Should I Get Legal Help with My Slip and Fall Claim?
Legally Reviewed and Edited by: Terry Cochran
Slips and fall accidents can have devastating effects on your mobility, especially if your spinal cord is injured. Common slip and fall injuries include fractures, sprains, and slipped discs, but permanent injuries like traumatic brain injuries can occur in the right conditions. These injuries can reduce your ability to work and take care of your family for years or even the rest of your life.
Slip and fall cases occur because of wet floors, icy sidewalks, damaged flooring, and other unsafe conditions. Tripping and falling on an unsafe surface may also qualify the injured party for compensation, even if it wasn’t caused by water or ice. Although sometimes accidents are unavoidable, they are more often caused by someone else’s negligence.
Proving negligence is an integral part of slip and fall claims on someone else’s property, but is not necessary to win a workers’ compensation claim if you were injured while at work. A personal injury lawyer at our law firm can help you determine your case’s merits with a free case evaluation that takes a thorough look at what happened to you and then help you take all necessary steps to win your case.
General slip and fall accidents
Property owners can be held liable for accidents that occur on their property due to dangerous conditions. If an accident occurred specifically because of dangerous conditions that the owner or manager should have known about and fixed sooner, then the owner can be held liable.
Businesses like gyms and hotels and resorts typically carry extensive insurance in case of accidents. Filing a claim with these insurance companies can get you the compensation you deserve for medical bills, physical therapy, lost wages, and more.
Even if the property owner is a friend of yours, you may need to file a claim against them to get compensation. Property owners should have property or homeowners’ insurance, which includes coverage for accidents that occur on-site.
The statute of limitations on slip and fall cases caused by negligence is just three years from the fall date. While you don’t have to win the case during this time, it has to be filed, which requires extensive document preparation and research. A personal injury attorney at Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. will know how to prepare this important information, so it’s essential to work closely with someone experienced in these types of cases.
Workplace injury claims
In Michigan, every employer is required to have workers’ compensation insurance to cover workplace injuries. By reporting your slip and fall injury to your employer and retaining appropriate documentation of your injuries and medical bills, you should be able to get compensation from your employer’s insurer.
You are also eligible for lost wages as long as you are out of work for a week or more due to your injuries. However, it’s not uncommon for the insurance company to contest your filing by claiming that you weren’t seriously injured and didn’t need to miss work. Your employer could even contest the events that led to the injury, especially if you didn’t report it right away or no one else saw it happen.
Employers are not allowed to retaliate against you simply for filing a workers’ compensation claim, even if the accident was your fault. A law firm experienced in workplace injury cases, including slips and falls, can help you pursue your claim.
Since Michigan laws strictly limit how and when you can sue an employer, you will need to adhere to special deadlines and rules, and an attorney can help you determine which rules apply to your situation.
Pain and suffering claims
In Michigan, you can pursue compensation for pain and suffering if your injuries are permanent and life-altering. This may include traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries, but may also include very serious facial injuries and other damage that cannot be repaired.
Workers’ compensation claims are not eligible for pain and suffering, but slip and fall negligence accidents on someone else’s property are. If you experience a life-altering injury because of your accident, you need to talk to a slip and fall attorney as soon as possible. You may be eligible for more money than you realize, especially if your family has lost extensive support and companionship due to the accident.
Securing your future
No matter what the circumstances of your slip and fall injury, you deserve justice. Getting legal help with your slip and fall claim is the best way to ensure you and your family get the financial help you need. A specialized slip and fall lawyer will know the right steps to take to gather medical records and expert witnesses.
The law firm of Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C., has extensive experience in a wide range of personal injury, workers’ compensation, and disability benefits cases. Because we cover such a wide range of injury cases, we’re the right team to call even if you’re not sure which laws cover your slip and fall accident. We are dedicated to providing personalized care so you can get the compensation you need as quickly as possible.
We offer a free, no-obligation consultation so we can get to know you and your case. Call us as soon as possible at 866-MICH-LAW, so we can get started. Every case is subject to a statute of limitations or deadlines for reporting injuries, so don’t miss out on your chance to receive the compensation you deserve.
Disclaimer : The information provided is general and not for legal advice. The blogs are not intended to provide legal counsel and no attorney-client relationship is created nor intended.