Slip-and-fall accidents are a leading cause of injury, and a simple tumble down poorly maintained stairs or fall on a wet floor can result in significant injuries, a whole stack of medical expenses, and wages lost from not being able to work. If you suffered a slip and fall accident and think that it may be due to another party’s actions, you should consult with an experienced personal injury lawyer to help establish liability for your injuries.
Just because you slipped and fell doesn’t necessarily mean you have a case for a slip-and-fall accident. In the state of Florida, there are a whole array of factors involved in determining who is liable for your injuries.
Slip And Fall Accident Liability Laws For Different Entities
As discussed above, there are various factors involved to prove liability for a slip-and-fall accident. If you were injured in a slip and fall accident, premises liability laws offer the chance to hold employers, owners, contractors, and government entities liable for your injury. Below we break down the liability of different types of potential defendants.
- Employers: Employers owe a duty of care to their employees to have a safe workplace. If an employee is hurt in a slip-and-fall accident at work, the employer may be liable for the damages incurred. For example, if an employer doesn’t train employees adequately for operating certain equipment on the job, they may be held liable for the employee’s injuries if they slip and fall while operating the equipment.
- Property owners: Property owners in Florida are required to keep their properties in a reasonably safe condition. If they are aware of a safety hazard and don’t take steps to clearly mark it off-limits or resolve the issue, then they may be liable for injuries. For example, if there was a broken staircase that they were aware of and didn’t fix or warn of it clearly, then they could be liable for the damages. However, if they are able to prove that they lived up to their duty of care, they may have less or no liability.
- Government Entities: Slip-and-fall accidents that occur on public property (i.e a city-run park or public road) may hold the responsible governmental entity liable. In such situations it’s especially crucial to have an experienced slip and fall attorney on your side, since there are many legal hurdles involved in suing a government entity and it can get very complex.
- Contractors: If a contractor hired to repair or maintain a property creates a dangerous condition or fails to fix a known dangerous hazard as promised, then they may be held liable.
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When holding another party liable for slip and fall accident injuries, you need to prove that your injuries were due to the accident and that the accident could have been prevented if not for the negligence of that party. You also need to prove that the other party (or parties) were negligent. If you have suffered injuries due to a slip-and-fall accident, you should consult with an experienced slip and fall attorney to help determine and prove liability. Call Asnis Srebnick & Kaufman for a free initial evaluation to see if you are entitled to compensation for your damages.
