SLIP AND FALL

Slip and fall is the personal injury case term that occurs when a person slips and falls as a result of a dangerous or hazardous condition on someone else’s property. Property owners have a certain responsibility to ensure safety for their guests. This includes taking the precautionary steps required to removed or fix any hazardous condition, such as torn carpeting, changes in flooring, narrow stairs, wet floors, or poor lightening. Any one of these could cause serious injury to a person if left unattended.
Slip and fall accidents can occur inside or outside on commercial, residential, or private property. These cases are governed under negligence law and are the most common type of “premises liability” cases, which call into question the owner’s responsibility to ensure safety on the property. In order to win premise liability cases, the victim must prove the defendant either created the hazard or had prior knowledge of it, which is often difficult, especially in weather-related accidents. Generally, the owner may be held liable if he or she knew about the hazard and had reasonable opportunity to repair the problem, but did not.