North Lauderdale Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer

Based in Broward County, North Lauderdale has a population of around 44,000 and is known as the ‘City of Tomorrow’. As well as residential areas, North Lauderdale is also home to plenty of malls, stores, restaurants, cafes, and more. Although it’s not something we particularly think about, all of these locations come with a risk of slip and fall accidents. As Broward County slip and fall accident lawyers, we specialize in helping those who have been in a slip and fall accident in North Lauderdale.

Common Slip and Fall Accidents

Over the years, we’ve seen a whole host of slip and fall accidents. The most common examples come as a result of uneven walking surfaces, wet flooring, and obstacles. For example, you might be in a store and slip over some milk that hasn’t been cleaned up and that didn’t have the appropriate hazard signs. Elsewhere, it might be that you’re walking through the parking lot and trip over damaged concrete.

Other causes of slip and fall accidents include:

• Exposed cables and cords
• Poor lighting in or around the building
• Debris in the walkways
• Upturned carpets or rugs
• Parking lot potholes
• Grease that hasn’t been cleared
• Loose floorboards
• Poor transition from carpet to tile (and vice versa)

Injuries from Slip and Fall Accidents

In truth, the extent of the injuries experienced from this type of accident depends on the individual and the situation. One factor that affects the seriousness of the case is the type of flooring; landing on hardwood and concrete is less forgiving than softer material. Also, we need to consider the age and health of the person who has fallen.

This being said, as personal injury lawyers, we have seen sprains, fractures, bone breaks, ligament and nerve damage, spinal cord damage, hip injuries, dislocated elbows and shoulders, and serious head injuries over the years. In some cases, loved ones have been left devastated after a particularly nasty fall led to death.

If you have slipped and fallen in a public place, or even a private space, we advise getting in contact. Especially if you’ve been injured and have experienced expenses as a result of the fall, our team can provide a free consultation and start moving towards compensation for you.

Proving Liability - Who Is Responsible?

In North Lauderdale and Florida, we have a premises liability law. Essentially, this states that all properties should be kept free from hazards and safe for all visitors. With this in mind, compensation is possible in many cases because the manager or property owner either knew or had a responsibility to know of the hazard that caused the accident.

Let’s look at a spilled liquid in a grocery store as an example - the managers have a responsibility to look after all customers and keep the floor clear of hazards. If they can’t fix a problem, they need to make visitors aware of the hazard. In our example, perhaps a worker arrived at the scene but didn’t have the right equipment to clear the spillage - they should remain at the spillage to warn customers or leave a wet floor sign as a warning. If the spillage is left unattended with no warning, this could be considered negligence.

As personal injury lawyers, it’s our job to prove liability and negligence. Sometimes, it’s difficult to ascertain whether or not the property owner could have known about a hazard. For instance, somebody might have slipped over a bowl of soup that was spilled five seconds earlier. Here, it would be unfair to blame the property owner because five seconds isn’t enough time to spot the hazard and deal with it properly.

When proving negligence, we need to follow the four-step process below:

• Firstly, we need to prove that the owner of the property had a duty of care towards you. For stores and restaurants, for example, it’s assumed they will keep the premises clear of debris, slip hazards, and other potential causes of injury.

• Secondly, this owner must have breached this duty. Let’s say you’re in a restaurant and there was a spillage on the floor for over an hour, this would be considered a breach of duty.

• Thirdly, we need to prove that the hazard in question caused your injuries. There needs to be a direct correlation between the accident and your injuries - you can’t claim damages for a pre-existing injury or illness.

• Finally, to get compensation, you need to have suffered some form of damages. As we’re about to see, this could be medical bills, pain and suffering, lost income, or other damages.

Obtaining Compensation

We’ve seen the common causes of accidents, common injuries, and proving liability, but what about the compensation side of the claim? Well, the amount you get will depend on the severity of the accident and your injuries. Depending on the circumstances of the claim, you may recover:

• Lost income
• Medical bills
• Medical equipment
• Medication
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of future earning capacity
• Disfigurement
• Loss of financial support

As you can see, there are both economic and non-economic damages; this is why each and every slip and fall case in North Lauderdale is unique.

Contact The Injury Firm

There are opportunities to make a claim alone, but we advise against this route. For one thing, insurance adjusters will use clever tactics to pay as little money as possible. Although the initial phone call seems supportive and routine, they actually try to get victims to take responsibility for the accident. One misstep and you’re left with less compensation than you deserve.

At The Injury Firm, we have experience with these tactics and know what you should and shouldn’t do after an accident. We’ll take care of the paperwork, gather evidence on your behalf, deal with insurance adjusters, and even take your claim in front of a judge if needed. Why not contact your friendly Broward County slip and fall accident lawyers for a free consultation today: 954-951-0000?