When you suffer a back or spine injury following a slip and fall accident, you may wonder about your legal options for financial recovery. Back and spine injuries are not cheap to treat and can cost you thousands in medical bills, surgery expenses, and rehabilitation bills.
In some cases, your injury may cause impairments that prevent you from returning to work, either temporarily or even permanently. A Punta Gorda back and spine slip and fall injury lawyer can examine the circumstances that led to your fall and help you understand your legal rights to compensation.
A slip and fall due to property owners’ negligence or carelessness could make you eligible for compensation through a personal injury claim or lawsuit. Property owners have a legal duty to reasonably maintain their property for the safety of others.
When property owners fail to meet this standard of care, and you suffer injuries as a result, the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can help. Call 1-800-747-3733 to learn more about how you can seek compensation for your injuries and other losses during a free consultation.
Back and Spine Injuries Resulting from Slip and Fall Accidents
According to the Cleveland Clinic, falls are the second most common spinal cord injury source after motor vehicle accidents. Furthermore, back pain is among the most common complaints medical professionals hear from patients. Like spine injuries, back injuries also commonly occur when people fall.
Injuries suffered in falls also can be fatal, including those falls that result in back and spine injuries. In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 37,455 people in the U.S. died as a result of unintentional falls.
Liability for Slip and Fall Accidents
Various parties could face liability or legal responsibility when people suffer injuries in slip and fall accidents. In the workplace, injured workers can look to the workers’ compensation system for payment. If people slip and fall at a business or a private residence that others own, they could pursue the property owner for compensation for their injuries, depending on the situation.
Property owners generally must keep their property safe and free from dangerous conditions that can harm others. As a result, property owners must take reasonable measures to identify, remedy, and warn others of any potential harms. These hazards include those known to the property owners, those that are reasonably foreseeable, and those of which they reasonably should be aware.
A common example of a slip and fall that might lead to a property owner being held legally responsible for it is when a customer slips and falls on a spilled liquid in a grocery store or other retail establishment. In this situation, Florida’s specific statute defines what injury victims must prove to hold the property owner liable.
Under Florida Statutes §768.0755, business owners must have either actual or constructive knowledge of a spill or other dangerous condition and failed to reasonably remedy it. Owners may have constructive knowledge of a hazard if:
- The hazard occurs with regularity and, therefore, was foreseeable.
- The hazard existed for so long that the owner should have known about it from the exercise of ordinary care.
This law limits store owners’ liability or responsibility for certain kinds of slip and fall accidents, such as if a spill occurs and a customer immediately slips and falls. The length of time to act or the type of efforts that a business owner must reasonably make to protect customers differs based on the circumstances.
For example, if a condition would require extensive repairs to remedy, then the property owner may need to only properly warn customers of the potential hazard by roping off the area or posting signs. If there is an easy fix to the problem, however, and it remains unaddressed for hours, then the property owner’s actions may not be reasonable.
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Compensation for Back and Spine Injuries
Back and spine injuries may require extensive treatment, including hospitalization, diagnostic testing, surgery, and rehabilitation. Chiropractic care, injections, and physical therapy also may be necessary. You can seek compensation for all medical bills related to your injuries through a personal injury action. A Punta Gorda back and spine slip and fall injury lawyer can help you properly include all injury-related expenses in your injury case. Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today for a free case review at 1-800-747-3733.
Income is another loss that many injury victims suffer. Whether you must leave work temporarily or cannot return to work permanently, you could receive less income following your slip and fall accident. Compensation in a personal injury case also can address these significant financial losses.
Not only can you seek compensation for your financial losses following an accident, but you also can seek compensation for non-economic losses related to your injuries. You may be able to recover damages for your physical pain, emotional trauma and suffering, and a loss of future earning capacity if your ability to work is severely compromised. Likewise, you might be compensated for anticipated future medical needs and the burden of suffering a permanently disabling condition.
Get Answers to Your Questions Today
After suffering a severe back or spine injury in a slip and fall accident, you likely will have many questions about your medical condition, your financial status, and your future. While a Punta Gorda back and spine slip and fall injury lawyer defers to the physicians treating your medical needs, we can help you explore your options for legal recourse. Together, we can chart a path to achieving your objectives in seeking compensation for your losses and holding negligent parties accountable for their role in causing your injuries.
The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine team is here to answer your questions as you go through the legal process. We can address your concerns and help you navigate the complex process of getting justice and holding those at fault responsible for your accident and resulting injuries. Call 1-800-747-3733 to learn more about the responsive legal care that we offer our clients.
