters – especially if they represent the other party involved in your accident. Slip and fall claims are complex, and a lawyer dedicated to the practice of injury law is a necessity. Here are 4 ways a good lawyer will help:

Providing guidance about giving a statement
Helping to get medical care and guidance
Sharing knowledge of how to negotiate
Using their experience to assess how much your claim is worth

If you’re not sure if you need a lawyer, get in touch with us for a free case review. Every kind of personal injury case has a deadline for filing a claim, and that deadline varies between different types of cases. To avoid missing your window of opportunity for receiving compensation, it’s best to speak with an experienced lawyer as quickly as reasonably possible.

Can I File a Claim for a Slip or Fall Accident at Work?

Filing a claim against your employer, whether it’s a workers’ compensation board claim or a personal injury claim, can be an awkward situation. The fear of retaliation may even be enough to stop some from filing a claim. That’s why it’s in your best interests to consult with a slip & fall lawyer prior to making a decision.

Not only will a lawyer know whether your claim is best suited as a worker’s compensation claim or a personal injury claim, but he or she will also ensure that your rights are protected in the workplace.

Call Our Halifax Slip & Fall Lawyers Today!

If you or someone you know has suffered severe injury or loss in quality of life following a slip, trip, or fall, contact our office today by phone, text, email, and more. No one can predict when and where they will be injured in an accident, so our team is available to assist you no matter the time: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Please reach out for information on scheduling your free initial consultation online or by calling 902-706-5205 today.