What Should Slip and Fall Accident Victims Do to Prove Liability in Their Case?

Slip and fall accidents in Florida are complicated and fact-dependent. Put another way, slip and fall accidents depend heavily on the actual facts of the claim. All such claims are different and unique in their own specific ways. 

Further compounding the issue is the complexity of the laws in Florida, which means successful slip and fall claims require matching a series of actual facts that must be established to the specific laws. This reality requires an experienced attorney, like a Florida injury attorney at Searcy Denney, to navigate the nuances of a claim.

Slip and Fall Accidents in General

Slip and fall accidents are among the most common of all accidents. Slip and fall claims are based on the area of law referred to as “premises liability.” Premises liability claims revolve around accidents that are caused by unsafe conditions on another person’s property. So, for example, if you are at a museum and fall down a flight of stairs because of a defective handrail that breaks off into your hand, you may be able to hold the owner or manager of the museum responsible for your injuries.

In Florida, as with most states, successfully proving a slip and fall claim requires a victim to establish that:

• The property owner/manager owed a duty of care
• The property owner/manager breached that duty of care
• The breach was the cause of the accident on the premises
•  The injuries suffered by the victim were the result of that accident

Proving Fault in a Slip and Fall Accident

Liability is essentially a synonym for fault — a term for fault that is often used in the legal arena. Proving fault is the keystone in establishing a successful slip and fall claim. The following lays out the steps for proving fault in a slip and fall claim in a general sense, including the steps that must be taken before fault can be established. However, establishing fault, in reality, requires a classification of what type of visitor has been injured (i.e., what the purpose of the visit was). In big-picture terms, a victim must:

Collect Evidence and Establish Facts

Like all personal injury claims, the victim must first collect all relevant evidence. Generally speaking, this may include obtaining videos and pictures of the accident scene as it existed at the time of the accident. Specifically, for example, documentation of any conditions that may have contributed to the fall, including conditions like:

• Slippery substances on the ground or floor
• Broken or uneven flooring
• Dangerous terrain
• Torn carpeting
• Broken or uneven stairs
• Defective handrails
• Obstacles in walkways

It is also helpful for the victim or a family member/friend to immediately document the events exactly as they happened. This will provide necessary details, and since it was written down immediately, it is more likely to be credible than memories that may become stale. Eyewitness accounts should similarly be collected, and medical evidence, such as hospital and treatment records, is similarly critical.

The evidence collected will be critical in developing the series of critical facts, and the more believable the evidence is, the more likely the victim’s version will be found credible. A Florida injury attorney at Searcy Denney is experienced in this critical stage of your claim and will help ensure you have all the evidence needed to establish the facts of your claim.

Show Responsibility

While the owner/manager is responsible for maintaining a reasonably safe property, the victim is also accountable for reasonably avoiding hazards on the property. The property owner/manager and their insurance company may argue that the victim did not accept this responsibility by engaging in some type of careless behavior, such as staring at a phone, wearing inappropriate shoes or outer clothing, deeply engaging in conversations with their friends, or other behavior showing the victim was not reasonably responsible.

They may also require some explanation as to whether the victim had a legitimate reason to be in the area where the slip occurred and may further argue that a reasonable person would have noticed the condition and avoided it.

As is the case with many legal doctrines, “reasonableness” is the standard by which many decisions are made in the law. The easiest way to think of reasonableness is to put yourself in the owner/manager’s shoes and ask yourself, “Was I really paying attention? Could I have avoided this? Was anybody else hurt?” If the answers indicate that you were not really paying attention, a court may find that you are at least partly responsible.

Establish Fault

Liability, or fault, is a question of which party was the cause for any failure to be responsible. Try to convincingly argue that the property owners/managers should have inspected their premises regularly to identify any potentially dangerous conditions that existed. If such conditions were found, the owners/managers should have fixed these conditions within a reasonable amount of time. Again, reasonableness is the key to identifying and fixing dangerous conditions, as well as the adequacy of any warnings posted.

So, for example, if a property owner/manager has not regularly inspected his or her premises, that likely won’t be considered reasonable. Also, if an owner/manager notices a dangerous condition that is easy to fix but does not fix it within, say, a few weeks, or notices a hazardous condition that is hard or very expensive to fix but doesn’t fix it within, say, a year, that also likely won’t be considered reasonable. 

Again, the easiest way to think of reasonableness is to put yourself in the owner/manager’s shoes and ask yourself, “What will it take to make repairs or replacements? What would I do if it were my business?” If a victim is found to be at least partly at fault, the court may adjust their damages accordingly. For example, victims may recover 80% of their damages rather than 100%. Again, this is a part of your claim that requires the experience of a Florida injury attorney at Searcy Denney.

Let an Experienced Florida Injury Attorney Help You Establish Liability   

If you or a loved one have been injured or even killed due to an unreasonably dangerous condition on someone else’s property, a Florida injury attorney at Searcy Denney can help you establish liability. We have the experience and understanding of Florida law necessary to bring a successful slip and fall claim. Our goal is to help you receive the maximum amount of financial compensation you deserve.

We offer a contingency fee payment basis, which means no risk to you. We also offer free consultations. Contact us today to schedule yours.