Gainesville Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer

Gainesville Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer

Slip and fall accidents can leave you hurt, out of work, and facing piles of medical bills. An experienced Gainesville slip and fall accident lawyer at Allen Law Firm, P.A. can fight to get full compensation for your losses.

To learn more about holding a negligent property owner liable for your injuries, contact our Gainesville, FL law firm at (877) 255-3652 for a free consultation today.

How Can Allen Law Firm, P.A. Help With After a Slip and Fall Accident in Gainesville?

How Can an Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer Help With My Slip and Fall Accident Claim?

According to the Florida Department of Health, falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths for Florida residents. Most of the injuries caused by slip, trip, and fall accidents are completely preventable. Maybe you could have been paying more attention–but if the hazard wasn’t there in the first place, you wouldn’t be hurt.

Property owners near Gainesville know they have a duty to place adequate warnings about any dangerous conditions. They know they can be liable if they don’t. That doesn’t mean they’ll be willing to admit responsibility freely. Instead, they’ll call their insurance company and do everything they can to reduce your damages award.

At Allen Law Firm, P.A., our experienced Gainesville personal injury lawyers are ready to fight back on your behalf. When you hire our legal team, we will:

  • Locate all relevant evidence, including witness statements, accident reports, video footage, photographs, prior safety reports and more
  • Listen carefully to your story and how the injury has impacted your life
  • Work with leading experts whose testimony can help you get the full compensation you deserve
  • Protect your rights when the insurance company tries to blame you for falling
  • Handle all negotiations and communications with the insurance company and defense lawyers

Allen Law Firm, P.A. has a reputation for fiercely advocating for our clients around Gainesville. Insurance companies know about our proven track record of success. That makes them much more likely to negotiate in good faith. If they don’t, we’re always ready to advocate for your rights in court. 

To get the best results for you, it’s important that we get started quickly. Even if you’re still recovering, call our slip and fall attorneys and tell us what happened, and talk about establishing an attorney-client relationship. We can handle the details while you rest and recover.

Understanding Florida Slip and Fall Accident Law

Understanding Florida Slip and Fall Accident Law

Slip and fall accidents are governed by premises liability law. In Florida, property owners have a legal duty to properly maintain their property. The law holds them responsible when they’re negligent and allow dangerous conditions to exist. As long as you were on the property lawfully, you may be entitled to hold the negligent owner liable for damages if you’re hurt.

Slip and fall accidents can happen in places that are open to the public or on personal private property. If you were visiting the property for a business reason, you’re classified as an invitee. That makes it easier to recover damages because the property owner’s duties include:

  • A duty to fix any dangerous conditions in a reasonable time frame
  • A duty to provide adequate warning of the danger before it can be fixed
  • A duty to inspect the property to find any hidden fall hazards

For example, assume you fell over a pothole in the grocery store parking lot near your home. The owner might have been unable to get it repaired immediately–which is understandable. However, if the owner didn’t place adequate warnings around the pothole, that’s negligence.

If a similar pothole existed on your friend’s walkway, they still have a duty to warn you about it–as a licensee on their property. Your friend can be held liable for failing to provide adequate warning if they knew about the danger.

Exception for Transitory Substances in Florida Business Establishments 

Business owners are generally required to warn about known dangers and inspect to find hidden hazards. Because so many slip and falls happen in business establishments, Florida has a special rule for accidents caused by “transitory substances.” 

A transitory substance is something like a spilled liquid in a grocery store or restaurant. If you slipped and fell over a transitory substance, you have to show that the owner had actual or constructive knowledge of the danger and should have done something about it. 

Proving “constructive knowledge” is often key to winning these cases. We can show the owner had constructive knowledge if:

  • The dangerous condition had existed for so long that the owner reasonably should have known about it by exercising ordinary care
  • The dangerous condition was something that happened so often, the owner should have foreseen the danger

Our lawyers can help establish your right to compensation if this law applies in your case. We’ll work to find out whether the owner had policies in place to prevent this type of accident from happening. Finding out whether the business owner took steps to keep customers safe can be key to getting the fair compensation you deserve.

We Can Help With Any Slip and Fall Accident Near Gainesville, FL

At Allen Law Firm, P.A., we handle all types of slip and fall cases in and around Gainesville, including those that happened in:

  • Grocery stores
  • Restaurants
  • Bars
  • Nightclubs
  • Amusement parks
  • Casinos
  • Shopping malls
  • Apartment complexes
  • Hotels 
  • Schools
  • Office buildings
  • Construction sites
  • And more

If you fell on someone else’s property, there’s always a possibility that the owner could have prevented your fall. Our experienced slip and fall injury attorneys, like Bill Allen, will dig deep to find the cause of your accident. If you’re ready for us to get started, just give us a call for a free consultation today.

Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents Near Gainesville

Some of the most common causes of slip and fall accidents include:

  • Broken stairs
  • Uneven pavement or flooring
  • Spilled liquid
  • Slick floors after washing, waxing or a rain storm
  • Missing stairway guardrails
  • Loose wires or cables
  • Debris and other obstacles
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Puddles
  • Unsecured rugs

Getting evidence to establish the cause of a slip and fall accident can be complex. It’s always best if we get to work quickly, before evidence disappears and witnesses forget what happened.

Your Slip and Fall Accident Injuries Could be Serious

Slip and fall accident injuries near Gainesville can be more serious than you think. While some slip, trip, and fall accident victims walk away just fine, some aren’t so lucky. According to CDC data, unintentional falls are the second-leading cause of death from traumatic brain injury. Common types of slip and fall injuries near Gainesville include:

Older Florida residents are at the greatest risk for suffering a serious injury in a slip and fall accident. If you or a loved one were hurt after falling on someone else’s property, don’t hesitate to call our law offices for legal advice today.

You Only Have a Limited Time to Act

Getting legal help might be the last thing on your mind if you’ve recently suffered a serious injury. However, you only have a brief window of time to take action. 

If you don’t file a lawsuit within the time limit, you’ll lose your ability to recover compensation. Florida recently adjusted its statute of limitations deadline for personal injury claims. You’ll have two years to take action if your slip and fall accident happened on March 24, 2023, or later; otherwise, the deadline is four years. However, there are exceptions to these deadlines in some cases – it is best to confirm the deadline for your situation with an attorney.

Can Shared Fault Impact My Right to Compensation?

Shared fault is an issue in nearly every slip and fall accident. Before you can get money in your pocket, the insurance company will try to prove that your own conduct caused or contributed to the accident. 

However, Florida is a modified comparative fault state with a 51% bar to recovery. You shouldn’t back down if the insurance company tries to blame you–because even if you were partly to blame (so long as you weren’t mostly to blame), you can still recover partial compensation.

Establishing fault after a slip and fall accident is extremely fact-sensitive. Most cases turn on whether your actions were reasonable. In other words, whether a reasonable person would have noticed the danger and avoided it.

Insurance companies hire teams of defense lawyers and experts to prove that your actions were unreasonable under the circumstances. You should have the same expertise in your corner. At Allen Law Firm, P.A., we’re ready to put more than two decades of real-life legal experience to work for you.

How Much is My Gainesville Slip and Fall Accident Case Worth?

Slip and fall accident injuries can be both painful and expensive. It isn’t always easy to get the full amount you deserve. Our lawyers will work with experts and specialists to prove that you have a right to compensation for:

Many slip and fall accident victims begin to feel the financial burden if they’re out of work for even a short period of time.

At Allen Law Firm, P.A., our attorneys will fight to get compensation to protect you now and in the future.

Contact an Experienced Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer Near Gainesville to Safeguard Your Rights Today

Slip and fall accident injuries can cost thousands of dollars and result in the need for painful medical care. An experienced Gainesville slip and fall accident lawyer near you at Allen Law Firm, P.A. can fight to get every dollar you deserve for your injuries. If you’re ready to learn more, give us a quick call and schedule your free consultation today.

Gainesville Slip and Fall Accident Review

Wow. So thankful for these guys. I don’t know what I would have done without them! It was bad enough that the other driver wasn’t honest with highway patrol at the scene, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get an attorney to take my case because of the police report, but they still won my case for me. I hope I won’t need them again, but if I do, they are ‘my people’ going forward!
K Harmon
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  • Gainesville Physical Therapy & Wellness, LLC – 4113 NW 6th St Suite C, Gainesville, FL 32609
  • ReQuest Physical Therapy – 4820 W Newberry Rd, Gainesville, FL 32607
  • FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers – 5201 NW 34th Blvd #27540, Gainesville, FL 32605
  • Fit for Life Physical Therapy – 4343 W Newberry Rd #4, Gainesville, FL 32607

*Disclaimer – we do not endorse these companies or profit from having them listed on our website.

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