If you or a loved one has been injured in a slip and fall accident, you need to speak with a Utah slip and fall accident attorney now. You pay us nothing… until we win. Call for a free consultation with a Utah injury lawyer.
Do I need a slip and fall attorney?
If you’ve been the victim of a Utah slip and fall accident, you need a personal injury lawyer. Odds are that you’re in pain from your slip and fall and that you’re dealing with medical recovery while your bills pile up. Things get overwhelming for an accident victim, fast.
Maybe your slip was on snow or ice or maybe your case involves stairs that should have had handrails installed on them. Perhaps you tripped because someone negligently left cords on the floor. Regardless, the recovery process is scary, confusing, and complicated, and people shouldn’t navigate it alone.
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You don’t just need any attorney, you need a Utah slip and fall attorney – in fact you deserve one. The property owner likely has an insurance company with a team of lawyers, don’t try to fight your case alone. Experienced Utah slip and fall lawyers help you navigate your case, and help you get the compensation you deserve.
Contact us today and speak with a Utah lawyer for free.
Is there a law firm that specializes in slip and fall injuries?
The Utah personal injury law niche has a bunch of general accident lawyers (there really are a lot of personal injury law firms in Utah), but, not all of them handle slip and fall accidents. At Creekside Injury Law, we value the attorney client relationship, and proudly handle Utah slip and fall cases with experience and skill. Contact a slip and fall lawyer at Creekside today, and get a free consultation about your claim.
What should I do after a slip and fall accident?
After your fall, there are steps you should take immediately, and others to take over the coming days and weeks:
First, and most important, your safety is paramount. If you need medical attention for your injury, call 911. As you will see below, slip and fall injuries can be significant, and the consequences can be deadly.
Once you are safe, the next step is to begin documenting what happened. Write down everything you can think of that led to your slip and fall injury. Here are a few ideas:
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- Was it light or dark out?
- If it was dark, what kind of lights were there?
- Was the ground wet or dry? Was there ice or snow on the ground?
- What was the weather like when your injury occurred?
Also, be sure to write down or record the names and contact information for any property owners or business owners whose property was involved, and get contact information for any witnesses.
Take photographs! If you case happens to be a premises liability case, the property owner is going to try and fix whatever caused your injury before your lawyer can come see it for themselves.
Stairs, sidewalks, an office, anything that may have been involved in causing your injury should be photographed with a timestamp if possible. Your injury attorney will be glad when they hear that you have these photos, and the photos will help your claim.
Lastly, call a Utah slip and fall lawyer. Call as soon as you are able in order to make sure that your case does not go past the statute of limitations (you will not be able to file a lawsuit for your claim if you wait too long). Not every law firm is willing to take slip and fall injury cases, but a personal injury attorney at Creekside Injury Law is always willing to take on a righteous slip/trip case.
How much is my slip and fall case worth?
Utah slip and fall cases are all unique, and your case may be different from another victim. The compensation we obtain for our clients depends on the facts of the case. Once you’re talking to a slip and fall lawyer at Creekside Injury Law, we will help evaluate your case. There are different kinds of damages that are available to victims in Utah slip and fall cases.
Damages available to a fall victim:
- Economic damages – damage done to your money, typically as a result of expenses coming from your injury. These can include lost income, expenses for your recovery, and even future healthcare expenses.
- Non economic damages – compensation for things like pain and suffering, disfigurement, disability, or loss of enjoyment of life as a result of your injuries.
- Punitive damages – only available in specific cases where there is outrageous conduct on the part of property owners (compensation for punitive damages is intended to punish the property owner for their conduct).
How long will my slip and fall case take?
A Utah slip and fall case will take more or less time based on how bad the injuries are, and the cause of your injury. After your accident, your compensation will need to account for all of your bills and expenses.
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Some clients are eager to reach a settlement, while others want to examine all of their rights in a case, including going all the way to trial. Typically, your personal injury lawyer (if they’re an experienced attorney) wants to get you as much compensation as possible.
While it may seem like your attorney isn’t going as quickly as you would like, they are working to make sure you get all the compensation you deserve out of your lawsuit. Most personal injury cases result in a settlement.
Good attorneys do not want you to lose compensation because they take a settlement too quickly without having a full understanding of the facts.
Contact a slip and fall lawyer at the law firm of Creekside Injury Law today, and after a consultation we will be able to give you an idea of how long your specific case may take.
What if they blame me for my slip and fall?
In most cases, the property owners, landowners, or business owners will say that the fall was your fault. These people know that the premises liability is potential theirs, and they want to blame you for their negligence so they don’t have to pay for your injury, and resulting pain and suffering.
Utah code has enacted a law that says even if a judge or jury find that you are partially at fault for your slip and fall, you can still recover compensation if your share of the fault is less than the fault of everyone else combined. While this may sound confusing, the law firm of Creekside Injury Law has handled cases for other clients, and are familiar with how to handle fault in slip and fall accidents.
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Shared fault in your accident can directly affect your compensation. Applying shared fault in a Utah slip and fall case looks like this: you accidently trip and fall on a sidewalk (or down a set of stairs). An attorney fight for you and your your case. A jury decides your case is worth $100,000, but the jury also decides that your negligence was 10% of the cause for your slip and fall accident. This means you would recover 10% less, or $90,000.
A Utah slip and fall lawyer can help protect your rights, and make sure that you get all the compensation that you can for your slip and fall injury.
Personal injury law can be complicated, and slip and fall accidents are no exception. Good attorneys will be able to explain fault to you, and persuasively argue against the insurance company and the landowners/property owners who will likely say that the fall is your fault because of your negligence.
What defenses might the other side raise?
Make no mistake, the landowner has their own attorney, or attorneys, and is going to use them. Lawyers for the defense may say that your slip and fall accident was due to your own negligence, and that the business or residence where your injury happened has no liability. They may try to say that your injury isn’t as severe as you claim.
A property owner may try avoiding the consequences of their negligence by saying that your injury was caused by a hazard that was too new for them to know about it. The defense lawyer might seek to avoid a settlement on the basis that without any way to know about the hazard, the landowners can not be forced to pay for your claims. A defendant’s attorney may claim that you were trespassing, and that because you had no rights to be on the property, your injury is not their problem.
Speaking with a Utah injury attorney is important so that you can know what to expect, and good attorneys will prepare you to hear the negative things the other side is going to say about your case. Experienced lawyers are familiar with these defenses, and will know how to properly attack them in your case.
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How long do I have to bring a slip and fall lawsuit?
Something called a statute of limitations will determine how long you have before your case can no longer be taken to court. In Utah, you generally have four years to file your slip and fall case.
If your claim involves a governmental entity, you only have one year to notify the government. Government claims expire much faster, and if your case involves the government in any way, you need to contact a Utah slip and fall lawyer today.
Don’t let your injuries go without compensation – call and talk to an accident attorney at Creekside Injury Law today, and get a consultation about how the statute of limitations might affect your lawsuit. We have helped other clients navigate their cases and protect their rights, and we can help with your Utah slip and fall.
Common injuries sustained in a slip and fall accident
A Utah slip and fall case can have a wide range of injuries, some minor and some very serious. These injuries can usually be classified into a few smaller groups:
Brain injury
Brain injuries can manifest in a variety of ways. You may find yourself experiencing mood swings. Memory loss and nausea are also common in a brain injury. Brain injuries can affect how you process thoughts, meaning you may find yourself confused more often than before.
Spinal cord injury
Falls that cause a spinal cord injury can be some of the most frightening. Because your spinal cord is how your body sends messages around, a spinal cord injury can mean trouble breathing, loss of bowel control, or even sexual dysfunction. Falls that cause spinal cord injuries, such as falling down a large flight of stairs, can also lead to paralysis.
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Broken bones
Broken bones often result in significant pain. Usually when someone in a Utah slip and fall case breaks a bone, it heals just fine. But, complicated breaks can cause life long problems.
Soft tissue damage
These types of injuries are more minor – things like a sprained ankle, road rash, or bruises. Often the treatment for these injuries are over the counter painkillers, ice, heat, and time.
Other kinds of damage
Slip and fall accidents can harm you beyond what is listed here. Things like PTSD or recurring nightmares are injuries not visible to the naked eye. If you’re in a Utah slip and fall, tell your personal injury attorney about any symptoms you have during your recovery, as they may affect your case.
Our law firm is here to give you a free attorney consultation for your slip and fall injury. Talk to a lawyer today.
Common reasons for slip and fall injuries
There are many reasons why an accident may happen in Utah. Some of the most common reasons a fall happens are:
Floor conditions
It should be no surprise that floors are supposed to be flat. When a foundation shifts underneath a business, office, or some other property, it can make the floor become uneven. If a business has certain colored flooring, this can be almost impossible to see, and a business or property owner failing to fix uneven floors may be guilty of negligence.
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Premises liability isn’t just structural. Floors should be dry, making them easy to walk on. Victims of a slip and fall accident often don’t even realize that a floor is wet when they are stepping on it. Your lawsuit may involve an improperly mopped floor, or premises liability may be based on a business not fixing a leaky roof or window.
Poor lighting
Most Landowners know that may have liability if their space isn’t properly lit. A personal injury claim may lead to a lawsuit when landowners ignore their poor lighting conditions. This can cause someone to trip and fall.
Damaged sidewalks
Sidewalks are expected to be safe, and it can be negligence if they aren’t. Personal injury resulting from an accident on a sidewalk means that the property owner did something wrong, and an attorney will help you recover for your personal injury from that accident.
Broken or badly maintained railings
Landowners need to maintain safety railings on their property. When railings fail, falls happen, and injuries happen. If your claim involves a personal injury because there was no handrail or the handrailing broke, talk to a lawyer today (don’t let your claim slip through your hands).
Electrical cords
Some landowners in Utah use long extension cords to plug in their equipment. An office may have cords from their computers cluttering the floor, waiting for unexpecting victims to have an accident. It can be negligence that leads to premises liability if these landowners don’t properly secure cords to prevent tripping.
Countless other reasons
A good Utah slip and fall lawyer knows how to handle any kind of accident, an attorney at our office will help you navigate your claim. Experienced attorneys can help you with your claim and medical bills. They can also get you the compensation that you need (either from a settlement or a trial).
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What if I slipped or fell at work?
Many occupations (lawyers, construction workers, store clerks, and thousands of other jobs) spend a lot of time at work. Most go their entire career without a workplace accident, but an accident can happen anywhere and at any time, especially in places where we spend most of our time. In fact, 12-15% of the time, a workers compensation claim is based on a fall at work, and fall related accidents are the number one reason why workers call in sick.
Workers compensation law in Utah is complicated and specialized. Talk to a Utah accident attorney now.
Slip and fall statistics
From the National Floor Safety Institute:
- Fall accidents account for over 8 million ER visits every year.
- In 2005, more than 15,000 people died from trip and fall accidents.
- Half of all people over the age of 65 who fall and suffer a hip fracture are never able to live alone afterwards.
- Every year more than 30% of people over the age of 65 will be in a fall accident.
- 85% of worker’s comp claims come from slipping on slick floors.
From the National Safety Counsel:
- Falls are the number 1 cause of death for adults over age 65.
- Improper ladder safety is a leading cause of fall injury.
- In 2016, almost 50,000 workers were injured badly enough in a fall to require time off work.
- The risk of falling is highest in construction jobs, but a fall can happen at desk jobs too.
Most importantly, from the National Safety Counsel – “Falls are 100% preventable.” Talk to an attorney about the negligence that caused your injury.
