In the blink of an eye, you can suddenly slip and fall, potentially suffering one or more serious injuries. Determining how and why you fell is the first step in understanding your injuries and seeing if you can recover with a legal claim. Some of the common causes of slip and falls in Savannah stem from negligence. If you were injured due to someone else’s negligence, you have the right to compensation. With the help of an experienced slip and fall injury attorney from the Law Offices of Joseph J. Steffen, Jr., you can make your claim for compensation to offset the effects of your injuries.
Most people move around without thinking too much about the floor beneath their feet, but an issue with the ground where a person steps can lead to tripping or slipping. If a person’s footing slips entirely, they can topple and endanger their head, neck, and lower half.
Issues that can cause a slip and fall can come from either what is on top of the floor or from the floor itself. Liquids or obstacles on the surface can impede a person’s path, either causing them to trip over something or to lose friction and slip. For example, water gathered at a threshold to a building can lead to a slip, and cluttered walkways can lead to a trip, such as in narrow hallways or doorways.
Problems with the ground itself can include structural issues or flooring issues. A staircase might have a loose or broken step, or poorly maintained carpeting could rip or pull loose to throw off a person’s balance.
Pinpointing if one of these common causes of slips and falls caused a person’s injuries is an important step in making a compensation claim in Savannah. Knowing the exact cause lets an injured person show how the injury happened and figure out who should be held responsible.
A hard fall can produce severe injuries alongside more superficial injuries, depending on the surrounding circumstances. Traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord damage can occur if a person falls over completely, though injuries to the hip and legs are more common. If a person falls onto one or more objects on the floor, furniture, or broken glass, cuts and bruises can result from the impact on top of larger injuries.
Injuries alone do not establish a legal claim; it is the consequences of those injuries that may give rise to one. Legal damages, such as medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering, are necessary to pursue compensation. Proving damages involves presenting medical records and expert assessments of how the injuries will impact the individual long term. Equally important is establishing that the appropriate party holds legal responsibility.
For example, the owner of a business typically has a duty to keep their property free of hazards that could harm their customers, but an injured person will need evidence of what caused a fall and what was done (or not done) to remedy it. A Savannah attorney can first show which common cause led to a slip and fall and then show that a person has damages coming from the action or inaction of a responsible party.
If you were injured in a slip and fall, identifying what caused your fall is critical to building a strong claim for compensation. Many common causes of slip and falls in Savannah, like wet floors, broken stairs, or poor lighting, stem from property owner negligence. At the Law Offices of Joseph J. Steffen, Jr., we investigate the scene, gather evidence, and help determine who should be held accountable for your injuries.
Contact us today to speak with an experienced attorney about the common causes of slip and falls in Savannah and how we can help you pursue fair compensation.