Slip and fall accidents can cause serious and sometimes lasting harm to those involved in them. Falling and impacting a solid surface may result in debilitating head, neck, and/or spine trauma. Injuries like broken bones and ligament strains can require months of treatment and physical therapy to recover from.
A slip and fall accident caused by a property owner’s negligence can qualify as grounds for civil litigation, as any experienced personal injury attorney will affirm. If you recently suffered harm because you encountered an unreasonable tripping or slipping hazard, an Altus slip and fall lawyer could help you demand the compensation you deserve from the negligent party.
Proving Liability for a Slipping or Tripping Accident
Property owners are not automatically liable under any circumstances for accidents that occur on their land. For example, Oklahoma Statutes Title 76 § 80 explicitly exempts property owners from liability for injuries sustained by adult trespassers, unless the owner knowingly and intentionally caused the trespasser to get hurt.
Furthermore, the specific responsibility that property owners have for lawful visitors depends on the reason a visitor has entered the property. Property owners owe a greater degree of protection to “invitees” who are visiting to benefit the property owner than they owe to “licensees” who are visiting to benefit themselves.
A property owner who is aware of a hazardous condition like a spill in a retail aisle, but does not correct the issue or warn visitors about it within a reasonable amount of time, may be considered legally at fault for any accident or harms caused by that hazard. An Altus slip and fall accident lawyer might be able to help you pursue litigation based on a property owner’s constructive knowledge of a hazard on their land. This refers to the fact that they reasonably should have been aware of a hazard, regardless of whether they actually were.
Seeking Compensation Within Filing Deadlines
Landowners who are found liable for slip and fall accidents in Altus are financially responsible for every injury and loss that their negligence caused you to suffer. These damages can be economic or non-economic in nature, and they can even be a mixture of losses that have already occurred and losses that will likely occur in the future as a result of an accident, such as the inability to work and earn a living.
No matter how severe your injuries are or how obvious a defendant is to blame for those injuries, civil recovery may still be impossible if you wait too long to get your case started. If you do not retain a Southwest Oklahoma slip and fall attorney and file a lawsuit within two years from the date of the accident, OK Stat. Tit. 12 § 95 allows the court to throw it out for violating the statute of limitations. We offer free consultations and will not get paid until you do, so do not hesitate to give us a call.
Consider Working with an Altus Slip and Fall Attorney
Slipping or tripping over a hazard can lead to severe injuries that take months to heal and can be costly to treat. Between those losses and subjective personal ones like loss of enjoyment of life and physical pain and suffering, a single incident caused by someone else’s negligence could have an immense impact on your life.
Fortunately, help is available from an Altus slip and fall lawyer if you want to hold a negligent individual responsible for your condition. Call today to set up a private consultation.