Personal Injury Lawyer Series: Slip and Fall Accidents Part 2 – Slippery Floor after a Storm or Spill In-Store
Slip-and-fall accidents are one of the most common forms of personal injury and, as a result, a frequent cause for personal injury lawsuits as well. A highly qualified personal injury lawyer in Montgomery County from Alfred Abel Law Offices can help you understand your legal rights if you are involved in a slip-and-fall accident.
In this second part in our series on slip-and-fall cases, we will look at slippery floors in private buildings, such as after a storm or after a liquid has spilled on a business’ floor.
Discussing Slip-and-Fall Accident Cases in Stores and Other Private Buildings
The key to any personal injury case is establishing responsibility, which can be difficult in slip and fall cases. Each case is different, and each hinges on the question of whether the owner and/or manager of the building was somehow negligent.
Many factors are considered when determining if negligence has played a role, and collecting information immediately after an injury will help your personal injury lawyer prosecute your case.
- Was the floor unreasonably slippery?
Many standard flooring types, such as linoleum or limestone, are somewhat slippery by nature, but they lack the characteristics to be innately “unreasonably” slippery. Generally, a compounding factor which has made the floor extra slick is required to prove fault.
- Was the floor slippery due to a foreign substance?
An unreasonably slippery floor is often due to spilled or applied liquids. Water, oil, polishing wax and other liquids are frequent causes.
- Could the owner/manager reasonably know about the slip hazard?
This question often boils down to time. How long had the floor been unreasonably slippery. If another customer spills water or drops items, and you trip on them thirty seconds later, the owner would have lacked the necessary time to reasonably address the problem. The longer the floor was a slipping hazard without the condition being addressed, the stronger your case.
- Were you warned of the hazard?
In most cases, slippery-floor signs and other hazard warnings will mitigate an owner/manager’s responsibility for slipping. When a sign is present and ignored, the court may decide that the owner/manager did everything possible to warn an individual. Consult your personal injury lawyer for specific contributing circumstances.
Contact a Qualified Personal Injury Lawyer in Montgomery County
Our post only presents the broad outlines of case law regarding slip-and-fall accidents, and you need qualified representation to know if you have a strong personal injury case. If you have been recently injured in such an accident, please contact Alfred Abel Law Offices to speak to a Montgomery County personal injury lawyer.