Slip-and-falls and trip-and-falls are among the leading cause of accident-related injuries in the United States. While slip & falls and trip & fall accidents may initially appear to result in minor injuries, they often result in serious injuries and lengthy recoveries for the victims. In addition to physical injuries, these accidents commonly result in emotional and financial distress for the victims and their families.
In Massachusetts, the law requires property owners, landlords, and business owners to use reasonable care to ensure their property is safe and free from hazardous conditions. If the property owner failed to use reasonable care and you are the victim of a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall, you may be entitled to recover damages in a personal injury lawsuit. If you injured yourself during a slip & fall or trip & fall, you need a well-qualified and experienced Quincy slip & fall accident lawyer to prove negligence against property owners and other responsible parties.
Massachusetts General Laws Ch. 260 s. 2A requires a personal injury lawsuit resulting from a slip & fall or trip & fall to be filed within 3 years of the accident. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Quincy slip or trip & fall accident and are looking to recover damages, our skilled Quincy trip & fall accident lawyers at Riccio Law will defend your rights and help you recover damages for your injuries.
Depending on the nature and cause of the fall, there are a number of different injuries one can suffer in a slip & fall or trip & fall accident. While these accidents may result in only minor injuries, including bruising, sprained ankles or wrists, scrapes, cuts, and headaches, more serious injuries can occur and are not always immediately apparent.
Some of the more serious injuries involve head trauma, including concussions and traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, hip injuries, spinal cord injuries, including neck and back injuries, and sometimes death. Many of these injuries require extensive medical care and usually lead to expensive medical bills, and great emotional distress, pain, and suffering.
Slip & fall and trip & fall accidents can happen anywhere, including inside an office building or store, in a parking lot or on the sidewalk, or in a building’s lobby or common areas. Accidents often happen at supermarkets, hotels, workplaces, and construction sites, and commonly occur when a person unexpectedly slips on a wet surface, snowy or icy sidewalks and walkways, trips over a foreign object or elevated surface, or gets their foot trapped and loses balance while walking.
While they can happen anywhere and at any time, certain hazards are the leading causes of slip & fall and trip & fall accidents, including:
If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a slip & fall accident, as the injured party you may be entitled to compensation for damages, including current and future medical expenses, rehabilitation expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages. In some instances, the spouse of the injured may be able recover on what’s known as a loss of consortium claim. An injured party can also seek damages for injuries sustained after falling on a slippery surface or wet floor inside a store. Whether the owner should have been aware of the hazard and there was no warning sign or insufficient warning is crucial in the liability analysis.
After a ruling in 2010 by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in Papadopoulos v. Target Corporation, 457 Mass. 368 (2010), property owners and landlords became responsible for using reasonable care with respect to the removal of snow and ice accumulation on their property, and the court eliminated any distinction between natural and unnatural accumulation of snow and ice in their analysis of liability. You may also be eligible for compensation if you were injured after unexpectedly losing your balance and falling on an uneven walking surface or hole in the ground or floor.
While these accidents may seem straightforward, not every fall results in compensation to the injured party. Sometimes accidents are just that, accidents. If you were injured at your workplace, compensation may depend on whether the property owner or employer sufficiently reduced or minimized the risk of injury. Courts consider compliance with health and safety standards although production of a risk assessment certificate is not necessarily enough. The court could require further evidence of day-to-day practices, including witness statements and proof of employee health and safety training.
Personal injury claims stemming from slip & falls and trip & falls can be complicated, so it’s important to have a skilled and experienced Quincy slip & fall accident lawyer at your side. A lawyer plays a vital role in examining and identifying key evidence crucial to establishing the property owner or landlord’s negligence.
Generally, property owners, landlords, employers, and those responsible for managing public areas, including parking lots, sidewalks, walkways, and pathways are liable for any unsafe conditions on the property and must use reasonable care and efforts to prevent and/or repair any potential hazards to lawful visitors. However, compensation is not automatic; the injured party needs to establish that a duty of care was owed to them, whoever owed that duty of care was negligent, and their negligence was the proximate cause of their injuries. Contact a Quincy Slip & Fall and Trip & Fall Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one were injured in a trip & fall or slip & fall accident on another’s property in Massachusetts and are seeking compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and other damages, contact a Massachusetts personal injury lawyer immediately. At Riccio Law, we have litigated many such cases, and our skilled Quincy accident lawyers will investigate the incident, ascertain the cause, and fight to hold the responsible party accountable for your injuries. Contact our offices today at 857-526-7091 to schedule a free consultation and learn more about our services.
