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Slip & Fall Accidents

Testimonial From a Past Slip & Fall Client

SLIP, TRIP AND FALL ACCIDENTS

Central Florida, FL Slip, Trip And Fall Accidents Attorney

Orlando Slip And Fall Lawyer - Jerry Jenkins, P.A.

Slip and fall accidents: In the blink of an eye, you go from walking across what you assumed to be perfectly safe ground to lying on the ground, injured. In many cases, those injuries can have long-term consequences that leave you struggling to move forward with your life. You may struggle with ongoing pain and suffering, weakness, or inability to complete your regular tasks due to your injuries. Not only that, your bills multiply quickly, both due to your medical expenses and your inability to work. Do you need help getting the compensation you deserve after a slip and fall accident? The Law Office of Jerry Jenkins can help. Contact us today at (407) 287-6757 to schedule your free consultation.

You’re Not Alone. The Law Office of Jerry Jenkins can Help.

Navigating the realm of personal injury can feel incredibly difficult. You may feel that no one understands or that you must fight an uphill battle to get the compensation you deserve.

You don’t have to fight it alone.

At The Law Office of Jerry Jenkins, you will receive compassionate, caring support that helps walk you through the claims process, from filing your initial claim with the facility’s insurance company to, if necessary, taking your claim to court for the compensation you deserve. Our offices prioritize communication: we make it easy to get in touch with us at any time of the day or night, and we’ll meet with you in a location that’s convenient for you. We’re dedicated to providing legal help for normal citizens who have found themselves in tough places, in need of extra help.

The Physical Cost of a Slip and Fall Accident

In a slip and fall accident, you fall as you cross the ground, usually falling a relatively short distance. Unfortunately, even those short distances can leave you dealing with serious injuries, including injuries that may have a long-term impact on your life and your ability to do the things you enjoy every day. After a slip and fall accident, you may deal with:

  • Traumatic brain injury. Did you strike your head against a table or shelf on the way down? Did your head bounce off the floor as you landed? Unfortunately, any time you hit your head, you may suffer a traumatic brain injury. You may lose consciousness, or you may note symptoms several hours after the accident: difficulty with comprehension, confusion, memory problems, or difficulty participating in ordinary discussions. Sometimes, these symptoms resolve relatively quickly. Other victims, however, may struggle with the symptoms of traumatic brain injury for weeks or months. In some cases, traumatic brain injury can cause lifelong damage.
  • Spinal cord damage. A slip and fall can occur with a substantial amount of force. If you strike your back during your accident, you may suffer spinal cord damage. Spinal cord damage may lead to paralysis. Typically, victims of spinal cord damage suffer paralysis either from the waist down or from the neck down. Damage, however, can occur at any point on the spinal cord. Paralysis often significantly limits the activities victims can enjoy long-term.
  • Broken bones. In a slip and fall accident, many victims break wrists, ankles, fingers, and toes as they attempt to catch themselves. Sometimes, broken bones heal within a few weeks. In other cases, however, broken bones may lead to ongoing weakness or a struggle to return to normal daily activities. During the healing process, victims may find themselves unable to complete their usual job duties or unable to participate in the activities that typically bring them pleasure.
  • Deep cuts and lacerations. Some scrapes are normal from a slip and fall accident. Injuries from slips and falls, however, may also involve serious damage due to foreign objects, sharp corners, or hazards left in the area. Sometimes, lacerations may require surgical intervention. Serious lacerations may also leave substantial scarring behind.
  • Organ damage. In addition to other types of injuries, victims of slips and falls may suffer blunt force trauma that passes through the body, resulting in damage to their organs. Organ damage grows more likely with age or preexisting conditions.

Determining Liability: Who Pays for a Slip and Fall Accident?

In any personal injury case, you need to determine liability in order to assess who bears responsibility for paying for your claim. When you visit a publicly accessible property, including stores, theaters, restaurants, malls, and businesses, you reasonably expect a safe, clear space to walk—and legally speaking, those facilities bear responsibility for providing that level of safety. If those facilities fail to provide reasonable safety accommodations, they will bear responsibility for your injuries. Appropriate safety precautions include:

  • “Wet floor” signs and other warnings that indicate when an area might offer treacherous footing.
  • Handrails at stairs or inclined areas.
  • Clear walkways that do not become excessively slippery, even when wet.
  • Well-maintained pavement and walkways outside the facility.

If the facility fails to offer these safety precautions to its visitors, you may build your claim around the unsafe flooring or lack of signs. In some cases, however, you may share liability for your injuries, especially if you:

  • Went into an area clearly marked for staff only or entered an area you should have avoided
  • Chose to engage in horseplay while in the facility, which led to your accident
  • Ignored appropriate safety precautions for yourself

If you bear partial liability for your injuries, the compensation you receive may drop by that percentage. On the other hand, the facility’s insurance company may attempt to prove that you entirely caused your own accident and injuries, which would alleviate the insurance company’s financial liability. Having a lawyer on your side will allow you to collect appropriate evidence to seek the compensation you deserve after a slip and fall accident.

Common Points of Compensation After a Slip and Fall

When you file a claim after a slip and fall accident, you do not want to miss any of the important details. You know you deserve funds for your injuries, but what do they include? The funds you receive will depend on the injuries you suffered in the accident and the facility’s insurance policy as well as how much your injuries limit you in your daily life. While no one can guarantee the funds you will receive, most people claim:

Medical expenses. When you think about medical expenses, make sure you calculate all of the medical costs of your care. This may include:

  • Ambulance transport to the hospital
  • Emergency room services
  • Durable medical equipment to help with your injury, including scooters, crutches, wheelchairs, and shower chairs
  • Ongoing medical visits
  • Surgery expenses
  • Physical therapy
  • The cost of nursing care, if you need supervision or a nurse to care for you after your accident

Lost time at work. Many people cannot return to work immediately after a slip and fall accident, resulting in a lack of income at a time when expenses often mount quickly. Your claim may include compensation for lost time at work, including:

  • Time missed because you needed medical care immediately after an accident, including hospitalization
  • Time missed because of medical appointments and physical therapy after your accident.
  • Time missed due to inability to take on your usual work responsibilities during your recovery.

Pain and suffering. Typically, insurance companies calculate pain and suffering based on the other financial damages you suffer due to the accident. In some cases, however, outside factors can influence the funds you receive for pain and suffering, including:

  • Inability to participate in activities you once enjoyed
  • Struggle with PTSD or depression after an accident
  • Ongoing pain from your injuries, even as you begin to heal
  • Weakness or embarrassment

Lost earning potential. After a slip and fall accident, you may want to return to work as soon as possible. Unfortunately, some injuries permanently prevent you from returning to work in your previous capacity. Paralysis, for example, might prevent you from working as a nurse or in a factory job. Permanent nerve damage or damage to the limbs could prevent you from returning to a manufacturing position. If you suffer damage that makes it impossible for you to return to your former job, you may include lost earning potential as part of your slip and fall accident claim.

Dealing With Insurance Companies After a Slip and Fall Accident

Most facilities carry premises liability insurance, which protects them if someone has an accident inside the business or just outside the business, on property owned and maintained by the business. If you suffer injuries in a slip and fall accident, you will typically deal with the insurance company to receive compensation for your injuries. Unfortunately, many insurance companies try to reduce their financial liability for your injuries. You may experience some of these tactics:

  • Low compensation offers soon after your slip and fall accident. It may take some time before you recognize both the full extent of your injuries and how much it will cost to recover from your injuries. Early after your slip and fall accident, you may receive a compensation offer from the insurance company. Often, this offer does not reflect the full amount you need or deserve for your injuries. Consulting with a lawyer before you accept the initial offer can prevent you from accidentally limiting the compensation you can receive.
  • Trying to prove the slip and fall did not cause your injuries. The insurance company may attempt to find a previous history of injury and claim that your injuries occurred during other accidents or due to a preexisting condition, rather than due to the slip and fall accident on the premises the company covers.
  • Attempting to catch you participating in activities your injuries should make you unable to enjoy. If, for example, you claim you cannot walk without crutches or support, but you spend a weekend at the park without devices to assist your walking, you may not receive the same compensation as you would without those limitations. The insurance adjuster, however, may attempt to use any activities you participate in against you as you file your claim.
  • Suggesting that you caused the accident. Horsing around or failing to follow proper safety regulations can leave you responsible for your own injuries. The insurance company may attempt to present evidence that you caused the accident and, therefore, not due to receive compensation for them.

After a Slip and Fall, Do You Really Need a Lawyer?

Many people, after a slip and fall accident, worry that the cost will mount too high for them to afford. Is a slip and fall accident attorney really necessary? How much will it actually cost to hire a slip and fall accident attorney?

If you suffered injuries in a slip and fall accident, having an attorney on your side can help with the entire process. An attorney can:

  • Communicate with the insurance company on your behalf, removing many of the headaches and challenges of getting compensation for your injuries.
  • Increase the compensation amount offered by the insurance company by ensuring that you miss none of the important details associated with your claim.
  • Provide you with support and advice throughout the claims process.
  • Help you determine whether to accept a settlement offer or to continue seeking further compensation after an accident.
  • Help collecting evidence to determine how your accident occurred and what compensation you deserve.

In many cases, you will receive a larger compensation offer when working with an attorney than you would receive on your own, even after you consider your attorney’s fees. An attorney has a solid understanding of all the ins and outs of the law. Working with one can help make your claims process much smoother.

Contact The Law Office of Jerry Jenkins Today if You Suffered Injuries in a Slip and Fall Accident

Do you need an attorney after a slip and fall accident? The Law Office of Jerry Jenkins can provide the support you need and deserve. Contact us today at (407) 287-6757 today to set up a free consultation and learn more about how we can help you file or fight for a claim after your slip and fall accident.

Review: 5/5
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“Jerry was recommended to my family and I’m forever thankful. He explained all of our options in simplisyic terms thatbwe understood and didn’t give us any unrealistic expectations. He looked at the facts before telling me anything and kept in contact with me throughout the process. They have a high level of professionalism and are trustworthy.”

Review by: Stacy D.

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