How to Determine

If Third-Party Negligence Caused Your Injuries

Was the Property Unsafe?

For a property owner to be liable for your slip and fall accident, there must have been an unsafe condition that caused your fall.

Was the Owner Aware of the Danger?

If the property owner was not aware of the dangerous condition, they cannot be held liable for your injuries. The owner is allowed a reasonable amount of time to discover unsafe conditions.

Did You Take Reasonable Care?

In general, property owners are not held responsible for injuries if the dangerous condition was open and obvious. You are expected to use reasonable care to prevent your own injuries.

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after a Slip and Fall

Slip and fall incidents prompt more emergency room visits than any other type of accident, and are a leading cause of severe injury and accidental death in the U.S.* Have you suffered a fall that may have been caused by someone else’s negligence? An experienced slip and fall lawyer with our practice can offer valuable guidance and legal representation to help you and your family. The personal injury firm of Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton protects victims and will fight for your right to recover full damages for injury or wrongful death.

Some slip and fall victims feel hesitant to make a claim against a known person or business, but it’s important to realize the claim is actually against an insurance company. Property owners carry liability insurance for a reason and understand an injured visitor’s need for reimbursement. Our firm offers a free consultation for accident victims, so please contact our office today to set up an appointment with an attorney.

A slip, trip, or fall can permanently affect your overall health and quality of life. 

About Slip and Fall Injuries

Slip and fall injuries can happen to anyone, anywhere. Examples include a grocery store shopper who slips on a wet floor, a child falling off a broken playground apparatus, or a visitor to an office building who trips on ripped carpet at the top of a staircase. These types of accidents can cause injuries ranging from very minor to catastrophic, including traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury.

Legal Considerations: Premises Liability

Premises liability laws hold property owners responsible for dangerous conditions existing on their property. These can be conditions they created or failed to correct. Especially when a safety hazard has been longstanding, the law expects a property owner to take steps to prevent a potential accident.

Apartment or commercial building landlords can be held liable for tenant injuries, and if an injury occurs on a public venue, a premises liability defendant may be the state or federal government. Dangerous conditions can include unsafe parking areas, defects in flooring, outdoor sidewalks, staircase railings, amusement park equipment, or even an open hole in the ground. When a hazardous condition cannot be reasonably corrected, the property owner is responsible for posting clear warnings to visitors. 

Property liability laws protect anyone on public premises, called “licensees,” as well as those invited into a private home. Even trespassers have successfully asserted a legal right to expect a warning for an obvious safety hazard encountered on public or private premises.

In slip and fall cases, our attorneys work quickly to secure the necessary evidence establishing liability. Damages and losses stemming from a severe injury can be extensive, impacting the victim and family well into the future. Thorough investigative work and damage assessment allow us to negotiate your claim from a position of strength. We handle insurance adjusters for you, and if necessary, will aggressively argue the facts of your case in court.

Contact Us

The Utah statute of limitations for a slip and fall case is generally four years, but may be shorter in some cases. For effective legal help, please contact the office of Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton today to set up a free consultation. Our practice is client-centered and family friendly, with Spanish-speaking attorneys available upon request. 

* Citing Center for Disease Control 2013 statistics

From left to right: Zeb Weeks, Mark Flickinger, Brett Boulton,
Kevin Sutterfield, Bruce Franson