Slip and fall accidents are a common cause of premises liability cases in Peoria. Despite the fact that property owners have a duty to keep their properties safe, many people injure themselves seriously in restaurants, schools, public parks, and other commercial spaces every day.
The Peoria slip and fall attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have a history of helping clients recover fair compensation in Illinois slip and fall cases. Read on to learn more about your ability to file a civil lawsuit against the property owner responsible and the statute of limitations.
Common and Serious Injuries Sustained in Slip and Fall Accidents
The types of injuries resulting from slips and falls range from more minor injuries such as bruises to more serious injuries like concussions. The most common injuries include the following:
- Broken bones
- ConcussionsÂ
- Brain injuriesÂ
- Spinal cord injuriesÂ
- Death
Why You Need a Slip and Fall Accident Attorney
It is possible to file a premises liability case on your own. However, most people do not file a personal injury claim without the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer. To successfully seek compensation, you need to have a good understanding of the legal system and what information you’ll need to win your case.Â
Hiring a slip and fall lawyer from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers is an effective way to gain access to expertise about the legal process in Peoria so that your claim has a good chance to receive fair compensation.
Your experienced slip and fall attorney can collect evidence that could be difficult to obtain otherwise, including witness and expert testimony, accident scene reconstruction, statements from medical professionals, and medical records.
They will also be able to negotiate with insurance companies to receive the highest amount of compensation possible. Insurance companies might be more likely to offer more if they know you’ve hired a lawyer to avoid going to court.
Where Do Slip and Fall Accidents Occur?
Slip and fall accidents can happen due to dangerous conditions anywhere. However, some of the places where slips and falls are most likely to occur include the following:
- Sidewalks
- Parks
- Schools
- Businesses
- Offices
- Construction sites
- Nursing homes
- Retail locations
- Public spaces
Damages Our Slip and Fall Attorneys Can Help You Recover
Depending on the nature of your serious injuries and what happened during your slip and fall accident, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you take legal action to recover the following damages:
- Medical expensesÂ
- Lost wages
- Rehabilitation costs
- Pain and suffering
- Lost income potential
The Value of Your Slip and Fall Injury Case
The average slip and fall case that occurs in the workplace settles for just under $50,000 [1]. However, there are many factors that can influence the outcome of a case. Cases with more serious fall injuries tend to recover more. You would expect lower amounts of compensation for cases with broken bones than those with wrongful deaths.
Having a slip and fall lawyer on your side can also impact your settlement size. There is a lot of evidence that cases with lawyers yield larger settlements than cases where people try to advocate for themselves on their own.
The Illinois slip and fall attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have a proven track record for securing multimillion settlements for injury victims. In one case, we secured a $4.15 million settlement after a woman slipped while walking to the bathroom in a hospital.
Liability for Slip and Fall Injuries in Peoria, IL
When slip and fall accidents occur on someone else’s property, it is usually the property owner who is held responsible, as it was their duty to maintain the property, keep it safe, and warn guests about potential dangers.
Proving Negligence for Slip and Fall Cases
Your experienced personal injury attorney serving Peoria, IL will need to show that the responsible parties had a legal duty of care. When they breached that duty, it caused your damages. This doesn’t have to be as complicated as it may initially seem.
For example, property owners have a duty to keep their premises safe and free of dangerous conditions. If a business fails to put up a sign for slippery floors and you fall because you didn’t know about the hazard, the business can be held liable.
Comparative Negligence
Under Illinois law, injury victims can seek compensation even if they are found to be partially responsible. Comparative negligence laws dictate that you can hold others accountable for their part in your accident. If the other party is 70% responsible, you can receive 70% of the financial compensation you need from them.Â
What to Do After a Slip and Fall Accident
If you suffer from a fall injury, the first step to take is to notify the property owner that you fell. In most cases with businesses, there will be an incident report written and filed about your accident.
An accident report can be important later when filing a personal injury case—but without your fall accident lawyer present, do not sign anything that could potentially waive your right to sue.
You should call 9-1-1 from the accident scene so that the ambulance can take you to the hospital to seek medical attention. Sometimes you may have a serious injury without realizing it until later. By going right away, you can get properly assessed for injuries. The medical records from your visit will also be helpful in proving that the fall caused your injury.
If you can take photographs of the scene and your injuries, use your smartphone to capture evidence. This can help document the dangerous condition that led to your injury.
In many cases, the property owners have insurance coverage. Homeowners have homeowners insurance policies. Businesses have business liability insurance. You can file a claim with the applicable insurance company. Just be sure that you don’t accept any settlements from insurance adjusters without consulting slip and fall lawyers first.
Next, it is time to call a Peoria, IL slip and fall attorney for a no-obligation consultation to discuss what happened. In many cases, victims can file premises liability cases to pursue compensation from the responsible parties. Your lawyer will be able to give you more information about your ability to take legal action via a premises liability case.
You Have Limited Time to File a Slip and Fall Claim in Peoria, Illinois
The statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Illinois is two years from the date of the incident. You can’t file a claim after this time passes. While it may seem like a lot of time, it goes by quickly when you’re facing a long recovery and mounting medical bills.
How Much Does a Peoria Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer Cost?
The slip and fall lawyers at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. This means that you do not need to pay anything up-front for our services after your slip and fall accident. Instead, we take a small portion of the settlement or jury award that we help you secure. If you don’t get compensated, we don’t get paid.
Contact Our Peoria Slip and Fall Lawyers Today!
Contact the Peoria slip and fall attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers for a free consultation by filling out our contact form or calling toll-free at (888) 424-5757. A member of our team is available 24 hours a day to answer your call. We work on a contingency fee basis and offer free consultations, so there aren’t financial barriers to seeking justice.
Resources: [1] NSCÂ