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If hazardous conditions caused you to slip and fall, resulting in a significant injury, you might have legal options to recover financial compensation through a slip and fall lawsuit. Slip and falls are a type of premises liability accident that occurs in various unsafe conditions and settings. These can include private properties, a grocery store, a shopping mall, an office building, or other commercial property.
You may be facing medical bills, lost wages, and emotional distress. When you are seriously injured due to someone else’s negligence, a DC slip and fall lawyer, you could be entitled to financial compensation. Contact an experienced Washington, DC slip and fall lawyer at Regan Zambri Long to discuss your slip and fall case.
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An experienced slip and fall accident attorney can provide the advice you need to help you understand a premises liability claim. Our Washington, DC slip and fall lawyers can determine who is responsible for your injuries, calculate your claim worth, and negotiate with the property owner’s insurance company on your behalf. If we cannot reach an agreement, we can successfully represent you in court.
If unsafe conditions on someone else’s property caused you or a loved one to slip and fall, resulting in a serious injury, you might have legal options to recover compensation through a slip and fall lawsuit. Speak to our experienced premises liability attorneys for a free case review.
At Regan Zambri Long PLLC, we have decades of experience helping clients recover multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts after serious slip and fall accidents. As a result, our DC personal injury lawyers can offer answers if you need to know what to do next.
Although a dangerous condition may cause a slip and fall accident, most are preventable when property owners maintain a safe environment.
Common causes of fall cases may include:
Wet Surfaces
Restaurants, grocery stores, and other businesses should always clean up puddles, spills, or other wet surfaces that could cause slippery floors. At the very least, warning signs should be placed around the area to indicate the wet floor or surfaces for customers.
Uneven Walkways
In some cases, parking lots and other areas may have severely uneven surfaces that create tripping hazards. Property owners must maintain walkways and paths on their land, while the city or other government agency is typically responsible for public sidewalks.
Clutter
Property owners should remove clutter from areas with heavy foot traffic, such as stairwells and hallways.
Inadequate Lighting
Poor lighting or insufficient lighting in stairwells and hallways can hide objects, spills, or other slip and fall hazards.
Bad Weather
Snow, ice, sleet, and rain can create slip and fall hazards inside and outside a business. Nevertheless, a property owner must take reasonable steps to remove these hazards from the premises.
Unsafe Staircases
Slip and fall accidents involving these staircases in poor condition are more likely to result in catastrophic injury or death.
Property owners can be held liable for injuries sustained on their property if they fail to maintain their property or remove dangerous hazards from their land and buildings.
In Washington, DC, your slip and fall lawyer may be able to bring a premises liability lawsuit against a property or business owner if one of the following incidents is true:
Sometimes, the victim may share some fault for the slip and fall incident. For example, if the victim used a cell phone during the accident or was in an area where visitors weren’t allowed, they might be partially responsible.
In Washington, DC, the legal system follows the contributory negligence rule. This strict rule states that if the victim is found to be slightly at fault for the accident, they cannot recover any damages. Expert premises liability lawyers will work to prove that you had no part in causing the accident and to reach a fair settlement.
To win a slip and fall case based on negligence, you must show that the business or property owner had constructive knowledge of the hazardous condition. You need to prove that:
Evidence that you will need to prove your personal injury claim includes:
Photographs of the Hazard
Take pictures of the area where you fell. You will want photos of the accident scene and of the hazard itself. Time is of the essence here, as the property owner might try to fix the issue after the fall, compromising your evidence to get photographs before leaving the property.
Footage From the Security Cameras
If available, footage can show the presence of the hazard and even your fall itself. To get video footage, your slip and fall attorney must send a letter to the property owner to protect the footage so it is not erased.
Testimony from Witnesses
Their statements can be valuable if anyone saw you fall and can describe the dangerous condition. Get contact information from anyone who witnessed your fall so your attorney can speak to them later.
Incident Report
It is important to file an incident report with the property or business owner after the accident. This document will provide vital information about the slip and fall, such as when it occurred, how it happened, what caused the accident, and what happened afterward.
Maintenance Records
Maintenance records can show that the property owner knew about the hazard previously and if they had taken any steps to fix it.
Medical Records
Seek medical attention immediately after the slip and fall. This is important for your injury claim because it will prove how severe your injuries may be and what medical care must taken to treat them.
Remember, the specific evidence needed will vary depending on the circumstances of your case. Consulting with a personal injury attorney can help you determine the most relevant evidence and how to obtain it effectively.
Common injuries sustained by accident victims in a slip and fall can range from minor to severe and can include:
If you’ve experienced such an injury, a DC slip and fall attorney can help determine if you can file a claim against the negligent property owner. It’s important to note that a slip and fall injury doesn’t automatically mean you will win a personal injury claim. However, having a knowledgeable attorney can significantly improve your chances.
If you suffered injuries from a slip and fall on someone else’s property, contact an attorney from our personal injury law firm as soon as possible. Filing a legal claim against the property owner or other parties can help pay for expenses related to your injuries. An experienced attorney will take steps to gather evidence, deal with the insurance policies,
We handle cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you do not owe us a fee unless you recover compensation. The Washington, DC, slip and fall lawyers at Regan Zambri Long PLLC also represent personal injury claims in Virginia and Maryland. For a free case review explaining the legal process after a slip and fall accident, call (202) 960-4596 or fill out our confidential online contact form.
The District of Columbia has a legal duty of care to maintain its property, such as sidewalks, parks, or buildings. You must hold the government liable if they fail to maintain the property.
However, DC has stringent guidelines when dealing with accidents on its property. If you slip and fall on public property, you must report the fall to the proper government agency. There are deadlines for filing a personal injury claim against the government, so the sooner you file a claim, the better.
Each case is unique, so consulting a DC slip and fall lawyer is vital for understanding your situation and rights.
The short answer is yes. Public or private owners are responsible for keeping their properties safe for anyone visiting. If you slip and fall on your neighbor’s property and are injured, your neighbor should provide their homeowners’ insurance information so you can submit a claim.
Depending on what injuries you may have sustained and the events surrounding the slip and fall accident, you may be eligible for the following:
In addition to these economic expenses, you may be entitled to non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and a diminished quality of life.
For more information or to schedule a free consultation, contact a Washington, DC slip and fall injury lawyer at Regan Zambri Long PLLC today.
Regan Zambri Long Personal Injury Lawyers, PLLC
1919 M St NW Suite 350,
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 960-4667
