Slippery floors can pose a falling hazard. That is why property and business owners should do everything in their power to prevent slippery floors or warn people about dangerous conditions.
Falls, even those at ground level, can cause severe injuries and fatalities. According to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), falls cause half of all accidental deaths that happen in the home, most of which do not occur at elevation. If you or a loved one were injured in a slip and fall accident, a Miami slip and fall caused by slippery floors lawyer could help you seek monetary awards to pay for the costs of your injuries and other losses.
To learn more about how an attorney can help with your case, contact the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine at 1-800-747-3733.
Florida Slip and Fall Laws
Slip and fall accidents are a type of premises liability law. Premises liability lawsuits attempt to hold owners responsible for the cost of injuries suffered on their property. To prove the owner is liable, you must show they were negligent in some way and that their negligence caused your injury and losses. Legally, negligence is acting or failing to act with a level of care that an ordinary person would deem reasonable.
Some Florida state laws address slip and fall accidents. Florida Statutes § 768.0755 specifically addresses slip and falls that happen because of slippery floors caused by “transitory foreign substances.” Under the law, if leaking water, a spill, or another substance caused your fall, a business owner is not liable unless:
- The owner knew about the dangerous condition.
- The hazardous condition existed long enough that a business owner acting with reasonable care should have known about it.
- The dangerous condition occurred regularly, and therefore, the hazard should have been foreseeable.
What does this all mean? Say you slipped and fell at the grocery store on a slippery floor caused by water from a leaky freezer. The store owner may be liable for your injuries if they knew about the leak and neglected to fix it, block off the area, or warn customers about the danger. However, if you slipped on a spilled gallon of milk that had been in the aisle for only a matter of minutes, and no one brought it to anyone’s attention, you might not have a case.
Slip and fall accident laws also consider whether the injured party was legally on the property when they were hurt. According to Florida Statutes § 768.075, property owners are usually not liable for injuries that trespassers suffer. The exception to this rule is if a property owner acted with gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
If you plan to sue for compensation, you should also be aware of Florida’s comparative fault law, Florida Statutes § 768.81. This law established the state’s pure comparative fault model, which allows an injured party to sue, even if their negligence was the primary cause of their accident. There is no fault threshold, so plaintiffs may sue if they are less than 100 percent at fault. The court will reduce any awards by the plaintiff’s amount of fault.
Falls Can Be Dangerous and Costly
Fall-related injuries can be serious, resulting in costly medical care. Falls can result in:
- Hip fractures
- Comas
- Broken bones
- Brain injuries
- Permanent mobility issues
- Death
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls cause more than 3 million emergency department visits and more than 800,000 hospitalizations in the United States every year. This results in billions of dollars of medical care.
Elderly people are particularly at risk for severe fall-related complications. According to the NFSI, falls are the second-leading cause of injury-related death in seniors ages 65 to 84, and the No. 1 cause of injury-related death in those age 85 and older.
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Seeking Compensation
If you were injured or your loved one died because of a slip and fall injury that slippery flooring caused, you could seek compensation. A Miami slip and fall caused by slippery floors lawyer will go the extra mile to help you fight for your medical care awards and more.
If the property owner’s liability insurance covers your injuries, an attorney can help you file your claims and negotiate a settlement. Of course, you can attempt to do this alone, but keep in mind that insurance companies employ their own teams of lawyers, and it is financially advantageous for them to deny or underpay your claims. A lawyer familiar with the negotiations process can seek a fair payout offer for you. If not, your lawyer could take your case to civil court.
Your lawyer will gather evidence to prove the property owner was negligent, such as video surveillance footage, witness statements, and medical records. In a lawsuit, you may seek economic damages for the costs of your medical treatment, lost wages, and damaged property.
You may also pursue noneconomic damages for things like stress, mental anguish, scarring, and permanent physical impairment. Your lawyer will work to ensure the compensation you seek adequately covers your past and future expenses and your pain and suffering.
To learn more about awards you may pursue, contact the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine at 1-800-747-3733.
Responsive Legal Care
At the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine, our goal is to be with our clients every step of the way. We know that you are suffering from your injuries or the loss of your loved one. We will worry about the legal process while you worry about getting better.
To learn more about what a Miami slip and fall caused by slippery floors lawyer can do for you, call our offices at 1-800-747-3733. Our team is ready to answer your questions and discuss your next steps. As always, our consultations are free, and there is no obligation.
