Miami Slip and Fall Accident Attorneys

Accidental slips, trips, and falls are one of the leading causes of accidental injury and death for Florida residents. The risk is particularly acute among seniors, because of their physical frailties. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year roughly one out of every three Americans will suffer some type of fall, with nearly 30 percent of those resulting in severe to moderate injury. All told the cost of medical bills as a result of preventable falls among seniors alone is $30 billion each year. This does not even account for the myriad of other costs associated with these accidents.

Needless to say, fall accidents must be taken seriously. As a legal matter, when the fall occurs on another’s property, the victim may have legal rights to receive compensation to help in their recovery. For support on these matters in Miami and nearby Florida communities, please contact our lawyers today.

What Is the Statute of Limitations for Slip and Fall Claims in Florida?

The statute of limitations to file a slip and fall claim in Florida is four years after the date of your accident. Many people think this is a long time, but you would be surprised by how quickly it passes and how much there is to prepare. Before filing a claim, a lawyer must conduct an investigation, gather evidence, and obtain medical records and other papers documenting your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. You should contact a Miami slip and fall lawyer as soon as possible if you are considering filing a lawsuit.

Do I Really Need a Lawyer for a Slip and Fall?

If you suffered a serious injury in a slip and fall accident, you’ll want legal representation. A fall accident lawyer has the training and expertise to perform a variety of tasks that you cannot do on your own. Here are some examples of how experienced slip and fall lawyers could provide legal help in your situation:

Establish Liability For Your Case

Many factors must align for a slip-and-fall lawsuit to go through to a court trial. The slip and fall attorney must be ready at all times, proving not only that you suffered substantial injury and damages on someone else’s property, but also that they were caused by the negligence of property owners or managers.

The first thing our attorneys at Kaire & Heffernan will do is examine the circumstances of your accident in detail. We evaluate the accident’s fundamental elements, to determine how we can legally hold the property owner accountable for your slip and fall.

For example, let’s say you fell down some steps. We’ll examine not only whether you missed a step, but also why. Did you slip on anything on the step, perhaps? Did you try to grab the handrail only to discover that it was loose, causing you to lose your balance? Was the wood of the step rotting and starting to crater? Our expert slip and fall attorneys will analyze the situation, speak with you about all of these possibilities, and figure out why and how you fell. In addition, we will collaborate with and hire specialists as needed to help you show there were warning signs of a dangerous condition to strengthen your case.

Evidence Gathering

Our attorneys will seek other types of proof in addition to establishing liability. We will go to the location of the incident and take photos. We will also gather evidence including video surveillance, witness statements, and documentation of past injuries in the same spot.

Additionally, our team will work with medical experts to document the fall injuries you’ve sustained, like broken bones or severe head trauma. We’ll present all the evidence, plus your medical bills to the court to assist you in winning your case. This will be important so you can recover compensation for all your injuries.

Legal Liability

Sometimes slip and fall injuries are the fault of another–often the owners of dangerous locations. Property owners owe a duty of care to other persons on their premises. These duties include:

1. The duty to use care in maintaining the property in a reasonably safe condition; and
2. The duty to warn of dangers of which the owner has knowledge, but which are unknown to visitors or cannot be reasonably discovered.

If an individual is injured in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s premises, they may be able to recover compensation with the help of an experienced attorney.

Slip and Fall Injuries

Slip and fall accidents may lead to a host of devastating yet preventable injuries. These injuries may include:

• Traumatic brain injuries;
• Lacerations;
• Hip fractures;
• Broken bones;
• Back and spine injuries; and
• Death.

According to the CDC, slip and falls lead to approximately 8.9 million visits to the emergency room every year, and approximately 25,000 people a day are victims of slip and fall accidents. It is estimated that every year 17,000 people die from a slip and fall accident.

Where Slip and Fall Accidents Occur

The Workplace

About 15 percent of all work-related injuries are made up of slip and falls. In 2012, there were 219,630 nonfatal slip and fall accidents in workplaces. In 2012, 668 people experienced a fatal workplace fall, slip or trip, and 65 percent of all lost workdays are due to slip and fall accidents, resulting in 95 million lost workdays per year. Compensation and medical costs associated with employee slip and fall accidents average about $70 billion annually.

Restaurants

Roughly 57 percent of all food service general liability insurance claims are due to slip and fall accidents. The average restaurant has approximately three to nine slip and fall accidents each year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, slip and falls are the number one cause of accidents in hotels, restaurants, and public buildings

Supermarkets and Grocery Stores

In the United States, the Grocery Store Industry spends $450 million annually to defend slip and fall claims. These accidents in supermarkets are the number one cause of both employee and guest injuries.

Expert Legal Representation

At Kaire & Heffernan, our personal injury attorneys will be able to build a strong case on your behalf and use it to negotiate a good settlement with the lawyers for the property owner or insurance company. If a fair compensation agreement cannot be reached, they will represent you in a court trial and fight aggressively to win your Miami slip and fall case.

We’ll handle all of this, so you can focus on healing and putting your life back together. Our slip and fall lawyer will stand by you at trial, providing evidence to support your case that the property owner had actual or constructive knowledge of the potential hazard and is responsible for your injuries.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a slip and fall accident, please contact our knowledgeable and experienced Miami personal injury attorneys today for a free consultation. We take our attorney-client relationship seriously and will do everything in our power to get you the outcome your desire. Fall accident victims do not have to suffer because of a negligent property owner, and our personal injury law firm is here to provide all the help that they need!

Call us today at 866-769-0123 or contact us online to connect with an experienced lawyer well-versed in Florida law on slip and fall accidents. We are ready and willing to take on your personal injury claim!