Henrico County Slip and Fall Lawyer

A slip and fall injury can have tremendous consequences. If you sustained injuries from a fall on another person’s property, you may have a viable injury claim. To talk about your legal options, contact a skilled personal injury attorney.

One of the first things a Henrico County slip and fall lawyer may review in your case was your status on the property where your injury occurred. Your status at the time of your accident may have a significant impact on the damages available to you.

Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and fall accidents can happen for various reasons with seemingly minor tumbles resulting in significant injuries. Some are unavoidable, while others may be a result of a property owner’s carelessness. Some common causes of fall injuries may include:

Damaged flooring
Loose debris
Wet or icy walkways
Uneven pavement
Broken stairs
Missing stair handrails

A lawyer in Henrico County with experience handling slip and fall cases can review an accident victim’s case to determine if litigation is appropriate.

Duty of Care and Types of Property Visitors

In a slip and fall lawsuit, a property owner may be responsible for an injury on their premises if they owed the injured victim a legal obligation. The duty a property owner holds depends on the plaintiff’s purpose for entering the property at the time of the accident.

The law provides that a proprietor owes significant guarantees to some visitors, while they may owe a lower duty of care to others. A Henrico County trip and fall attorney can assess a plaintiff’s case and identify if a property owner violated their duty of care to that visitor depending on their classification.

Invitees

Invitees are visitors that enter a property to benefit the property owner. These types of guests may include members of the public who enter the premises as prospective customers or clients. A property owner owes invitees a duty to maintain reasonably safe premises and warn them of any hidden hazards that may cause injuries. The duty to maintain a safe premises may require regular inspections and repairs, among other things.

Licensees

Licensees are visitors who enter a property for their own benefit but with permission from the landowner. This permission from the property owner can be expressed or implied. The most common type of licensee is a social guest at another person’s home. A property owner owes a licensee the duty to warn them of known dangerous conditions on the premises.

Trespassers

A trespasser is someone who enters another person’s property without their permission. A landowner does not owe a duty of care to trespassers in most cases. While a property owner may not be required to maintain safe premises for a trespasser, there are some exceptions. For example, a landowner may face liability if they intentionally harm a trespasser.

Consult with a Henrico County Slip and Fall Attorney

If you suffered a severe slip and fall injury on the premises of a business or on the private property of another resident, you may have a viable personal injury claim. If successful, your injury claim may result in compensation for the physical, financial, and psychological damages that you may have experienced after your fall.