Being injured, in any possible way, can be detrimental to your everyday life. But some people might think that some injuries are worse than others. Though it can be true that incidents, like car accidents, can cause extreme damage. This does not mean that other incidents, like slip and falls, are not dangerous or even severe. We have a list of what makes slip and fall cases different from a car accident.
Nature of the Accident
A slip and fall case is when someone falls down because of someone else’s actions on their own property. This can happen if you go to a restaurant or store and someone has cleaned the floor, but dried the water or placed a sign. This could also be if you are at an apartment complex, and the management has not laid down salt during the winter, so the ground is slick. There are many situations that could result in a slip and fall. This differs from a car accident since it is often just a dispute between two people and their insurances, whereas a slip and fall would be between you and the premises insurance companies.
Type of Negligence
The fault in a slip and fall case goes to the property owner or occupier. They have neglected to maintain safe conditions or failed to warn visitors about hazards. In a car accident case, negligence means that the driver chose to disregard safe driving. It might be hard to exactly find blame in a slip and fall, since it could be the management. If there is a company that owns a location or even a company above that, which might make it hard to find the exact place at fault.
Evidence Required
You need to have the evidence that proves that a hazard has existed, the owner knew about the hazard, and that they failed to address the problem. This means that you should make sure you take pictures of the hazard and save any exchange you have that shows negligence. Also, if you have witnesses to the hazard and incident, or had experienced the same injury, you need to make sure you have a way to contact them. You can also try to get security footage if it is available. It is easier to prove fault and negligence in a car accident case, so you should try to find any resources that you can.
Insurance and Compensation
The insurance disputes are usually between homeowner and commercial property insurance, whereas a car accident is between auto insurances. This means that in a slip and fall there is not a certain payment. A car accident, you will always have PIP payments in your insurance, but there is not that in slip and falls.
Throughout all of these cases, it can be for your benefit to have a personal injury attorney on your side, who understands all of the ins and outs of a slip and fall case.
Flickinger • Boulton • Robson • Weeks
As you can see, slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere, at any time. It doesn’t take much to get severely injured. But not all slip and fall accidents are your fault. Some of these falls are due to other people being negligent.
Take a nursing home, for example. If your loved one fell on their own when they were supposed to have assistance, they may be entitled to compensation for their injuries and their pain and suffering.
Flickinger • Boulton • Robson • Weeks is here to help you. We’ve represented slip and fall injury victims for over 25 years, and we’re here to guide you through the process, too. We serve clients throughout Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah. Contact us today for your free case evaluation.
