Chattanooga Slip and Fall Lawyer

Most slip and fall accidents happen rather unexpectedly and can happen in any location. Unfortunately, these accidents often result in injuries, which can range from mild bruises and scrapes to more serious head, neck, or back injuries, as well as broken bones.

If a property owner knows or should know of a dangerous condition on their property, and you slip and fall and subsequently injure yourself because they failed to fix the condition, then you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.

If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, it is important to contact a Chattanooga slip and fall lawyer as soon as possible to file an accident claim.

How a Slip and Fall Injury Occurs

Most slip and fall accidents and the resulting injuries are caused by a hazardous condition that a store owner, property owner, or even a homeowner is aware of and fails to fix or warn others about.

Hazardous conditions can include both permanent property conditions, as well as temporary ones. Some of the most common reasons for Chattanooga slip and fall accidents include:

  • Uneven pavement
  • Wet or icy exterior walkways
  • Wet or slippery interior floors
  • Poor lighting
  • Damaged flooring
  • Obstructions or debris on floors of sidewalks
  • Unclear, poorly placed, or absent hazard warnings
  • Lack of handrails

Determining Liability in a Slip and Fall Accident

When a person is injured because of a slip and fall accident, there are generally legitimate questions about who is liable for the accident and any injuries.

Unfortunately, a slip and fall accident can occur in many different places. Depending on where a person is and why that person is in that location can change whether or not they may recover compensation for their injuries.

Discussing a slip and fall accident with a Chattanooga slip and fall lawyer is one of the most effective ways of determining who is liable for an accident and the resulting injuries.

Invited Guest

When a person is a customer at a business, they are considered an invited guest, because they are at the store or business to provide a commercial benefit to the business. Business and property owners are expected to inspect their properties and to take normal precautions to prevent foreseeable hazards.

This means that businesses and property owners must exercise normal precautions such as warning customers of potential dangers, as well as repair hazardous conditions as they arise.

However, it is important to note that the type of hazardous condition can shift liability. If a slip and fall accident was caused by a permanent condition, such as if the sidewalk was uneven or there are broken handrails, then the property owner may be liable for an accident and any resulting injuries.

In these cases, liability is often placed on the property owner because the hazardous condition or conditions should have been known and should have been safely repaired.

Temporary Hazardous Conditions

However, when a slip and fall accident occurs because of temporary hazardous conditions such as wet floors or inclement weather, determining who is liable for an accident and the resulting injury can be more complex.

In the case where a person is injured because of a temporary hazardous condition, whether or not the property owner is liable may depend on whether or not the property owner had a sufficient amount of time to learn about the hazardous conditions and to repair them.

If a property owner knew of the dangerous condition and could have acted to repair or warn the injured person, then the property owner may be required to pay for the injuries.

If an injured person cannot prove that the property owner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition, then the injured person may not be able to recover from the property owner.

Contact a Chattanooga Slip and Fall Attorney Today

In slip and fall cases a court may need to determine whether or not the property owner or business contributed to a slip and fall accident by failing to repair or failing to warn customers of a hazardous condition.

In addition, a court will need to determine how a person’s actions may have contributed to a slip and fall accident, such as whether or not the person ignored a warning sign.

Liability questions are crucial to a slip and fall case, and highlight why it is important to work closely with a Chattanooga slip and fall lawyer.

Massey Chattanooga Autism Walk

Help spread Autism awareness with us at the 7th Annual Autism Awareness Walk on November 9th! This event is hosted by the Chattanooga Autism Center, whose goal is to spread awareness for Autism and raise money to help support those with Autism. To learn more, click here.