What is a slip and fall accident?
A slip and fall accident – which is also sometimes referred to as a trip and fall accident or a premises liability accident – is an accident where a person is injured or killed as result of coming into contact with a dangerous condition on another person’s property where the condition is either unknown, hidden, effectively unavoidable or unreasonably dangerous.
Do I need a Michigan slip and fall lawyer?
You need a Michigan slip and fall lawyer if a dangerous condition on the property or premises of another has caused you or a loved one to suffer a serious injury or death. Premises liability cases are complex cases where liability is nearly always strongly contested. The property owner and insurance company will have attorneys at the ready immediately after an injury occurs. So should you.
An experienced Michigan slip and fall lawyer can protect you by immediately investigating and proving negligence by the property owner.
The insurance industry’s own data shows that a person who is represented by an experienced attorney with a proven track record of success recovers significantly more money – and often much faster – than a person who is not represented by an attorney. This is even more important in premises liability and slip and fall cases, where there will always be a dispute on the extent of the dangerous or hazardous condition at the time of the injury. This is why hiring an attorney as soon as possible is so important in these cases.
How much does a Michigan slip and fall lawyer cost?
Nothing unless we win. Our Michigan slip and fall lawyers work on a one-third (1/3) or 33.3% contingency fee basis where we are paid only if we recover for you. Our attorney fee is a one-third percentage of the verdict or settlement that we win for our clients. Our attorneys will not cost you anything up front, nor will you have to pay for litigation or investigation costs or experts or litigation costs up front or out of pocket. All of these costs are advanced on your behalf and are reimbursed from any recovery. If there is no recovery, there will never be a fee or any costs charged to you, guaranteed.
By working for you on a contingency fee basis, we only get paid if you get paid. No recovery, no fee.
What are the most common causes of slip and fall accidents?
The most common examples of dangerous property conditions that cause slip and fall accidents include:
- Snow and ice accumulation
- Black ice
- Wet floors (water or liquids)
- Slippery floors and walkways (water, liquids, food products, cleaning products (such as floor wax), other substances)
- Damaged and/or broken sidewalks (buckling cement, uneven walking surface)
- Potholes in parking lots and driveways
- Debris, clutter or objects in a customer’s or visitor’s walking path (merchandise, furniture, tools, equipment, trash)
- Torn or loose carpet or rugs (floor coverings)
- Broken and/or loose floor tiles
- Uneven floors
- Improper flooring seams
- Loose floorboards
- Step-ups and step-downs that are not properly marked
- Non-functioning or insufficient lighting
- Damaged or broken stairs
- Broken, damaged, unstable or loose handrails
- No posted warning signs (to alert visitors of the existence of dangerous property conditions)
- Violations of building safety codes
Is there a case for a trip and fall on an uneven sidewalk?
If you were injured from a trip and fall on an uneven sidewalk or a sidewalk with a defect, then our Michigan slip and fall lawyers may be able to help you recover pain and suffering compensation and economic damages from the city that was responsible for maintaining the sidewalk in reasonable repair.
What are the most common places where slip and fall accidents occur?
- Big box stores
- Grocery stores
- Stores
- Offices
- Businesses
- Retail pharmacies
- Shopping malls
- Restaurants
- Bars and clubs
- Hotels and motels
- Casinos
- Movie theaters
- Sports arenas
- Concert venues
- Health clubs and gyms
- Airports
- Bus stations
- Train stations
- Hospitals
- Nursing homes
- Professional offices (doctors, attorneys, accountants, dentists, therapists)
- Medical buildings
- Workplaces
- Apartment buildings
- Condominium complexes
- Private homes
- Private residences
- Schools and colleges
- Government buildings
Do I have a case for a slip and fall on snow and ice?
You may have a case for a slip and fall involving snow and ice. If you fell on black ice, you will need to show that the average person would not have seen it “upon casual inspection.” If you fell on snow and ice while coming or going to work, you will need to show it was “effectively unavoidable