Ringgold Slip and Fall Lawyer
A slip and fall lawsuit is a specific form of premises liability claim that may be filed when someone is injured while on someone else’s property and is injured in a fall. This accident may have occurred due to a slippery substance, an object on the floor, or other circumstances, and injuries may include broken bones, spine damage, or even a head injury.
These injuries can have a serious impact on your ability to work and live, and you may need to retain the services of a Ringgold slip and fall lawyer to successfully sue for damages such as medical expenses and lost wages. Our compassionate personal injury attorneys could help you deal with the legal complexities of a claim as you make your way down the road to recovery.
Types of Individuals in Slip and Fall Lawsuits
To be able to file a claim, an individual must fall into the category of someone who was allowed to be on the property at the time. He or she must have had an implicit or explicit invitation from the owner of the property to come onto the said property as a visitor.
The first category of someone who has permission to be on a property is an invitee. This can be someone like a customer in a store or other business or a house guest, as defined by Official Code of Georgia Annotated §51-3-1.
A licensee, on the other hand, is someone who is on the property for his or her own purposes, such as a salesperson or repair contractor. A licensee typically has express or implicit permission to visit from the owner of the property and may be able to sue for damages after a slip and fall.
If someone falls into the category of a trespasser, however, he or she does not have permission to be on the property. If a claimant is injured while trespassing, he or she has no standing to sue the property owner.
Proving Negligence in Ringgold
A successful slip and fall case hinges on proving that the owner was negligent and that negligence caused the injury. To prove negligence, the claimant must prove the owner knew, or should have known, about the dangerous condition on his or her land and did not take steps to remedy it.
Furthermore, the claimant must prove he or she did not know of the hazard and was prevented from knowing by some action or obstruction on the part of the owner. For example, there may have been poor lighting or a display that obstructed the view of the claimant. However, slip and fall lawsuits could be dismissed if the claimant did not exercise reasonable care in avoiding the hazard. A seasoned Ringgold slip and fall lawyer could help with proving negligence.
Contributory Negligence
The issue of contributory negligence is also important in a premises liability lawsuit. If the claimant contributed to the cause of his or her fall through negligent conduct, he or she may be held partially at fault for the accident and the damage award may be reduced.
For example, the claimant may not have worn proper footwear, ran across an icy parking lot, acted inappropriately, or horsed around at the time of the injury. Alternatively, the claimant may have been distracted by something the owner controlled on the property, such as:
- Construction
- Poorly designed traffic lanes that are difficult to maneuver
- A greeting initiated by a store employee
- A sudden loud noise from work activity on the premises
- An eye-catching display
A property owner may not be able to have a slip and fall lawsuit dismissed if the claimant proves he or she was distracted by something on the premises that the owner controlled, and that led to the slip and fall accident. For more information about contributory negligence, contact a well-established lawyer.
Speak with a Ringgold Slip and Fall Attorney Today
After you hire a Ringgold slip and fall lawyer from our firm, we could initiate a discovery process to get all the facts of the case on record. This can include depositions, witness statements, videotaped evidence, photographs and anything else relevant to the incident that lead to the injury.
In slip and fall cases, there may be various versions of events and many opposing parties who do not want to compensate you for your financial and health losses. Consider speaking with our Ringgold slip and fall attorneys today.
