Slip and Fall at the Holiday Party

Contact Us Today We aren’t used to rainy days here in Phoenix. When it happens, we’re often unprepared, searching for umbrellas and shoes with a good grip. By the time we reach our destination, we’re damp and distracted. That’s when a slip and fall accident occurs. Running between the raindrops, you forget the grocery store entrance is wet and you lose your footing. Landing on your backside, with what initially feels like only a bruised ego, you pick yourself up only to be sat down and interrogated by the store manager. Don’t be annoyed at the fuss. The manager is just doing her job recounting the events for what is likely to become an incident report for upper management. She’s not out to ruin your day. What to expect during your slip and fall accident It’s important to understand that what felt like an inconvenient fall for you is a potential liability for the store. The managers are frequently trained to deal with each fall as a serious problem and may be overly eager to protect the store’s interest. Stay calm. Becoming upset or angry won’t change what happened. It’s in your best interest to cooperate only to the point that you’re asked to sign a statement. Your signature could be interpreted as admitting fault, releasing the store of fault, or reaching a settlement. If you’re asked to sign anything, respectfully decline. Without the support of Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer, experienced slip and fall injury attorneys, you may end of signing something you’ll regret later. And it’s easy to blame yourself for the accident. Maybe your shoes were wet. Maybe you were distracted as you were coming into the store. Never assume any responsibility for the accident. There are many factors that could have played into your slip and fall injury, including… Was there excess water on the floor at the time of your fall? Had a mat been in place to absorb water? Was there another substance causing the floor to be wet or slippery? Was there a caution sign posted indicating a wet floor? What to do about your slip and fall accident Sometimes the smallest things can impact the success of pursuing your slip and fall accident injury case. If a manager doesn’t come to you after your accident, make sure to notify them before you leave the store. Keep the clothes and shoes you were wearing, as they may be important later. Get contact information from witnesses. Take pictures of the area where you fell so you can easily recount the events leading to your slip and fall. After all of this, make seek medical assistance to get checked out and make sure what feels like a bump isn’t a sign of something more serious. And honestly, even if you don’t have outward signs of injury, it’s important to get checked – many injuries can present their effects days or weeks after your fall. Once you’ve started that process, then it’s time to contact us or call Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer at 602-535-5899, your personal injury attorney. We will sort the details and get you compensation you deserve.

Contact Us Today Did you slip and fall at a store and aren’t sure if you have a case? There are times when a slip and fall accident happens in what could be considered a safe property and both parties are at fault. While property owners are responsible for the safety of the property, visitors are also responsible for taking precautions and adhering to safety rules while on property. If you’re not sure if you have a slip and fall case, we recommend a free case review from the Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer. In Arizona, we have what is called comparative negligence which means that while the property owner may be at fault for your slip and fall, you may also hold a degree of negligence. If you, as plaintiff, can show valid and documented injuries from the incident, you will likely receive compensation. That is of course as long as you did not stage the incident or fail to avoid a blatant hazard. Compensation is determined based on the portion of negligence of each party. Here are real life examples of slip and fall cases that received compensation: In 2005 a woman was in a Walmart in Jacksonville, Florida for an hour and a half shopping. When she checked out, there was a price discrepancy on an item. She went back to the department to check the price, slipped, and fell. At the time of the incident she was already in recovery from shoulder surgery. She was able to prove, based on the timing of her fall and post-surgery doctor’s visits, that irreversible nerve damage in her already injured shoulder was caused by her slip and fall at Wal-Mart. She was rewarded $1 million with Wal-Mart 80% at fault. She received $800,000 in compensation. Without a personal injury lawyer reviewing the case, she may have walked away thinking her nerve damage was because of her surgery and not the fall. At a Lowe’s Home and Garden Center in West Melbourne, Florida a customer suffered injuries when an employee driving a forklift hit the customer from behind. The customer received $600,000 as the result of the accident, due in part to their attorney gathering witness accounts and other evidence from the incident. In 2011 a woman sued Home Depot after slipping on an unknown substance. She asked for the surveillance tape from that day to prove her case. Home Depot could not produce the tape, saying it had been deleted. The woman was awarded $44,383.61 for her injuries. Without an attorney to demand the evidence, the woman may not have been awarded compensation. Gathering evidence and witness accounts are two of the ways a personal injury attorney can help you get the compensation you deserve after a slip and fall. If you have suffered a slip and fall, contact us or call Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer for a free case review.

Contact Us Today You’re grocery shopping and slip and fall in an area with a posted wet floor sign. You ask yourself, “Is my slip and fall a real case?” It might be even though you walked where there was a sign clearly posted and here’s why: In Arizona, we have what is known as comparative negligence. That means the law recognizes you and the property owner have the same responsibility for preventing an accident. You pay attention to where you’re walking and the owner is responsible for keeping the walkway clear. When someone slip and falls, it may initially look like an avoidable accident but that’s not always the case. Rather than guessing if you have a case, we recommend contacting with the Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer to evaluate all the facts and outline your options. Sometimes your slip and fall case isn’t as clear cut as your fault or the property owner’s fault. Take the example of an injury that occurs on a public pool slide. Your child runs up the ladder for the slide, slips, falls, and suffers injuries. It might look like he or she was injured because they were running and it was just an accident. When an experienced slip and fall attorney at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer reviews the case, it is found that one of the ladder’s steps was loose. This kind of information helps us to prepare your case and make sure that all the facts are aligned in a way that focuses on the core merits of your claim. Who is negligent in this case? Just as with all slip and fall cases, it is the responsibility of the property owner to make sure their property is safe. It is also the responsibility of the person who fell to watch where they are walking and avoid a fall. A full case review would need to occur to determine the exact portion of negligence for the owner and the child who fell. The law doesn’t exist for property owners to be on high alert for any and all hazards on their property. The law exists to make sure property owners make reasonable repairs to hazards they know, or should know about. There’s a difference between a slip and fall on spilled water at a restaurant or tripping over tiles the owner has known were broken for a long period of time. If the owner of the pool slide knew the step was broken and didn’t repair it, they will likely be found more negligent than if they had inspected the slide recently and found it to be in good repair. The same holds true for the grocery store; if the wet floor sign wasn’t posted, the store would be found more negligent according to Arizona law. No matter how you slice it, determining whether you have a valid case isn’t something you should have to do alone. Let the experts at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer review your situation with you. If you have a case, we’ll help you pursue it. If you’ve suffered injuries from a slip and fall and aren’t sure if you have a case, contact Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer or call 602-535-5899 for a free case evaluation.