A slip and fall can occur on a wet floor at a grocery store, a broken step at an apartment complex, or a poorly maintained walkway on private property. After this type of accident, you may suffer broken bones, head injuries, or spinal cord damage and struggle with chronic pain.
A Richmond Hill slip and fall lawyer from our firm can help you understand whether the property owner’s failure to maintain a safe environment can justify a legal claim. Contact a personal injury attorney from our team to evaluate the facts and advise you about how to proceed.
How Premises Liability Law Works
The state’s premises liability laws govern when a property owner can be held accountable for injuries resulting from hazardous conditions. Under Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 51-3-1, the highest duty of care applies to invitees, meaning those who enter a space for a commercial or business purpose, and requires the owner to exercise ordinary care to keep that space safe.
To establish liability in your slip or trip accident in Richmond Hill, our legal counsel must do more than prove a hazard existed. State law requires us to show that the property owner’s knowledge of the condition was superior to yours. Insurers use this standard aggressively to limit recovery. Contact our firm to learn about our strategies for dismantling that defense.
Proving Liability in a Slip and Fall Case
Our Richmond Hill attorneys will strive to establish these key elements in your slip and fall claim:
- A dangerous condition existed on the property
- The property owner had real or constructive notice of the condition
- The owner’s knowledge of the hazard was superior to yours
- You could not have discovered the hazard through ordinary care
Fault is another critical factor in fall injury claims. Under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33, the state’s modified comparative fault system reduces your recovery proportionally to your share of responsibility and bars it entirely if that share exceeds 50 percent. Insurance adjusters frequently argue that the injured person should have noticed and avoided the hazard. Call a lawyer at our firm to discuss how we can counter that argument.
What Should You Do After a Slip and Fall Injury?
The actions you take immediately after a fall injury can significantly affect the strength of your claim. Actions that can be beneficial include:
- Photographing the hazard before conditions at the scene change
- Collecting contact information from any witnesses before they leave
- Reporting the incident to the property owner or manager and requesting a written record
- Seeking medical attention as soon as possible, even if your injuries seem minor
- Taking pictures of any visible injuries
- Preserving the clothes and shoes you were wearing when you fell
- Avoiding recorded statements to the property owner’s insurer without legal guidance
O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 sets a two-year deadline for most personal injury lawsuits in this state, with the time period beginning the day the injury occurred. Evidence in slip and fall cases is particularly time-sensitive because of quick overwriting of surveillance footage and corrections of hazardous conditions after an incident. Contact our Richmond Hill legal team to learn how we can help obtain and preserve evidence for your slip and trip claim.
Call Our Richmond Hill Attorneys if You Slipped, Fell, and Suffered Injuries
If you slipped and fell because a property owner failed to maintain safe conditions, you should hold them accountable for the harm they caused. Our attorneys at Bowen Painter Injury Lawyers can evaluate your claim, gather the necessary evidence, and pursue the compensation you deserve. Contact a Richmond Hill slip and fall lawyer from our firm to schedule a free consultation and share your story.
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