We all fall from time to time, and usually, the worst part is embarrassment. Sometimes, though, falls can cause significant disruption to your normal routine and serious injuries.
When you’re on someone else’s property and fall because of an unsafe condition, you might have a personal injury claim against the property owner. They could be responsible for paying your medical expenses, reimbursing your lost income, and compensating you for your pain and suffering.
Discuss the situation with a Connecticut slip and fall lawyer at D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC. We can help you explore your legal options.
Anyone who invites others onto their property to do business or for social reasons must ensure it’s safe for visitors. Owners must repair all the dangerous conditions they know about and inspect their property regularly to find hidden hazards. If they can’t complete repairs immediately, they must warn visitors and keep them away from the dangerous area.
Owners who fail in these duties are negligent. When you pursue a claim against a property owner in Connecticut, your attorney must prove that the owner knew or should have known of the hazard and had sufficient time to fix it. If there wasn’t enough time to repair the problem, you must show that the owner didn’t warn you about it or block access.
Winter weather here can be severe, and some special rules apply to falls caused by ice or snow. In some cases, a property owner might not be liable for a fall if a winter storm was ongoing at the time or had just ended and the owner hadn’t had a chance to clear the snow.
Your actions immediately after a fall are important for your physical health, and the strength of any insurance claim you make. When you fall, don’t try to stand if you feel pain in your back, hip, or legs. You should also remain where you are if you hit your head. In those cases, wait for emergency medical personnel to clear you to move or transport you for medical care.
If you didn’t hit your head and the only discomfort is in your upper body, it’s probably okay to get up. However, it’s still important to get a medical evaluation as soon as possible. Ask a friend to drive you or call a rideshare service to go to your doctor, an emergency room, or an urgent care center.
Seeing a medical professional immediately is critical for two reasons. The most important is that many traumatic injuries do not cause symptoms until hours later, but a healthcare provider can screen for them and start treatment if necessary. The second reason is that a medical record generated soon after a slip and fall can be important evidence our Connecticut lawyers can use to support your legal case.
Accidents like falls often happen due to a combination of factors. For example, there might have been a tripping hazard in a hotel lobby, but you probably would have seen and avoided it if you hadn’t been texting while walking.
When an injured person bears partial responsibility for an incident, the law of comparative negligence comes into play. Connecticut General Statutes § 52-572h(b) says that you can collect reduced compensation from others for an injury as long as you were not primarily to blame for an incident. However, you can only collect the percentage of your losses that represents others’ contribution to the incident. So, if you were 25 percent responsible for the fall and your losses were $10,000, you could collect $7,500 from the hotel and any other responsible parties.
A simple fall could cause weeks or months of pain and disability, or worse. You could miss substantial time at work. When you suffer a severe injury, like a head or spinal cord injury, a fall could be life-changing.
Our legal professionals at D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC, have been advocating for injured people in Connecticut for decades. They have the knowledge, skills, and experience to help you. Talk to a Connecticut slip and fall lawyer about your case in a free, no-obligation, in-person or remote consultation. Schedule now to learn about your legal rights.
