Slip, Trip, and Fall

We Pursue Compensation on Your Behalf for Slip, Trip, and Fall Accidents Throughout Florida

If you’ve had a slip-and-fall or a trip-and-fall accident in Florida, there’s no need to try to tackle the consequences alone. These types of accidents, which fall under premises liability law, can have a significant impact on you and your loved ones. Not only can they cause a range of difficulties, frustrations, and emotional stress, but they can also lead to various expenses, such as medical bills, lost income, and paying for additional required services. Our experienced slip, trip, and fall accident attorneys at Cohen and Cohen Law can help you pursue the justice and compensation you need in order to move forward with your life. With over 50 years helping fall accident victims recover financially, physically, and emotionally, we serve residents throughout Florida on a contingency-fee basis. Request a free consultation with our slip-and-fall injury attorneys today. We are here to provide you the knowledge, direction, and support you need to navigate through this process successfully.

Slip and Fall Accidents Can Involve Severe Injuries with Long-Lasting Effects

Slip-and-fall accidents in Florida pose a serious risk, as they can lead to fractures, sprains, and even traumatic brain injuries. These injuries may have lasting effects, impacting your well-being for years to come. If you experience such an accident in Florida, seek legal guidance from our experienced slip-and-fall accident attorneys at Cohen and Cohen Law. Our knowledgeable legal team will guide you through the process, helping you understand the appropriate damages to pursue for your claim.

A Slip and Fall or Trip and Fall Accident Affects Your Life in Many Ways

If you’ve suffered injuries in a slip, trip, and fall incident in Florida, making adjustments to your daily life may be necessary, depending on the severity of your fall injuries. Some falls lead to traumatic brain injury (TBI) or spinal cord injury (SCI), which each present a range of debilitating effects. This can involve changes to your job, living arrangements, and everyday routines. If your injury leads to long-term impairment, it may also contribute to mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.

Seeking Compensation for Slip-and-Fall Accident Expenses in Florida

If you or a loved one have experienced a slip and fall accident in Florida, it’s important to understand the financial impact it can have in the long run. Medical bills, rehabilitation expenses, and potential loss of income due to inability to work are all factors to consider. Calculating these costs can be intricate, and our attorneys at Cohen and Cohen Law will work with you to determine the scope of losses you have suffered due to the fall incident.

To ensure you are seeking appropriate compensation for the damages you’ve suffered, and those you may suffer in the future, it’s wise to seek the assistance of an experienced fall accident lawyer. Cohen and Cohen Law can help evaluate your case and devise a strategy that suits your needs. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

Common Types of Slip, Trip, and Fall Accidents in Florida

Slip-and-fall accidents and trip-and-fall incidents are common in Florida due to various hazardous conditions. Let’s take a look at some frequent scenarios involving trips and falls:

• Slippery Surfaces: Many accidents occur on wet or slick walking areas, both outdoors on wet pavement and indoors on freshly-mopped or waxed floors. Slip-and-fall incidents are often observed in grocery stores, supermarkets, and department stores.
• Damaged or Uneven Surfaces: Cracked pavements, uneven floors, broken sidewalks, and potholes are prevalent causes of trip-and-fall injuries in Florida. Unexpected changes in walking surfaces can cause people to stumble and fall. Negligent maintenance often contributes to uneven pavements and other common trip-and-fall risks.
• Inadequate Lighting: Insufficient lighting can make it difficult to spot hazards like debris, steps, or uneven surfaces, increasing the chances of tripping and falling.
• Obstacles and Clutter: Walkways obstructed by items, cords, rugs, or clutter pose risks for tripping and falling.
• Faulty Stairs: Damaged stairs can lead to trip and fall accidents. This issue is often related to negligent maintenance.
• Lack of Handrails: People rely on these for support, and when they are missing or in poor condition, falls can occur.

The causes of slip-and-fall accidents are often addressed shortly after such incidents occur, preventing additional injuries and limiting liabilities of the manager or property owner. This can hinder your personal injury case if you were injured in such an incident because it eliminates crucial evidence.

Understand that proving the conditions at the time of your fall can make or break your slip-and-fall injury claim. Immediate documentation through photographs or videos is vital as it serves as crucial evidence. Coordinate with your experienced Florida slip-and-fall lawyer to preserve the evidence you have collected and to seek additional valuable evidence to support your fall claim.

Common Injuries from a Florida Slip and Fall Accident

Slip and fall and trip and fall accidents are quite common and can lead to a wide range of injuries. Because these accidents can cause physical, emotional, and financial hardships, understanding the common injuries associated with them when seeking compensation is important.

If you experience a slip or trip and fall incident, you may sustain several types of injuries. Let’s take a closer look at each:

• Spinal Injury: Falls can cause back injuries like spinal cord damage. Spinal cord injury may lead to paralysis or permanent disabilities.
• Back Injury: Short of spinal cord injury, other damage to the alignment, musculature, or cartilage in the back can often cause long-term pain and difficulties.
• Brain Injury: In slip and fall accidents, victims may suffer concussions, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), or other head injuries. It’s crucial to be aware of the potential long-lasting cognitive and physical effects.
• Shoulder Dislocation: Sometimes known as Brachial Plexus Injury, this can happen if you fall and land hard on your side or twist your arm during the fall.
• Knee Injury: Falls can lead to various knee injuries, including damage to the kneecap or ligaments.
• Broken Bones (Fractures): Falling impact can lead to fractures in the wrists, arms, hips, and ankles, requiring extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation. Hip fractures are not uncommon when a person slips due to issues like wet floors or poor lighting.
• Soft Tissue Injury: Florida slip and fall accidents can lead to sprains, strains, and soft tissue damage, causing pain, swelling, and limited mobility.
• Bruises, Lacerations, or Contusions: Falling can cause bruises, cuts, and contusions of varying severity.

If you’ve had a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident, it’s crucial to seek prompt medical attention, even if your injuries seem minor. Some injuries may not show immediate symptoms, and undergoing a medical evaluation will create a record of your injuries, which will help support your claim for compensation later on. Be aware that depending on the nature of your fall, symptoms of your injuries may be delayed.

Reasons to Work with an Experienced Florida Injury Attorney Following a Slip and Fall Accident

If you’ve experienced a slip and fall or trip and fall accident, it’s important to have the support of a knowledgeable injury lawyer with a deep understanding of premises liability law in Florida.

• Investigation: One of the key benefits of working with us is our commitment to thorough investigation and gathering of crucial evidence. We’ll leave no stone unturned as we collect incident reports, surveillance footage, and witness testimonies to establish liability.
• Valuation of Your Claim: Experienced lawyers will assess all potential areas of recovery in fall cases, including medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. At Cohen and Cohen, we aim to make sure you don’t settle for less than you need.
• Legal Knowledge and Strategy: Proving negligence is an essential aspect of building a strong case. Our skilled lawyers will work tirelessly to demonstrate the property owner’s or occupier’s failure to maintain a safe environment or address hazardous conditions.
• Insurance Company Negotiations: Your attorney and your legal team handle all communication and negotiations with the insurance companies on your behalf. Our goal is to secure a fair settlement that comprehensively covers your losses.
• Litigation: In the event that a fair settlement cannot be reached, our experienced trial lawyers at Cohen and Cohen Law will aggressively advocate for your rights in court.

Trip and fall accidents can have serious implications for your physical well-being, emotional state, and finances. The consequences may involve considerable medical expenses, ongoing rehabilitation costs, and significant pain and suffering. We’ll present a compelling case on your behalf to seek the justice you need to recover financially, physically, and emotionally.

Economic Damages from a Florida Slip-and-Fall Accident

If you’ve been involved in a trip and fall accident, you may be able to seek compensation for economic damages, which correspond to losses with a concrete quantifiable value.

You may have lost income due to temporary or permanent inability to work. Related, you may face reduced earning capacity if your injuries limit your ability to perform certain job functions.

You may be able to seek various types of economic damages, such as:

• Medical expenses
• Vehicle repairs or replacement
• Lost wages — both now and in the future

You may have lost income due to temporary or permanent inability to work. Related, you may face reduced earning capacity if your injuries limit your ability to perform certain job functions.

Non-Economic Damages from a Slip and Fall

If you’ve been affected by an accident and are struggling emotionally, you may also be able to seek compensation for more subjective and less easily-quantifiable damages known as non-economic damages, which might include pain and suffering, emotional distress, and/or a loss of enjoyment in life.

At Cohen and Cohen Law, we operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you only pay if we win your case. This gives you peace of mind knowing that we are fully invested in your success. We are here to support you through every step of the legal process.

Where Do Slip-and-Fall Accidents Happen in Florida?

Slip and fall incidents can happen in many different places with negligent maintenance or hazardous conditions. Some common locations where slip and falls may occur in Florida include:

• Uneven or damaged sidewalks: Sidewalks that are not properly maintained can create tripping hazards, leading to slip and fall accidents.
• Condominium Associations and Homeowner Associations (HOAs): It is the responsibility of property owners, such as homeowner associations and condominium associations, to ensure that their premises are safe for residents and visitors.
• Grocery Stores and Supermarkets: Slip-and-fall accidents can occur in grocery stores due to spills, wet floors, or merchandise that is not properly placed.
• Strip Malls and Shopping Centers: These commercial establishments need to take steps like properly maintaining walkways and ensuring adequate lighting in order to prevent slip-and-fall hazards.

How To Prove Your Florida Slip, Trip, and Fall Injury Case

To prove fault in a trip-and-fall case in Florida, you and your lawyer at Cohen and Cohen Law need to establish several crucial elements. Here’s what you should know:

• Duty of Care: It’s important to show that the property owner in Florida owed you a duty of care — a responsibility to maintain a safe environment. This duty usually applies when you are lawfully on their premises.
• Breach of Duty: You and your attorney must demonstrate that the property owner failed to fulfill their duty to you by not maintaining safe conditions. This can include inadequate maintenance, failure to fix a known hazard, or insufficient warning about a dangerous situation.
• Causation: You and your attorney must prove that the property owner’s breach of duty directly caused your injury. This means showing that if they had maintained a safe environment, your accident would not have happened.
• Damages: You and your attorney need to demonstrate that you suffered harm (such as medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering) due to your injury.

In Florida, the law (F.S. §768.0755) also requires you to prove that the business establishment had actual or constructive knowledge of the dangerous condition that caused your fall. Actual knowledge means the business was aware of the specific hazard, while constructive knowledge refers to circumstances where the business should have known about the hazard because it existed for a sufficient length of time.

These elements are based on the concept of foreseeability, which is crucial in establishing negligence. In trip-and-fall cases, it revolves around whether a reasonable property owner in Florida would have recognized and addressed the hazardous condition before the accident occurred.

Florida is Now a Modified Comparative Negligence State

In 2023, Florida revised its personal injury laws, shifting from a pure comparative negligence system to a modified comparative negligence system. Your percentage of fault for an accident affects your ability to recover damages. In situations where shared responsibility exists among multiple parties, determining fault and the potential compensation becomes more complex. It is now even more critical to gather compelling evidence that demonstrates the other party’s negligence in your slip and fall case.

Under Florida’s modified comparative negligence laws, if you are deemed more than 50% at fault for your injuries, you are disqualified from recovering damages. For instance, if you were 51% responsible for your fall after you slipped in a puddle from a spill in a Florida grocery store, you would be unable to seek compensation from the store owner. On the other hand, if your fault percentage is 50% or less, you would still be able to pursue damages, but the amount would be reduced by your percentage of negligence.

Steps To Take After a Slip and Fall Accident in Florida

If you’ve been injured in a trip and fall accident in Florida, remember to take the necessary steps to protect your rights. Here’s what you need to do first:

• Seek Immediate Medical Attention: Your health should always come first. Even if your injuries seem minor, it’s important to seek medical help right away. Not only does this ensure your well-being, but it also creates medical records that can be vital evidence.
• Report the Incident: Notify the property owner or the person responsible for the property’s maintenance about what happened. If the accident occurred at a business, make sure to file an official report and secure a copy for your records.
• Document the Scene of Your Fall: Take photographs of the accident scene, including the cause of your fall. Write down all the details while they are fresh in your mind. This documentation can serve as valuable evidence later on.
• Gather Witness Information: If there were any witnesses to the incident, collect their contact information. Their statements can help support your account of what happened.
• Preserve the Evidence: In addition to retaining any photo or video evidence of the scene, keep your clothes and shoes you were wearing during the accident without washing them. They may serve as important evidence in your case.
• Request Surveillance Footage Showing Your Fall: If the incident occurred in a store or another business, ask for a copy of any available surveillance footage.
• Be Cautious with Statements: Avoid discussing the accident or your injuries with anyone except your attorney and your doctor. Anything you say can potentially be used against you in your claim.

Time is a Significant Factor in a Florida Slip-and-Fall Case

Acting promptly after a slip-and-fall mishap in Florida is essential for many reasons pertinent to your case:

• Documentation Can Establish Fault: Taking quick action helps establish who is liable by documenting the conditions that caused the accident before any alterations or repairs take place.
• Preservation of Evidence: A wet floor or a broken staircase can be quickly fixed, as property owners tend to address these issues promptly following an incident. This means the evidence disappears unless you make a clear documentation of it before this happens. It is crucial to capture photos or videos immediately to preserve this evidence.
• Collection of Witness Testimonies: Witnesses can provide valuable information about the accident. However, memories can fade over time. Gathering witness statements as soon as possible is important to preserving accuracy.
• Surveillance Footage as Documentation: Nearby stores and residences may have surveillance cameras that could have captured the incident. If not secured promptly, this footage may be deleted or recorded over, so act quickly to request and preserve it.
• Medical Records as Documentation: Seeking immediate medical attention is not only vital for your well-being, but also helps establish a record of injuries directly related to the accident.

It is wise to begin working with an experienced Florida slip, trip, and fall attorney as quickly as possible following your injury. At Cohen and Cohen Law, this begins with a free initial consultation, during which we will evaluate your case and build your strategy.

Schedule a Free Consultation with Cohen and Cohen Law Regarding Your Florida Slip, Trip, and Fall Accident

A slip-and-fall accident in Florida can leave you with significant pain and injuries, mounting expenses, debilitating pain, and even limited capability to accomplish job tasks. At Cohen and Cohen Law, our experienced slip-and-fall attorneys can help you seek fair and appropriate compensation for these losses if the accident occurred due to another party’s carelessness. Our knowledgeable legal team is prepared to help fall accident victims in all Florida counties.

Contact us today to schedule your free initial consultation with a Florida slip, trip, and fall attorney at Cohen and Cohen Law by calling (800) 332-6436(800) 332-6436 or by filling out our online form. We will gather several important details regarding your slip-and-fall case, assess the strength of your claim, and guide you regarding the correct way to proceed. This first meeting is always free, with no obligation or pressure.

Experience Matters — Serving Florida for Over 50 Years