Palatka Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer
If you were hurt in a slip and fall accident in Palatka, FL, you deserve to understand your legal options. You may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and more. A respected Palatka slip and fall accident lawyer at Allen Law Firm, P.A. can help.
We’ve been helping clients like you for nearly three decades. Our aggressive approach has let us recover millions for accident victims over the years.
When you need help, you can count on our legal team to be there for you. Call our law offices in Palatka, Florida today to schedule a free consultation.
How Allen Law Firm, P.A. Can Help After a Slip and Fall Accident in Palatka
Maybe you slipped over a puddle at the grocery store or tripped while walking up a crumbling staircase. In a second, you could be left with significant medical bills and a host of other losses. That’s when you might think about taking legal action. Slip and falls happen all the time–but they don’t happen to you all the time. It can be hard to know how to get help.
Property owners in Florida are responsible for keeping their premises safe to prevent injuries.
You can hold them accountable for damages if they’re negligent. That doesn’t mean it’s always easy to get fair compensation.
Our experienced Palatka personal injury lawyers at Allen Law Firm, P.A. can handle the legal aspects of your case by:
- Gathering the evidence to back up your negligence claim
- Hiring experts and specialists to fairly assess the damages you’re entitled to receive
- Fighting back when the insurance company blames you for falling
- Negotiating a fair settlement on your behalf
Our Palatka personal injury attorneys have nearly 30 years of experience handling slip and fall injury cases. We also have over 115 years of insurance industry experience between us. Give us a call today to learn how we’ll put that experience to work for you.
How Common Are Slip and Fall Accidents in Palatka?
According to the Florida Department of Health, falls are the leading cause of injury among adults aged 65 and older.
These statistics echo CDC data.
Approximately 3 million Americans visit the emergency room each year, because of fall-related injuries. Of those 3 million, 800,000 are hospitalized. A slip and fall accident can happen anywhere.
At Allen Law Firm, P.A., we represent clients who have suffered fall injuries in:
- Grocery stores
- Bars and restaurants
- Nightclubs
- Big box stores
- Shopping malls
- Parking lots
- Parking garages
- Amusement parks
- Nursing homes
- Hospitals
- Schools
- Day care centers
- And more
All property owners have a legal duty to keep their property reasonably safe. If you were hurt, don’t hesitate to reach out to an experienced attorney for help today.
What is My Palatka Slip and Fall Accident Case Worth?
If you or a loved one were hurt in a slip and fall accident, you’re probably already starting to see the costs add up. That means you’re probably wondering how much your personal injury case is worth.
There are a number of factors that can be important, including:
- The nature and severity of the injury
- Your lost wages and income
- Whether the injury will cause permanent or long-term disability
- Whether the injury caused any major disruptions in your life
The bottom line is that more serious injuries tend to be more valuable in the eyes of judges, juries and the insurance company. Serious injury victims struggle for a longer period of time. They’re usually forced to undergo more painful (and expensive) medical treatments.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Slip and Fall Accident Victims?
Fall injuries cost about $31 billion in Medicare costs alone each year. That doesn’t even begin to account for the non-medical losses shouldered by the injury victims themselves.
Under Florida premises liability laws, victims have the right to recover compensation for their economic and non-economic losses.
Generally, types of damages available in personal injury cases include:
- Medical bills
- Past and future lost wages
- Future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of consortium
- Property damage
- And more
Like a car accident case, the insurance company will probably challenge your demand for compensation. They might try to deny your claim entirely. They’ll also try to pay far less than you deserve.
Our accident attorneys at Allen Law Firm, P.A. can fight to prevent this from happening. With strong evidence and respected experts on our side, we’ll do everything we can to maximize your compensation award. All you have to do is call us today to get started.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Slip and Fall Accident in Florida?
Yes – but only up to a point. Insurance companies often try to blame victims of trip and fall accidents. They might claim that you were clumsy or just not paying attention. Under Florida state laws on comparative fault, you can recover compensation even if you were partly responsible, so long as you were not mostly responsible.
However, the insurance company can reduce your compensation award in proportion to your percentage of fault. If they’re successful in pinning the blame on you, you could walk away with less than you deserve. If you were 30% to blame, for instance, your compensation can be reduced by 30%. And if you were 51% or more to blame, you cannot recover any compensation.
An experienced personal injury lawyer can help. If you’re being blamed for your slip and fall injuries, call Allen Law Firm, P.A. to schedule a free case evaluation today.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Slip and Fall Accident Injuries
Slip and fall accident victims often suffer severe injuries, including:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Concussions
- Back injuries
- Broken bones
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Joint damage
- Soft tissue damage
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
The most serious falls can also cause the wrongful death of a loved one. At Allen Law Firm, P.A., we’ll fight to get the full compensation you deserve.
What Causes Most Slip and Fall Accidents in Palatka, Florida?
Most trip and fall accidents happen because of dangerous conditions that a property owner could have fixed. Some of the most common causes of slip and fall accidents include:
- Crumbling or broken pavement
- Missing or broken staircase railings
- Slick floors
- Puddles
- Loose carpets or mats
- Loose cables and wires
- Debris and other obstacles in walkways
- Inadequate lighting
- Uneven concrete
These types of hazards can be hard to see. That’s why it’s the property owner’s duty to make sure their property is reasonably safe. When the property owner is negligent and you get hurt, you can hold them accountable if they failed in that duty.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Slip and Fall Accident in Florida?
It’s one thing to know that you got hurt because of something dangerous on the property. Even if you know it wasn’t your fault, proving negligence isn’t always easy. Often, these cases boil down to your ability to prove a few key things:
- There was a dangerous condition on the property
- The property owner should have known about it
- A reasonable property owner would have found the hazard and fixed the unsafe condition before you got hurt
In legal terms, you have to prove that the property owner breached a legal duty of care and you were hurt because of that breach. The owner’s “duty of care” varies based on why you were on the property. Business owners owe customers, or invitees, a heightened duty of care.
That means they have a legal duty to:
- Inspect their property to uncover hidden dangers
- Fix any unsafe conditions so that the property is reasonably safe
- Provide adequate warning of any hazards that can’t be fixed right away
Homeowners, on the other hand, only have to warn you about dangers they know about.
Proving negligence in premises liability cases can be complex. Our attorneys have handled hundreds of cases like yours–and we know the right questions to ask. In our investigation, we’ll ask:
- Was the hazard there for a long time, so the owner should have known about it?
- Was there some valid reason why the danger existed?
- If there was a valid reason for the danger, was there any way to make the unsafe condition safer?
- Could the owner have placed warnings to prevent your injury?
- Did the property owner have policies and procedures in place to identify and fix dangerous property conditions?
Negligent property owners create a serious danger for others. If you were hurt and are now stuck with medical bills, lost wages and other expenses, you deserve compensation. Give our Palatka slip and fall attorneys a call today to learn more about how we can help you prove it.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Slip and Fall Accident in Florida?
Florida’s statute of limitations for most personal injury cases was recently changed. If your slip and fall accident took place on March 24th, 2023, or later, the deadline is two years. If it took place before that date, the deadline is four years instead.
However, there are exceptions in some cases. It is best to contact an attorney to confirm the appropriate deadline for your case.
Contact a Palatka Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
At Allen Law Firm, P.A., we’re more than just car accident lawyers. An experienced Palatka slip and fall accident lawyer can handle all of the legal details–so you can focus on recovering from your injuries. If you were injured in an accident, call our law offices today to schedule a free case review.
