Slip and Falls / Premises Liability

Florida Slip and Fall Lawyer

Carlson & Meissner

Tampa · Clearwater · St. Petersburg Premises Liability Attorney

Property owners may be held legally responsible when people who are present on the premises suffer injury there. An experienced slip and fall lawyer is a valuable resource for someone who has fallen, been hit by fallen objects, tripped on a broken sidewalk, or been physically assaulted in a retail outlet, parking lot, or apartment complex (to name a few examples.)

Contact the Tampa Bay area law offices of Carlson & Meissner to schedule a free initial consultation if you have been hurt on someone else's property. For more than thirty years, our experienced premises liability attorneys have been helping injured people obtain the compensation that is rightfully theirs when an injury occurs on premises such as shopping malls, schools, or public roads.

Slip and Fall Accidents Can Happen Anywhere

Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere. Property owners are responsible for maintaining safe premises for invited visitors or patrons. When there is a dangerous or hazardous condition which the owner knows about or should have known about, the owner can be held responsible for injuries resulting from such dangerous conditions.

Hazardous conditions can include spilled liquid in a supermarket, uneven or cracked pavement, or a pothole in a parking lot. Sometimes the dangerous condition may be concealed or partially concealed, such as a spike or a hole in a lawn area that is covered by grass. Many "warehouse" type stores may improperly stack merchandise. Goods that are stacked too high or displays that are improperly built may fall and cause injuries to patrons.

Hazardous Conditions: Known to the Property Owner or Not?

The hazardous condition may be permanent or temporary. When the hazard is permanent (uneven concrete or cracked pavement, for example), the owner would be considered to have had knowledge of it. Neglecting to have the condition fixed in a timely manner could make the owner liable for injuries that occur because of it.

In the case of temporary hazards, such as spilled liquid in the store aisle, the length of time the hazard existed will be important. If the spill just occurred and the property owner had no time to be notified of it and correct it, he may not be liable for any fall caused by the temporary condition. However, if the spill remained for some length of time (as perhaps evidenced by cart tracks through a floor spill) or if the spill occurred repeatedly or in a section of the store where the owner should expect spills, he may be liable for injuries even if he did not know about the spill before a fall occurred.

Documentation, Notification, Diagnosis

Obviously, proving the circumstances surrounding a slip and fall accident can be problematic. It is important to document the fall, the conditions that caused the fall (via photo or videotape), the names and addresses of any witnesses, and any comments by store employees or building owners as to previous occurrences.

It is imperative to notify the owner of the premises about the injury when it occurs and get a record of any report made about the incident. Preserving the clothing and shoes worn at the time of a fall is often important to document falls caused by spilled liquid or to document evidence of injury. You should not postpone seeing a physician when you have been injured. Injuries may be more severe than you think. Seeing a doctor documents the injury and immediately connects it with the date of the incident.

Preserving Evidence

Contacting an experienced injury attorney may be your best choice when you are injured on someone else's premises. An attorney can immediately move to preserve evidence on your behalf, document the condition that caused the injury (before it is corrected by the owner, etc.) and contact an expert witness on your behalf.

Contact us as soon as possible after an injury such as a sexual assault in a parking garage, or a fall down stairs in a home where you were a guest.