All About Slip-And-Fall Accidents

Slip and fall accidents are quite common. In fact, they account for 8 million hospital visits each year, according to the National Floor Safety Institute. If you're ever involved in a slip and fall incident, you'll have to deal with the embarrassment of falling as well as some financial strains that may occur when you seek treatment. The following is some helpful information about slip and fall incidents, the fault in such incidents and what you can do if you ever get involved in such an event.

What Is a Slip-And-Fall Accident?

A slip-and-fall incident is an accident that makes a person slip or trip and then fall down to an injury. These occurrences are quite common in business establishments, but they sometimes happen inside of people's houses, as well. They happen for a variety of reasons. Inclement weather is one of them. Another reason that some people fall is that objects are in the way. Wet floors and unattended spills are other causes of these accidents.

Who Is Responsible for Slip-And-Fall Occurrences?

The responsibility of the slip related injury depends on the circumstances surrounding the injury. The general idea is that a business is supposed to ensure that people who shop at its facility are safe. That means that they should make certain that the facility doesn't promote a slip-and-fall-friendly environment. Sometimes, bad weather can make the outside of a business establishment slippery. In that case, the blame may or may not fall on the business. What damages can be claimed depends on who owns that part of the property and what measures they took to inform and protect the people who were going to visit there.

Homeowners are also responsible for slip-and-fall occurrences if one of their guests gets hurt during a visit. The perfect example of when a homeowner may be responsible is when the snow and ice fall. The homeowner may have to pay a settlement if a friend or family member comes over and slips on the ice. The same would ring true if the person fell inside of the home on a toy or a different object that was causing a disturbance.

What to Do If You Ever Suffer a SAF Accident

If you ever slip and receive an injury, you need to have someone evaluate the situation immediately. Personal injury lawyers, like Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers, are available all the time to assess such cases. A lot of them do not charge money to do so. You may have grounds for personal injury lawsuits if you feel as though the owner of the building or home acted in a neglectful fashion. The attorney will listen to the details of your accident and then let you know if you qualify for representation. In some cases, you might be eligible to receive compensation for damages as well as punitive damages. Compensatory damages are meant to compensate you for the money that you lost on medical bills and such. Punitive damages are meant to deter the other party from making the same careless mistake again. Some people refer to those damages as "pain and suffering damages."

It's possible that an attorney will represent you on a contingency basis and only make you pay if you win a settlement. There is no risk to you in such a situation, so you can relax and allow the attorney to take care of you.

You now know what slip-and-fall accidents are and how to handle them. Contact a personal injury attorney if you feel as though you've suffered injuries and financial losses because of someone else's neglect.