Most people do not expect to slip and fall in a store, restaurant, or parking lot. However, if property owners and businesses fail to keep their premises safe, customers and guests can get hurt.
Slip and fall injuries raise serious questions about who may be liable for damages, making the guidance of an experienced personal injury attorney essential. A dedicated South Bend slip and fall accident lawyer could hold the responsible parties accountable by securing compensation for you.
Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a Slip and Fall Accident Attorney in South Bend, Indiana
Our personal injury lawyers at Yosha, Cook & Tisch in South Bend, IN, can evaluate your case for free and advise you on the best course of action to pursue to recover from your slip and fall injuries. Premises liability law is complex. A property owner might even blame you for your accident. To ensure you get a fair settlement and have a chance of getting on with your life, contact our attorneys as soon as possible. You don’t have to pay us anything upfront. We will analyze your case, establish liability, file the claim, and fight for all the economic and non-economic damages you are entitled to.
Most Common Slip and Fall Accidents for Which You Could File a Claim
Even the most careful person can lose their footing on a poorly maintained surface or dimly lit walkway. Other typical causes of slip and fall accidents include:
- Debris and other obstructions on floors, sidewalks, or parking lots
- Poor lighting in hallways, entrances, and stairwells
- Uncleared snow or ice
- Slippery floors due to water, cleaners, chemicals, or spills
- Broken steps
- Faulty construction of walkways or stairs
- Building code violations
Property owners are responsible for maintaining their premises and keeping them free of dangerous conditions. If they do not, an injured party may have a claim for damages. An experienced personal injury attorney familiar with slip and fall accidents could assist a plaintiff in preparing and filing a lawsuit in South Bend civil court within the state’s two-year injury statute of limitations.
Most Common Injuries You Might Suffer from in a Slip and Fall Accident
While some slip-and-fall incidents could cause severe, even catastrophic injuries, others only cause relatively minor ones. For example, in the best-case situation, a person who falls might sustain minor bruises.
Nevertheless, in more severe accidents, the wounds might affect the victim for the rest of their life. A scratch is not likely to impact your capacity to work; a head injury might derail you forever, generating ongoing medical treatments, lifestyle changes, and more. Here are a few injuries that our slip-and-fall accident lawyers encounter most often in their practice:
- Broken skulls
- Broken limbs
- Traumatic encephalopathy
- Broken ribs
- Bruises and cuts
- Back problems and pain
- Spinal-cord injuries
- Temporary or permanent paralysis
You should consult a skilled slip-and-fall accident lawyer in South Bend, Indiana, regardless of what led to your accident or how minor your injuries may appear. A personal injury lawyer could hold a careless property owner responsible for the hazardous circumstances on their property with the appropriate strategy.
Talk to your attorneys about the incident when they evaluate your case for the first time. Your South Bend slip and fall lawyer will prove liability, calculate economic and non-economic compensation, and file a claim or lawsuit against the responsible person depending on the details, the proof you give, and the severity of your injuries.
How Can a Qualified Slip and Fall Accident Attorney in South Bend, IN, Help You?
Slip and fall injuries happen in various locations and for different reasons. Typically, a negligent business or property owner is to blame.
If you suffered an injury in a fall on someone else’s property, a seasoned South Bend slip and fall accident lawyer or a personal injury attorney in South Bend could assist you. Many factors influence a successful slip-and-fall claim, and a knowledgeable attorney could assess your case and help determine the likelihood of a successful outcome.
Your Slip and Fall Accident Attorneys in South Bend, IN, Will Establish Liability
If someone slips or falls on someone else’s property, it is essential to identify who caused the accident. Sometimes, the person who failed to correct the hazard is to blame.
For example, if a store employee notices water on the floor and does not promptly clean it up, they may be responsible for a customer’s injuries. However, the store manager and owner may also be held liable, as they are responsible for keeping the property and establishment safe for customers and guests.
There are exceptions to a property owner’s liability.
Indiana follows the “open and obvious rule,” which means that people invited to a property are expected to exercise due care while on the premises.
For instance, suppose someone asks friends to their home, marks an area of the house as off-limits due to ongoing construction, and advises the guests not to enter that area of the home as they arrive. If an invitee accesses that area notwithstanding the warnings and injures themselves, they likely do not have a claim against the property owner.
A violation of the “open and obvious” rule could deny an injured party’s damages claim.
Accordingly, a plaintiff is well-served by consulting a seasoned South Bend, IN, slip and fall injury attorney to discuss the specifics of the accident.
We Will Recover Compensation for Your Slip and Fall Accident in South Bend, Indiana
Slipping and falling can be severe, causing physical and emotional harm and missed time from work. Under the legal theory of premises liability, a property owner may be responsible for the visitor’s injuries. Examples of recoverable economic and non-economic damages include:
- Medical expenses
- Prescription costs
- Insurance copays
- Medical equipment and assistive devices
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Pain and suffering
- Lost wages
- Loss of companionship
Many plaintiffs cannot immediately understand how significantly their injury can impact their personal and social lives. For example, a person who regularly plays competitive tennis and suffers damage to their arm in a fall may be unable to continue to play the sport.
With the help of a capable South Bend slip and fall attorney, someone injured by tripping and falling may recover compensation for this “loss of enjoyment of life.”
We Will File Your Slip and Fall Injury Claim or Lawsuit within Indiana’s Statutes of Limitations for Personal Injury
A plaintiff’s capacity to bring a slip and fall injury claim is restricted by Indiana state law. The statute of limitations (IC 34-11-2-4) is a strict deadline. Most of the time, personal injury victims who miss this deadline will no longer be eligible to file a claim or a lawsuit for compensation.
The statute of limitations for filing a slip and fall injury case in South Bend, Indiana, is two years from the date of the incident. Additionally, claims involving property damage from slip and fall incidents are subject to the same two-year time limit.
For instance, the plaintiff could seek payment for restoring any broken watches, smartphones, or laptops during the fall. These claims must also adhere to the current statute of limitations.
You should begin preparing your case as soon as possible, our South Bend, Indiana, slip and fall injury attorneys advise. Building a strong claim based on evidence, witness testimonies, and investigations takes time; two years can fly by quickly.
While initiating this entire process may seem intimidating, working with a skilled South Bend personal injury attorney should make it less stressful for you as you let a qualified legal advisor lead you through it.
Call a South Bend Slip and Fall Injury Attorney to Take Your Case Today!
You might think that life would never return to normal at this time.
Your quality of life, whether yours or a loved one’s, will be discussed and discounted by faceless insurance firms, despite your growing medical costs and severe physical and mental suffering. Under Indiana’s liability doctrines, some property owners and their insurance companies might even try to blame your injuries on your negligence.
You don’t have to fight this battle by yourself, though. Moreover, you can be entitled to full and just compensation under the law even though no amount of money can make up for what has happened to you.
Our knowledgeable South Bend legal team is here to advocate for your better future and give you a voice. Get a free case review from our slip-and-fall injury attorneys as your first step toward justice.
Call today to get started!
