Rockville Slip and Fall Lawyer

Anyone who has ever lost their footing on a patch of ice or tripped over a sidewalk crack knows how big of a bruise a sudden fall can leave on both your body and your ego. While the consequences of most such falls are thankfully temporary, some slipping and tripping accidents end up causing severe injuries with lasting physical, financial, and personal repercussions—all because someone else failed to fulfill the duty of care they owed to lawful visitors on their land.

Personal injury claims based on these types of incidents work a little differently than many other types of civil litigation, so having a Rockville slip and fall lawyer’s guidance can be crucial to achieving a favorable resolution. A personal injury attorney with experience helping people like you through situations like yours could work diligently on your behalf to demand fair compensation for all your injuries and losses.

Establishing Fault for a Slipping or Tripping Accident

It is important for prospective slip and fall plaintiffs to understand that not every slip or trip and fall that happens on someone else’s property automatically justifies a lawsuit or settlement. There are four key conditions that must be fulfilled in order for a claim to proceed following an accident like this, and assistance from a knowledgeable Rockville trip and fall attorney can be critical to understanding these requirements and collecting enough evidence to establish them in a particular case.

First and foremost, the defendant property owner must have owed an implicit legal “duty” to the injured person to keep them reasonably safe from harm, the nature of which can change significantly depending on why the injured party was visiting that owner’s land in the first place. Second, the property owner must have violated—or “breached”—that duty through some reckless, careless, or intentional act.

Third, the injured plaintiff must establish a direct causal link between the defendant’s breach of duty and their slipping or tripping accident—in other words, they must show that their accident would not have occurred at all but for the defendant’s unreasonable conduct. Finally, the plaintiff must show that they sustained at least one physical injury requiring professional medical care as a direct consequence of their fall.

Pursuing Compensation Within Filing Deadlines

A successful slip and fall case could allow an injured person to seek compensation for both economic and non-economic losses stemming from their accident, including past and future medical expenses, past and future income losses, personal property damage, physical and emotional suffering, and lost enjoyment of life. It is worth noting, though, that Maryland Code, Courts & Judicial Proceedings §3-2A-09 limits how much money injured individuals can recover for non-economic forms of harm, as a slip and fall lawyer in Rockville could explain in more detail.

Additionally, MD Code, C&JP §5-101 establishes a three-year filing period for virtually all slip and fall claims, usually beginning on the date of the plaintiff’s initial injuries. Waiting longer than three years to file suit could leave a trip and fall victim without any way of recovering compensation for that particular incident, even if they have overwhelming evidence that someone else was directly at fault for their accident.

Talk to a Rockville Slip and Fall Attorney About Civil Recovery

For various reasons, civil claims based on slipping or tripping accidents tend to be uniquely complicated and difficult to achieve positive results with. Even if you have past experience with personal injury litigation, you should think twice before proceeding with this type of case without first seeking help from a dedicated legal professional.

Retaining a Rockville slip and fall lawyer should be a priority for anyone who gets hurt in a sudden fall caused by property owner negligence. Call today to schedule a consultation.