Slip and Fall Lawyer in Tampa Bay

After a Slip, Trip and Fall in Florida, Call Our Experienced Slip and Fall Lawyers in Tampa Bay for Help

Slip and fall accidents are quite common and often lead to serious personal injuries. According to statistics, there are over 1 million hospital emergency room visits each year in the United States due to a slip and fall accident.  Although many falls may result in a mere bump or bruise, unfortunately some falls may result in serious or catastrophic personal injuries – including traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and spinal cord injuries (SCI), which falls are the most common cause of a TBI and the second most common cause of a SCI.  Additionally, some victims who fall may suffer the ultimate permanent injury – wrongful death – in falls, with some statistics reporting that it is estimated there will be seven (7) fall deaths an hour by the year 2030 based on how fast fall rates are increasing in the United States.  If this happens to you or a loved one, please call our slip and fall lawyers in Tampa Bay, Florida can help you.

Here at Dumas & Sanclemente, our dedicated bodily injury team of slip and fall lawyers understand how catastrophic falls can be for a victim and his or her entire family.  Many times the effect of a fall is much more than just physical pain and emotional harm, but also financial distress for a victim and the victim’s family.  This is particularly true of permanent and disabling fall injuries which result in catastrophic harm keeping a person out of work for a prolonged period of time.  If you have been injured in any type of trip, slip, and fall accident in Florida, our compassionate and dedicated team of lawyers is ready to help you recover the compensation that you are entitled to, and will stop at nothing to get you the compensation you deserve. Call today to schedule a FREE consultation to learn more about how we can help you and your family today.

Understanding the Basics of a Fall Accident

Slip, trip, and fall accidents can happen anywhere.  They can occur on another person’s residential property, a business, sidewalk, government agency, parking lot, open field, or another type of property.  Liability depends on the type of property and the reasonable expectations of the property owner and the person who was on the property.

Common Places of a Fall in Florida That You Can Recover Compensation For

Although there are many common causes of falls that apply to nearly every state, there are some certain examples that may occur more commonly in Florida.  Some of the most common causes of slip and fall accidents in Florida include the following:

• Pool decks
• Falls on painted wood stairs without friction stripes near water or pools
• Leaky AC units
• Tracked in rain water without carpets
• Excessive use of water, wax, or cleaning agents on a floor that become slippery
• Spilled products on a floor
• Leaky refrigeration units
• Broken curbs
• Uneven flooring
• No handrails on ramps or stairs
• Improperly built stairs, and
• Other types of serious defects on the floor.

Falls are Dangerous

Most people dismiss falls as being an inconvenience or an embarrassment.  Which they can be, but that is not the full story.  Falls can lead to serious personal injuries that may permanent or even fatal. Injuries commonly occurring due to slip and fall accidents include broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, internal bleeding or internal organ injury, back, shoulder or knee injuries, as well as many other serious injuries.

In fact, from the statistics we cited above, falls are some of the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and wrongful death in the United States.  This is a shocking statistic as falls are actually ahead of car accidents in two out of three of those categories.

While Florida requires property owners to maintain their properties to keep their properties in a safe condition to minimize the risk for falls, many people fail to properly maintain their properties, leading to serious or fatal injuries. When this happens, victims may be entitled to recover compensation in a premises liability action.

What is Premises Liability?

Premises liability refers to the assigning of liability when another individual is injured on someone else’s property. As mentioned above, landowners have an obligation to maintain their property and keep it safe from any potential hazards. If a land owner or land occupier fails to properly maintain their property, the owner or land occupier may be liable to pay for damages of the injured person.  This means that a property owner can be just as liable as a tenant, maintenance company, or another type of individual or entity who has a responsibility to maintain the premises in a safe manner.

Understanding Fall Liability

Premises liability can be complicated, and the law classifies visitors into three categories that specify what responsibility the owner has to that particular class of visitors. This classification helps assess the reasonableness of a property owner or maintainer’s liability, as well as the expectations of an entrant on the land.  The three types of visitors include the following:

• Invitees (business purpose) – Invitees refer to people that are provided permission to enter onto someone else’s property. Property owners and property occupiers have a duty to make sure that their property is kept safe from potential hazards leading to harm. If there is a hazard, visitors must be warned of any potentially unsafe condition and hazards should also be fixed in a timely manner.
• Licensees (social purpose) – Licensees refer to people visiting a park, beach, or other building as well as people who are invited over to another individual’s home for a social reason. Property owners and occupiers have a responsibility to warn licensees of any known dangers on the property, and must not intentionally injure licensees. However, property owners are not required to keep the property in safe condition at all time for licensees, so a less duty of care is owed to licensees than invitees.
• Trespassers (no purpose) – Trespassers are provided the least amount of protection. Trespassers include any person (with the exception of children) that choose to set foot on another person’s property without permission. The only duty that the owner or land occupier owes a trespasser is to not intentionally harm them. Even in instances such as these, injury of a trespasser may also be allowed in some circumstances if there is a threat against the land owner or occupier and their property.

Most Common Injuries Occurring as a Result of Slip and Fall Accidents

Victims of slip and fall accidents often sustain serious injuries. Some of the most common injuries seen as a result of slip and fall accidents include the following:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and other brain injuries – TBIs are particularly common as a result of slip and fall accidents. Traumatic brain injuries occur when a person hits their head, resulting in a brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries are often serious and can be permanent or fatal. TBIs and other brain injuries do not always cause immediate symptoms after an accident, and may take hours or days to show signs of the injury that has occurred.
• Spinal cord injuries – Spinal cord injuries is another type of injury that can occur due to a slip and fall accident. Spinal cord injury can cause alteration in mobility or permanent paralysis. This is one of the most life-altering types of injuries resulting from a slip and fall accident.
• Broken bones or fractures – Broken bones or fractures are commonly caused by slip and fall accidents. Victims who fall due to a slip and fall accident commonly break their hip, wrist, arm, leg, or other bones due to the fall.
• Soft tissue injury – A fall due to a slip and fall accident can result in permanent or serious injury to soft tissues, such as tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Some of these injuries may heal, but many cause permanent injury.
• Nerve damage – Nerve damage is another example of an injury caused by slip and fall accidents. Nerve damage may lead to an alteration in sensation and chronic pain for individuals who suffer nerve damage as a result of a slip and fall accident. The most common type of nerve injury after a fall is a brachial plexus injury, which occurs when a person’s outstretched arm lands with a heavy and significant impact.
• Back and neck injuries – Herniated discs, slipped discs, and other types of serious back injuries and neck injuries are very common in fall cases. Although some may recover, unfortunately too many will require a spinal fusion surgery to repair the damage done.

If You Were Injured in a Florida Fall Accident, Call Our Slip and Fall Lawyers in Tampa Bay

If you or your loved one was injured or killed in a slip and fall accident, you should call our lawyers at Dumas & Sanclemente to learn how we can help you by protecting your rights and recovering you the compensation you truly deserve. We offer FREE case evaluations and can help you understand what your legal rights to compensation may be under Florida law.  To learn more, please call 866-832-1569 or use our convenient “Contact Us” box available here to send us a message.