Sarasota Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer

If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, you are not alone. The CDC reports that more than 800,000 Americans are hospitalized every year for serious injuries from falls, such as hip fractures and head injuries. In addition, hospital emergency rooms treat more than 3 million older people annually for fall injuries.

Many accidental falls could have been prevented if property owners and managers had taken reasonable steps to keep their properties safe or to warn customers and visitors about known dangers. Maintaining property in a reasonably safe condition is not just the right thing to do — it’s the law.

That means that If you fell and hurt yourself due to hazardous conditions on someone else’s property, you have the right to seek financial compensation from the negligent property owner and/or manager with a premises liability claim. You may be entitled to substantial compensation, including compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain, suffering and other losses.

The experienced slip and fall accident attorneys at Dennis Hernandez have helped hundreds of Florida families hold negligent people accountable for the injuries they have caused. If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, we can help you get the compensation you deserve for your injury and the other damages you have suffered.
 

What Causes Slip and Fall Accidents in Sarasota?

Slip and fall accidents are common and can happen almost anywhere. Often, the owners or managers of the properties where the accidents occur are legally responsible because they negligently failed to keep their premises safe from hazards that could cause people to slip, trip, or stumble and fall or to warn them of potentially dangerous situations.

Common hazards that cause slip or trip and fall accidents in Sarasota include:

• Code violations: Property owners who violate industry safety standards and building codes in places of business create dangerous conditions for customers, visitors, and other people on their properties.
• Poorly maintained stairs and hand railings: When stairs or railings are missing, broken or loose, people are at risk of falling.
• Hazardous walking surfaces: Old, neglected, cracked, or chipped concrete or asphalt surfaces in parking lots or walkways are tripping and stumbling hazards.
• Liquid spilled on floors: Slippery floors caused by spilled liquid in grocery stores, restaurants, and bars are a common cause of slip and fall accidents.
• Water on walkways: Water around pools, in parking lots, and on sidewalks can create dangerously slippery conditions.
• Obstructions: Electrical cords running across walkways and objects, such as boxes and equipment, left in the aisles of stores create tripping hazards.
• Inadequate lighting: Poor lighting, both inside and around the outside of places of business, creates a hazard for falling.

How a Sarasota Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer Proves Negligence in a Premises Liability Case

When property owners or managers negligently fail to keep their premises safe, they may be held liable for slip and fall accident injuries. If you fell and were injured because of a property owner’s or manager’s negligence, you can file a premises liability claim to hold them accountable and get compensated for the damages you suffered because of their negligence.

To do so, Florida law requires that you prove four elements of negligence:

1. The owner or manager had a legal duty to you to keep their premises safe. This element is usually satisfied if you were a customer, visitor, or guest on the property.
2. The owner or manager failed to take reasonable steps to maintain their property safely or failed to warn you about slip and fall hazards they knew about or should have known about.
3. The hazard created by the owner’s or manager’s negligence was the cause, entirely or partially, of your falling.
4. You have expenses and losses, referred to as “damages,” because of your fall injuries.

Florida law also provides protection for injured people who prove that a property owner had actual or constructive knowledge of a dangerous condition on his property, and even with that knowledge, failed to remedy the problem. If a dangerous condition (such as water on the floor or cracked pavement) existed for a substantial time, then the property owner should have known about it and fixed the situation. Similarly, if wet, slippery floors occur on a regular basis, then the problem should have been foreseeable and should have been addressed before someone suffered an injury.

The experienced Sarasota Dennis Hernandez slip or trip and fall accident attorneys will ensure you have a strong premises liability claim with all the evidence necessary to prove negligence. We will prove the elements of negligence by gathering evidence, consulting with experts, and creating a compelling case that demonstrates the negligence of the owner or manager and the full extent of your damages because of that negligence.

What Compensation Can Be Recovered in a Slip and Fall Accident Claim?

The Dennis Hernandez Sarasota slip and fall accident lawyers want to help you get fair and substantial financial compensation for your damages. Depending on your individual situation, compensation may include:

• Medical expenses. Current and future medical expenses related to your injury, including care from doctors, surgeons, hospitals, rehabilitative specialists, and other healthcare professionals, as well as medication, medical and assistive equipment, and travel to and from medical appointments.
• Lost income. Current and future lost income if you can’t work your usual hours or can’t work at all because of your accident injury. You could also be compensated for diminished earning capacity.
• Non-economic damages. Some damages don’t come with a specific price tag, for example, pain, suffering, trauma, and anguish, but they have a significant impact on your life. Compensation for these “non-economic damages” is usually based on the severity of your injuries.
• Other damages recoverable under Florida law.  For example, depending on your specific situation, compensation for your family’s loss of companionship, guidance and support may be possible.

Contact Experienced Sarasota Slip and Fall Accident Attorneys

As a client of Dennis Hernandez slip and fall lawyers, you will be guided and supported throughout the entire legal process. We will protect your rights and fight to get you the full and fair compensation you deserve by

• Gathering and presenting compelling evidence:
  • To prove the property owners or managers were negligent.
  • To demonstrate their negligence led to your slip or trip and fall injury.
  • To show the full extent of your physical, financial, and emotional damages that deserve compensation.
• Advocating for your rights and negotiating forcefully with insurance company lawyers and representatives on your behalf.
• Preparing a powerful case for trial if a suitable settlement is not achievable.
• Leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice.

Dennis Hernandez attorneys never back down. Call us at 941.210.000, or fill out the FREE CASE EVALUATION form on our website to get started on your case.