Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Slip and Fall Lawyer Cases and How They may be Prevented

Slip and Fall Lawyer cases can often be prevented. These types of accidents are often preventable and have the potential for serious harm when they do occur. Slip and fall accidents happen when you least expect them. These types of accidents happen so fast you often are on the floor or ground before you realize what happened. Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere and if you are not paying attention in a strange place the potential is even greater. You should always consult a slip and fall lawyer if you have a slip and fall accident with injuries.

Slip and fall accidents in public places such as a supermarket, usually are noticed quickly and help may be available immediately. If you have a slip and fall accident in a public garage or parking lot, it may be some period of time before you are found. These situations are potentially more dangerous because of the time before you are able to receive medical attention.

As citizens it is our responsibility to try and avoid any situation that cause us harm. Icy patches on streets and in parking lots should be avoided at all times. We should always wear proper apparel including shoes for the conditions we are in. We should not wear shoes that prone to slip and slide. We should not wear clothing that might cause us to trip or stumble. Never wear spiked heels for example on rough concrete or asphalt. When we are not careful we can be a contributing cause of the accident. Never try to walk in unlit areas at night. Avoid wet pavement and floors and just use common sense. We can avoid accidents if we are aware and careful.

Slip and fall accidents are not always the fault of someone else. Most states have premise liability laws that make the property owner responsible for keeping their property safe from known hazards. This does not mean if you slip and fall on a patch of ice in a parking lot immediately after a winter storm the owner is at fault. In most situations you must show that the property owner knew of the dangerous situation and did not respond to remove or mitigate the danger. The dangerous situation must be a willful act not to try and protect those using the premise. If a supermarket floor is being mopped and they put wet floor signs in the area being mopped they usually are not held responsible if there is a slip and fall accident.

Some state laws do not hold property owners responsible for accidents occurring to anyone that is trespassing on private property. A trespasser in this case would be anyone that has not been invited.