Who’s Liable for My Slip-and-Fall Accident?

If you have been in a slip-and-fall accident, you might be wondering how you can hold the person accountable or if there’s even a way you can see if another person is liable. Determining liability is a key part of your legal case because it will determine who pays the damages you’re owed and how much financial support you may be able to get from the other party. 

Who is liable for the slip-and-fall accident will depend on how you got injured and where you got injured. If you were hurt at work, a worker’s compensation claim is one way to approach the injury. Otherwise, a commercial location might be in charge of paying you, or if you were hurt in a residential location, a homeowner could be liable. Other parties may also be liable.

How to Determine Who Is Responsible 

If you slipped and fell on a commercial or residential property, you might be wondering what guidelines are in place for determining who is responsible and what you should do in order to prove liability. 

Here are a few things you should look for:

• If the property owner created a dangerous condition which led to the accident 
• If the property owner should have known about the dangerous condition and should have taken steps to prevent injuries 
• If the property owner already knew about the dangerous condition but did not attempt to fix it or change the way it could have hurt someone 

While these are the main ways that fault is determined, there are some other ways you can determine who was at fault, including:

• How long had the dangerous condition existed?
• Did the owner know about it and refuse to do anything about the situation to fix it? 
• If the owner did make some attempts to fix the situation, were they normal and reasonable? 
• Were you careless in any way that may have caused the accident or made the accident worse? Were you trespassing at the time?

A Lawyer Can Help After a Slip-and-Fall

If you have been in a slip-and-fall accident, you should consider partnering with a lawyer. They can help you get the compensation you might be entitled to from the accident. This can include the payment of any medical bills and other compensation for lost wages, prolonged medical treatment, and even non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering. 

They will also be able to help you determine who is liable so that you can determine how to move forward in the case. Knowing who is liable is often the first step in moving toward court or simply negotiations. An experienced lawyer will be able to help you negotiate as well as appear in court for you if needed. 

Consult with a Lawyer After a Fall

To speak to a lawyer about your slip-and-fall accident, give Conway, Pauley & Johnson P.C. a call at 402-462-5187. You can also fill out our online contact form.