Slip and Fall Lawyer
Serving West Virginia and Ohio
Frequently Asked Questions
Are slip and fall accidents different from trip and fall accidents?
Yes, slightly different. There are four kinds of fall accidents.
In a slip and fall accident, the problem is in the connection between your shoes and the surface you’re walking on.
In a trip and fall accident, the problem is a foreign object in the way, which causes you to stumble and fall.
There are also step and fall accidents, where a hole or depression in the walking surface causes you to fall; and stump and fall accidents, where an impediment causes the fall, such as a tree root causing unevenness on the walking surface.
What are hazardous conditions?
They are situations where injury is potentially possible. They can be permanent or temporary. When they’re permanent, such as a missing handrail on stairs, or a missing step, the property owner should have known about it, and should have repaired it promptly, or at least posted a warning about it until it could be repaired. When the hazardous conditions are temporary, such as an icy pathway, the question arises as to how much time the property owner needed in order to remove the hazard. This would be something to examine in a specific case. Hazardous conditions are covered by the area of law known as premises liability, because the owner of the premises can be held responsible for keeping them safe.
What sort of compensation could I receive after a slip and fall accident?
Depending on the exact circumstances, you could receive compensation for:
- Wage loss, present and future
- Medical costs, present and future
- Pain and suffering
My slip and fall accident occurred at work. Can I sue my employer?
Probably not. If you become injured at work, you will be covered by your state’s workers’ compensation laws.
Are there occasions when property owners are not liable for slip and fall accidents on their property?
Yes, property owners will be held less liable, and perhaps not liable at all, when the injured person was trespassing. A child, however, would not be expected to see danger as an adult would, and may not know they are trespassing. So in those cases, the property owner may be held responsible.
Slip and fall lawyer Jim Leach serves residents of West Virginia and Ohio, including Parkersburg, Morgantown, Wheeling, Huntington, Vienna, Ripley and Charleston, WV and Marietta, Ohio. Please contact our office to set up a free initial consultation if you have been hurt in a slip and fall accident.
1.866.janjim1