Utah Slip and Fall Lawyers
- $ Millions Won For Our Clients
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Utah Slip and Fall Lawyers Who Won’t Let Property Owners Shift The Blame
A slip and fall might sound minor, but the injuries it causes often are not. Broken bones, head injuries, and back injuries from a fall can sideline you for months and leave you with medical bills no one expected. What makes these cases especially frustrating is how often property owners and their insurance companies try to argue that the fall was your fault, that you should have seen the hazard, or that it simply was not their responsibility to fix. Meanwhile, the property owner had a legal duty to keep their premises safe, and too often, they failed to meet it.
Creekside Legal represents slip and fall victims across Utah, and we know how to prove what property owners would rather you not be able to. We investigate the conditions that caused your fall, gather the evidence that establishes liability, handle your medical bills, and make sure you are getting the treatment you need, all while building a claim that reflects the true cost of what happened to you. Property owners carry insurance for exactly this reason. We make sure that coverage works for you, not against you.
There is nothing to pay unless we win your case. And when we do, we take a smaller percentage than most Utah firms charge, because recovering from an injury like this is hard enough on its own.
“If you are looking for the most dependable lawyer Matt Schmoldt is who you need. “
“Matt’s compassion in life shows in his work and he will work hard for you. I highly recommend Creekside Legal.”
– Cheryl L.
What Our Clients Are Saying
“Matt Schmoldt is amazing! “
“So easy to work with and he always makes sure to explain everything in a way thats easy to understand. He just treats you right!”
– Jeremy
“Matt was my lawyer and was super helpful and amazing with communication, everything was always clear and understood as my case went on! “
“Definitely recommend this law firm!”
– Christine M.
Our Utah Slip and Fall Accident Legal Team
Matt Schmoldt
Lawyer
Jenny Hoppie
Lawyer
Tyler Tapp
VP of Legal
Annie Edwards
Senior Paralegal
Sandra Westwood
Paralegal
Why Work With Us?
Experienced & Dependable
With over three hundred five-star reviews, you can be confident that we will take care of you and your case.
Pay Nothing... Until We Win
We won’t let you pay us… until we win. We also take less of your settlement than other personal injury law firms.
Medical Bills & Treatment
We will help you with your medical bills. We also make sure that you get the right medical treatment.
Get A Larger Settlement
Studies show that injury settlements are larger when a personal injury lawyer is representing you.
Do I Need a Lawyer for my Utah Slip and Fall injury claim?
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.
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.
How Much is my Utah Slip and Fall Accident Claim Worth?
Utah slip and fall cases are all unique, and your case may be different from those of other victims. The compensation we obtain for our clients depends on the facts of the case. Once you contact our firm, one of our slip and fall lawyers will help evaluate your case.
Damages available to Utah slip and fall victims include:
- 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).
Utah’s Statute of Limitations for Slip and Fall Claims
In Utah, you generally have four years from the date of your fall to file a personal injury lawsuit against the property owner responsible. Four years can feel like plenty of time, but the strength of a slip and fall case often depends on evidence that does not last that long. Hazardous conditions get fixed, surveillance footage gets deleted, and witnesses become harder to track down the further out you get from the incident. The sooner your case is investigated, the stronger it tends to be.
There are also exceptions that can affect your deadline. If the injured person is a minor, the clock generally does not start until they turn 18. If your injuries were not immediately apparent, the deadline may not begin until you discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, the extent of what happened to you. And if your fall occurred on government property, you may have far less time, sometimes just one year, to act.
Given how much these details can vary, the safest step is to talk to an attorney as soon as possible. Contact Creekside Legal for a free consultation, and let us help make sure your claim is protected.
“Matt is such an incredible person. “
“It’s obvious from the first moment you talk to him that he cares so incredibly much about people. He’s wonderful at listening and has so much integrity in the work that he does. He’s just a great guy!”
– Tayzia C.
Utah Slip and Fall FAQs
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:
- 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
What are some common injuries sustained in slip and fall accidents?
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.
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 is 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.
What are some common reasons for Utah 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.
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).
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.