Slip and Fall Attorneys in Southfield, Michigan

If you were injured in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, you might be in pain and even embarrassed. But you should keep in mind that it likely wasn’t your fault. Many slip and fall accidents are caused by someone else’s negligence, such as a property owner who ignored a defective or dangerous condition on their property or business location. If their negligence caused your slip and fall accident, you could be owed compensation.

To find out, you should meet with experienced Michigan slip and fall lawyers and review your legal options. When you come to Sigal Law Firm for a free consultation, our Detroit slip and fall lawyers will review the details of your accident to decide whether the business or property owner of the location where you fell is to blame. Contact our Southfield, Michigan, law firm for a free case evaluation with a skilled slip and fall attorney.

What Are the Most Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents?

While it’s possible to slip and fall at any time or place, many slip and fall accidents take place outside the home, both on public and private property. This is because when walking in an unfamiliar place, such as a store or parking lot, you might encounter an unexpected obstacle that causes a slip or trip and fall accident. These are some of the most common reasons for slip and fall accidents:

Poor lighting
Wet floor
Unsteady or missing handrails on staircases
Loose steps on staircases
Uncleared snow
Standing rainwater
Black ice
Uneven flooring
Potholes or uneven surfaces in parking lots

If these or similar issues caused your slip and fall accident, you should contact Detroit slip and fall lawyers to find out if you have a strong slip and fall case. After all, responsible property owners are expected to know about dangerous conditions on their property so they can make repairs.

If it’s apparent that the property owner knew or should have known about a dangerous condition, and they did not repair it, then your slip and fall accident was preventable. As long as your Detroit slip and fall attorney can prove negligence, you can get a fair settlement. Contact our Southfield, Michigan slip and fall lawyers to begin your premises liability claim.

What Are Common Slip and Fall Injuries?

Slip and fall injuries can be quite serious or even fatal. Regardless of the specific injury, it’s common for slip and fall victims to suffer from mental, emotional, and physical pain for months or years afterward. This is why it’s so critical for slip and fall victims to seek medical treatment immediately after leaving the accident scene.

These are some of the most common injuries suffered by Michigan slip and fall injury victims:

Physical and emotional pain
Broken bones
Traumatic brain injuries
Sprains
Strains
Dislocated joints
Spinal cord injuries
Severe injuries to the face
Bruises
Cuts

Whether you suffered a head injury, broken bones, or any other serious injury, you should not have to deal with the aftermath alone. You deserve to know all your medical bills will be paid for, as well as any other losses you suffered due to the slip and fall accident.

If you’re worried about how you’ll pay for the medical care associated with your slip and fall injury, you should hire an experienced Detroit slip and fall lawyer to initiate a premises liability claim. Contact our Southfield, Michigan law office to schedule a free consultation with a compassionate slip and fall lawyer.

What Compensation Can You Expect in a Michigan Slip and Fall Case?

When you step foot on someone else’s property, you deserve to be reasonably sure you’ll be safe, not severely injured due to poor lighting or any other dangerous condition the property owner should have prevented. When the worst does occur, and you suffer a slip or trip and fall injury, you should consider whether you have a slip and fall claim to pursue. An experienced slip and fall lawyer can review the details of your slip and fall accident to determine this.

If you have a slip and fall case, you can recover compensation for any expenses due to your slip and fall accident. This includes all economic damages, such as medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and future medical expenses.

Your Michigan slip and fall lawyer will likely also pursue fair compensation for non-economic damages. This means you could get pain and suffering compensation to make up for the mental and emotional damage the slip and fall accident caused.

To learn more about the compensation you’re entitled to, contact our Southfield, Michigan slip and fall lawyers for a free consultation.

CAN I SUE FOR A SLIP AND FALL ON ICE OR SNOW IN MICHIGAN?

A slip and fall accident can lead to serious issues, up to and including catastrophic injuries that can leave you reeling financially. If your fall is on someone else’s property and is caused by the negligence or actions of someone else, you may be able to seek compensation for your losses from that person or business. That can be true even if your fall was related to conditions such as snow and ice.

WHAT IS A PROPERTY OWNER’S RESPONSIBILITY WHEN IT COMES TO ICE AND SNOW?

Landlords, businesses, and other property owners have a responsibility to ensure safe conditions on their properties and in their buildings. That includes, to some extent, ensuring that snow and ice don’t cause unavoidable dangers to tenants, customers, and others who might need to be on the property.

For example, property owners or managers may have some duty to clear necessary walking paths or ensure that exterior entry locations are free of ice whenever possible.

ISN’T SNOW AND ICE AN OPEN AND OBVIOUS DANGER?

Previously in Michigan, it was difficult to win slip-and-fall cases that were related to ice and snow. That’s because defendants in such cases could use what is called an open and obvious defense, and the courts tended to side with them.

The premise of the open and obvious defense is that snow and ice in a walkway or another area present a clear and visible risk. Anyone attempting to walk across an area encumbered by snow or ice should know that they are taking a risk, and so the defense claims that the person who is injured in such an endeavor made decisions and took actions that led to that injury despite the clear warning.

The concept is akin to having a clear warning sign about a spill that is still being cleaned up in a store. If someone sees the sign and recognizes that there is a spill, but they go running across that area of the store anyway, they might be deemed at least partly at fault for any injury they incur.

However, recently, the Michigan courts decided a case involving a slip and fall on ice and snow that alters how strong the open and obvious defense is in these matters. In this case, a woman stopped at a gas station. She had to traverse a certain area to get into the store, and the snow was unavoidable in that area. There was ice under the snow that caused her to fall and hurt herself.

The defendant in this case did try to claim the open and obvious defense. However, the plaintiff—the woman and her lawyer—argued against that defense. The argument stated that it didn’t matter if the snow and ice danger was visible to her and obvious; she had no other options for entering the store. The courts sided with her argument.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO SEEK COMPENSATION AFTER A SLIP AND FALL INVOLVING SNOW OR ICE?

Based on the information noted above, it is definitely possible to seek compensation after slipping and falling in an accident that involved ice or snow. However, as with all personal injury cases, you do still hold the burden of proof.

Successful slip-and-fall lawsuits must effectively demonstrate a number of facts:

That the accident occurred. First, you must prove that you did, in fact, slip and fall. Photo and video evidence and witness testimony can help with this.
That the fall caused injuries. You must tie your injuries to the fall. The defense might try to claim that you weren’t actually injured or that your conditions relate to pre-existing conditions. Medical records and expert testimony can help you make your case.
The extent of your injuries. You may need to document the extent of your injuries to help make a case for your current and future losses. Again, medical testimony, documents showing your income loss, and medical records can play a role in your case.
That someone else was liable. Finally, you must show that someone’s actions or lack of actions were causal factors in the accident. For example, you may need to show that a property owner knew of dangerous snow and ice in a walkway and did nothing to mitigate it.

In cases related to snow and ice, you might also have to prove that there wasn’t an option for you to avoid the area.

WHAT ARE SOME STEPS YOU SHOULD TAKE AFTER SUCH A SLIP AND FALL?

If you are injured in a slip-and-fall incident, consider reaching out to an attorney as soon as possible to find out what your options are and if you might have a case for seeking compensation. It’s also a good idea to gather as much evidence and documentation as you can early on because it can be hard to remember important details later.

When you are able, for example, consider writing down everything you remember about the incident. You could also use your phone or another device to record yourself talking about the incident. Ask any witnesses, such as friends or family who were with you at the time, to do the same. You should also keep all records related to the accident, such as medical bills and documents, as your attorney might need them to make a case on your behalf.

How Can Southfield, Michigan Slip and Fall Lawyers Help You?

If your slip and fall injury has had a significant impact on your life, there’s help available. At Sigal Law Firm, our caring slip and fall accident lawyers want to ensure that you’re not left dealing with the consequences of someone else’s negligence.

We will work hard to get you compensated by the insurance company of the negligent property owner. If bringing a slip and fall claim against the insurance company does not secure the settlement you deserve, we will initiate a slip and fall lawsuit. Either way, you’ll have experienced slip and fall lawyers fighting for you every step of the way with extensive knowledge of Michigan premises liability law.

When you talk to our Michigan slip and fall attorneys during your free consultation, you will learn what to expect from your premises liability lawsuit, including how we’ll prove that the property owner was negligent and the estimated compensation you can get. If you’re ready to take legal action after your slip and fall accident, call us at 248-671-6794 to start your Michigan slip and fall personal injury claims.