Fort Lauderdale Slip-and-Fall Lawyer

Slip Fall Accident. Floor Sign Caution

A slip-and-fall accident in Fort Lauderdale can leave you with significant injuries that impact the rest of your life. When you fall due to an unreasonably dangerous condition on someone else’s property, you may be able to hold the owner liable for the harm you suffered, including your medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, and more.

Contact Rosen & Ohr, P.A., for a free consultation about your case with our Fort Lauderdale slip-and-fall lawyers. We will review the details of the incident, analyze your best legal options, and explain what to expect from the legal process. We will give you the opportunity to ask us any remaining questions you have about your case.

Why You Should Choose Our Fort Lauderdale Slip-and-Fall Law Firm

The slip-and-fall injury lawyers of Rosen & Ohr, P.A., have served injured people in Fort Lauderdale and throughout South Florida for over 50 years. Our firm offers the perfect balance of experience, ingenuity, and compassion to help clients seek maximum compensation for their injuries from slip-and-fall accidents.

When you hire our team to handle your slip-and-fall case, one of our highly qualified slip-and-fall lawyers in Fort Lauderdale will work with you from start to finish. We will not pass your case off to someone else and always focus on helping you seek the maximum compensation available, whether that is through a negotiated settlement or trial award.

Common Causes of Slip-and-Fall Accidents in Fort Lauderdale

Slip-and-fall accidents in Fort Lauderdale have several potential causes, including the following examples:

  • Wet or slippery floors – Slipping on a wet surface is one of the leading causes of fall injuries. Wet surfaces are often due to spills not being cleaned up promptly.
  • Poor lighting – Poorly lit hallways and stairwells can make it hard to see hazards, leading to slip, trip, and fall accidents.
  • Uneven surfaces – Places where different flooring materials meet or where there are single steps are hot spots for slip-and-fall accidents.
  • Poor maintenance – Properties that do not undergo routine and necessary maintenance may pose increased risks, such as from damaged staircases or loose railings.
  • Cluttered walkways – Walkways with objects strewn on the floor increase the risk of a slip, trip, or fall accident.

Understanding Florida Premises Liability Laws

Under Florida’s premises liability laws, slip-and-fall injury victims can fit into one of three categories, depending on their reason for being on the property:

  • Invitees are business customers and clients to whom the property owner owes the highest duty of care.
  • Licensees are social guests to whom the property owner owes a lower duty of care.
  • Trespassers are people on the property without the owner’s permission, to whom the owner owes a minimal duty of care.

Identifying what type of visitor you were is the first step in seeking compensation for your injuries. Most slip-and-fall victims fall under the invitee or licensee classification. If so, the next step is to establish that the owner had actual or constructive knowledge of the dangerous property condition that caused your injuries.

Establishing that involves providing evidence of at least one of the following:

  • The hazardous condition existed for long enough that the property owner should have reasonably discovered it.
  • The condition occurred regularly enough that the property owner should have reasonably expected it.

Types of Injuries and Damages in Slip-and-Fall Cases

Slip-and-fall cases can result in several types of injuries, ranging from mild to severe. Some examples of potentially severe injuries from slip-and-fall accidents include:

  • Traumatic brain injuries – TBIs can happen if you strike your head on the ground or another object when you fall. TBIs can range from mild concussions to severe brain injuries that cause permanent cognitive and physical disabilities.
  • Spinal cord injuries – Hitting the ground in a slip and fall can damage the spinal cord, leading to chronic pain or even paralysis in severe cases.
  • Broken bones – Many fall victims break their wrists, forearms, and collarbones as they try to brace themselves. Older adults may also fracture their hips, leading to medical complications.
  • Soft-tissue injuries – The muscles, tendons, and ligaments, in and around the knees are at increased risk of sprains, strains, and tears during a slip and fall.

The damages or compensation you can recover through a Fort Lauderdale slip-and-fall claim could include money for:

  • Past and future medical expenses related to the incident
  • Lost wages and loss of earning capacity caused by your injuries
  • Physical pain and suffering experienced because of your injuries
  • Emotional distress, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety
  • Permanent disabilities caused by your injuries
  • Other out-of-pocket expenses related to the accident and your injuries

Proving Negligence in Fort Lauderdale Slip-and-Fall Claims

Our lawyers can gather various types of evidence to prove a property owner’s negligence in a Fort Lauderdale slip-and-fall case. The evidence may include accident scene photographs, surveillance camera footage, eyewitness statements, property maintenance records, expert testimony, medical records, and others.

Proving negligence is a vital step in establishing liability for your accident-related losses. However, the at-fault party’s insurance company will likely try to shift some of the blame for the accident onto you to reduce its liability.

Under Florida’s comparative negligence law, a plaintiff who is partly at fault for the incident that caused their injuries may have their compensation reduced accordingly. For example, if a jury finds that you were 20 percent at fault, the courts will allow you to recover only 80 percent of your awarded compensation. If you are found to be more than 50 percent at fault, you cannot recover any compensation.

For that reason, it is crucial that you work with our experienced and knowledgeable slip-and-fall injury lawyers who can use robust evidence to minimize your fault and maximize your compensation.

How Rosen & Ohr Can Help with Your Slip-and-Fall Case

Our personal injury lawyers are ready to thoroughly investigate your slip-and-fall case to identify how it occurred and who may be liable for your injuries. We can also gather supporting evidence and calculate the value of your injuries, so we can seek the compensation you need both now and in the future.

While our lawyers are highly experienced negotiators, and most successful cases end with a settlement, we are always prepared to take your case to trial if necessary. We are committed to doing whatever it takes to maximize your compensation. We will never back down from a fight with the insurance company.

Contact Rosen & Ohr, P.A., for a free consultation about your personal injury claim with one of our Fort Lauderdale slip-and-fall attorneys.