DC Slip and Fall Lawyer

If you are suffering an injury due to a slip and fall incident, contact a DC slip and fall lawyer to see if you are eligible for financial compensation.  A slip and fall can cause serious injuries. If a property owner was to blame, victims of a fall can be compensated for losses in some cases. A DC injury lawyer will help you to take legal action and try to obtain monetary damages for the injuries you sustained if you slipped and hurt yourself. Call a DC injury attorney today to discuss your case.

How Can a DC Slip and Fall Lawyer Help?

Compensation after a slip and fall may be available through a negotiated settlement or by litigating a personal injury or wrongful death claim. Dealing with an insurance company or going to court can be stressful experiences and knowing the rules for how to make your case can be complicated.

A DC slip and fall lawyer can take care of all of the legal issues on your behalf so you can try to focus on your recovery after the fall.  Your attorney can talk to the insurance company for you, work to negotiate a settlement, investigate to build a strong case, interview witnesses, subpoena evidence, and otherwise help you to put together the strongest claim possible. If your case goes to court, your attorney can also file all court motions and pleadings; make arguments to the judge and jury; and present your evidence in trial.

Slip and fall injuries can be serious and you could face significant financial loss if you do not take action to get the money you need and deserve.  A DC Slip and fall lawyer will be there for you at every step of the way to protect your legal right to full and fair compensation for losses.

Steps to Take After a Slip and Fall Accident

If and when an unfortunate slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident does occur, there are three very important steps to take:

  1. If you are injured, seek medical help immediately, doing everything you can to document your injuries and to determine if they may be more extensive than they appear to the naked eye.
  2. Do your best to document the dangerous conditions that led to your injury, using pictures and signed incident reports as a paper trail.
  3. Speak with a DC slip and fall lawyer to learn about your legal options and so that you can begin planning your potential injury claim.

The remainder of this page has been developed by the slip and fall attorneys at our firm to provide some basic information that may help you to make good decisions regarding your slip and fall case. Read on to learn more.

Causes of Slip and Falls in DC

Some conditions that contribute to a slip and fall injury include poor lighting, damaged carpeting, a wet floor or stairs that do not have safety railing. While the injuries vary in severity, the type of injuries sustained by a slip and fall can include brain and spinal cord injuries, broken bones, contusions or at worst, death. A slip and fall attorney in DC can help you determine if you are eligible to file a claim against the irresponsible property owner.

Unfortunately, a slip and fall which results in injury does not automatically guarantee a successful personal injury claim. An experienced premises liability attorney may be able to help you determine who is at fault for your injuries and help you recover damages from your fall.

A slip and fall attorney can determine liability by proving one of three things:

  • the property owner caused the dangerous surface condition,
  • the property owner knew of the dangerous surface condition but chose not to remove or repair the hazard and/or
  • the property owner should have discovered the hazard through normal property maintenance.

For example, a property owner would be responsible if you walk into a shop or store where the owner allowed a wet floor and you slip and fall injuring yourself. If the owner has not taken appropriate measures to remedy the situation or warn people of the hazardous area, the owner may be liable for your injuries. A DC slip and fall lawyer can successfully litigate your claim and obtain a just and fair settlement or award.

Premises Liability and Contributory Negligence

A slip and fall case or a trip and fall case is based on the legal theory of premises liability. Under this concept, a property owner or home owner is legally responsible for the condition and maintenance of their property. If the owner is negligence, careless or reckless with regard to their property, a slip and fall injury might occur.

Property owners and renters are not necessarily going to be held responsible for every single fall that happens. However, if your fall is caused by a property owner’s failure to adequately maintain the property, you may be able to obtain payment for losses.

Premises liability laws dictate the obligation that property owners have to people who visit their buildings and land. Customers at commercial locations are owed the highest duty of care, but property owners have some limited obligations even to trespassers.

With this said, however, in the District of Columbia, as well as in neighboring Maryland and Virginia, the doctrine of contributory negligence also comes into play.  This doctrine states, essentially, that if an individual is even one percent at fault for an accident, then he or she is ineligible to recover any damages from an injury claim or civil case.

Your slip and fall lawyer in DC can help you to prove the extent of responsibility the property owner had and can help you to show that the property owner should be held responsible for failing to live up to basic safety obligations.

If you can prove the property owner’s negligence was the direct cause of your slip and fall injuries, you should be compensated for medical costs, loss of earning potential, wages lost due to missed work, emotional distress; and pain and suffering.

Call A DC Slip and Fall Attorney Today

A DC slip and fall lawyer is here and ready to help you try to make your case for compensation if a fall has affected your life. Call today to schedule a consultation and learn about how a lawyer can assist you.