Lower spine, as well as the joints and blood vessels nearby. Although hip fractures are dangerous for everyone, they are life-threatening to elderly slip and fall victims.
Hip fractures require immediate and extensive surgery. Hip replacements are often the go-to surgical intervention for fractured hips. After surgery, a patient faces a lengthy and challenging recovery process involving rehabilitation and physical therapy.
Treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery from hip fractures and other slip and fall injuries will take a toll on you. Your injuries will cost you time and money. Worse yet, these injuries will negatively affect your quality of life even after you have recovered.
Pursue a slip and fall accident claim if you have sustained injuHave you sustained injuries from slipping on a property or establishment’s surface? If you have, don’t delay. Pursue compensation with the help of experienced Atlanta slip and fall lawyers.
By filing a slip and fall injury claim against a property’s owner, you stand to win a settlement that compensates you for your injuries. You can also recover compensation for every day you were unable to work. A successful claim will also pay you for other damages you may have suffered — economic or otherwise.
Reach out today if you have sustained injuries from the negligence of a property or establishment owner in Atlanta.
“Can I Sue If I Sustain Slip and Fall Injuries in Atlanta?”
The answer is simple — yes, you can.
You can file a personal injury claim if you slipped and fell on a property or in a business establishment in Georgia. By filing a claim, you can recover compensation that pays you for your slip and fall injuries.
A successful slip and fall injury claim gets you a settlement that pays you for the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages while you were in recovery
- Damages like pain and suffering
- Costs incurred from rehabilitation or therapy
- Future medical bills due to the necessity for further treatment
You can also pursue a wrongful death claim if your loved one died from a slip and fall accident. A successful wrongful death claim from a slip and fall accident pays you for damages such as:
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of consortium
- The deceased’s lost wages
- Funeral expenses
You get all the above benefits and more with a successful slip and fall accident claim. However, filing a slip and fall injury lawsuit can be challenging in Atlanta.
To maximize your chances of attaining the best possible outcome, you need help. You need Atlanta slip-and-fall lawyers with years of experience and a proven track record.
Look no further for legal representation for your slip and fall injuries. Reach out now for your free initial consultation and tell us your story.
How Often Do Slips and Falls Happen?
If you have sustained severe injuries from slipping and falling, know that you are not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), slip and fall incidences have resulted in at least 800,000 emergency room visits. Most cases result in hospital admissions. Hospitals admit slip and fall victims to treat serious injuries.
Based on the same data, more than a third of slip and fall victims sustained hip fractures. Others suffer from equally severe injuries like traumatic brain injuries and fractured limbs.
In short, slips and falls happen often. Whenever they do, the resulting injuries are catastrophic and — most of the time — costly.
Why Do Slips and Falls Occur
According to the CDC, slip and fall accidents happen mostly among the elderly. We can trace this trend back to the physical and cognitive declines aging brings. Diminished physical strength and sensory acuity can increase the risks of slipping and falling significantly.
However, make no mistake. Everyone is susceptible to losing their footing and falling. Below are some of the most common causes of slips and falls.
Wet Surfaces
Indoor and outdoor surfaces can get wet, reducing the ground’s traction. For a slip-and-fall accident to happen, all it takes is one misstep. After falling, a victim may sustain injuries to the head, neck, and limbs.
Surfaces can be wet for several reasons. In business establishments, the most common one is cleaning. During cleaning operations, building management is responsible for warning people of slippery surfaces.
People can also slip and fall along swimming pools in hotels or resorts. For this reason, these establishments must have signs warning guests of slippery surfaces.
Any failure to place signs can render a property owner or building manager liable for a slip-and-fall accident.
Another reason for wet surfaces is melted snow or rain. Property owners must salt their premises to prevent the accumulation of snow. A property owner risks premise liability for not doing this.
Unsecured Cords or Wires
People can also trip and fall when wires and cords are left unattended. Falls from unsecured wires can cause falls because they are not always easy to spot. Unaware of stray wires, an individual can risk getting a foot caught and falling.
Property owners or building management must ensure a safe environment for everyone on the premises. One of the ways to ascertain the safety of everyone is by keeping wires along walls and corners.
Property owners and building management will be liable if someone falls due to exposed or unattended wiring.
Subpar Lighting
People can slip and fall if they cannot see where they are going. For this reason, the owners of a building or property must provide adequate lighting. Most importantly, they must set up lighting in accident-prone areas like uneven walkways and stairs.
Dislodged Flooring or Tiles
Dislodged tiles can render a surface uneven and unstable, increasing the chances of slips and falls. To prevent accidents, building managers and property owners must ensure the integrity of their flooring. Not doing so will make them negligent and liable for any accident and injury caused by the unstable surface.
Dated Stairways
Stairways are risky places for people to fall. For this reason, property owners and building managers must ensure that the stairs are well-maintained.
Poorly maintained stairways are not just unsightly. They’re unsafe. They can become unstable and slippery, causing unsuspecting individuals to lose footing and fall.
Accidents from poorly maintained stairways can cause catastrophic injuries. Some of the most common injuries from stairway slip and fall accidents are head injuries, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries.
Injuries After a Slip and Fall Accident
The CDC has documented various injuries following slips and falls. Call us if you or someone you know has sustained any of the following slip and fall injuries in Atlanta.
FOOSH Injuries
“FOOSH” stands for “falling onto an outstretched hand.” FOOSH injuries occur because victims often try to break their fall with their hands when they slip. When they fail to break their falls, they land on their arms.
The fall results in fractures and bruises in the outstretched arm. The most common injury sites are the wrists, fingers, elbows, and shoulders. The forearm and the upper arm can also be vulnerable to greenstick fractures or partial breaks along the bone. These fractures require immediate medical attention and immobilization through casting.
Skull Fractures
The head is vulnerable during a fall. Upon impact, the victim can sustain a fracture. Skull fractures are one of the worst injuries following a slip and fall accident. Not only will the skull require extensive and expensive surgery but other complications will likely be present.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
One of the potential complications of skull fractures is a TBI or traumatic brain injury in Atlanta. Traumatic brain injuries occur due to the brain colliding with the skull’s walls.
Traumatic brain injuries lead to several nervous system complications that can result in impairment. TBIs can lead to cranial nerve damage, causing facial paralysis and difficulties in speaking and swallowing. At its worst, cranial nerve damage can lead to permanent speech and cognitive difficulties.
Spinal Cord Injuries
If you slip and fall, you may land at an angle where your hips and spine lose alignment. As a result, you can sustain spinal cord injuries that can leave you with permanent impairments in movement.
In some cases, spinal cord injuries are treatable. However, treatment may not always lead to 100% recovery. Worse yet, treating spinal cord injuries is costly, amounting to thousands of dollars above your health insurance’s coverage limit.
Hip Fractures
Many victims of slip and fall accidents tend to land on their backsides. As a result, the hip sustains fractures in multiple places.
Hips fractures can threaten the health of theries. Call us now and get a free case evaluation.
What To Do Immediately After Your Slip and Fall Accident
After your accident, you must pursue a slip and fall accident claim. You can help your Atlanta slip and fall lawyers build a more compelling case. Maximize your chances of a successful slip and fall claim by following these steps after your accident.
1. Check Yourself for Injuries
You must assess yourself for any injuries since these will form the basis of your slip and fall injury claim. Check yourself for any wounds, bruises, or cuts immediately after your accident.
Besides visible trauma, you must also perform a self-assessment of your movement. Any difficulty moving limbs indicates a dislocation or fracture. Worse yet, movement impairment may signal nerve involvement.
Also, see if you have any breathing difficulties. Being unable to breathe easily can indicate a rib or chest injury.
Lastly, check yourself for bleeding. Bleeding shows that you have sustained a cut or laceration — skin injuries for which you can file compensation.
2. Seek Medical Attention
The next step is to get help. You can get medical attention by either calling emergency medical services or informing staff present in a building or establishment.
3. Take Pictures or Videos of Your Injuries and Where Your Accident Occurred
Documenting your injuries is crucial for gathering photographic evidence. Also, take pictures or videos capturing the place where you slipped and fell. Such evidence can prove the existence of safety hazards the establishment or property owner failed to eliminate.
4. While in Recovery, Gather Records and Receipts
Medical records prepared by the hospital will add credibility to the photographic evidence you’ve taken. When asking for medical records, request for any of the following:
- Lab results
- X-rays
- Scans
- Your patient record (if the hospital allows)
- Medication records
- Prescriptions
You also need to keep receipts of any payments you have made for medical or rehabilitative treatment. Your receipts can help our Atlanta slip and fall lawyers calculate the fair settlement amount for your claim.
5. Call Our Atlanta Slip and Fall Lawyers Immediately
As soon as you have all the necessary documents and receipts, don’t delay. Call our lawyers for representation in your slip and fall injury claim in Atlanta. Our lawyers can help you achieve the best possible outcome for your slip and fall case, representing and guiding you every step of the way.
Reach out now for a free case evaluation.
How Long You Have To File Your Claim: Georgia’s Statute of Limitations
We recommend filing your claim as soon as possible for one reason — Georgia’s statute of limitations.
Georgia’s statute of limitations is the timeframe within which you can file your personal injury claim. The clock starts ticking on your claim at the moment of your injury. When your eligibility to file a claim ends depends on the nature of the damages.
For the most part, slip and fall victims file claims due to severe injuries. You have two years from the moment of your injury to file your claim if you have sustained severe injuries.
Of course, not all damages are physical. Some slip and fall accidents lead to property damages. For such situations, you have four years to file a claim.
Georgia’s Modified Comparative Negligence Rule
Georgia courts determine lawful and fair compensation payouts based on its comparative negligence principle.
The comparative negligence principle works this way:
Georgia’s courts presume that both claimants (you) and liable parties (a business establishment or property owner) assume fault for a slip-and-fall accident. The only difference is that one party is more at-fault for the incident than the other.
Under the comparative negligence principle, you can recover compensation commensurate to your fault in the accident. To recover compensation, you must prove that the other party is mostly to blame. If the courts deem you more than 50% at fault, you lose your eligibility for any compensation.
How Our Atlanta Slip and Fall Lawyers Can Help
Have you slipped and fallen? Here are ways our lawyers can help you:
Build a Compelling Case Using Evidence
Our lawyers can build your case after thorough investigations. We can sift through all the facts and evidence to create a compelling narrative that shifts most or all of the blame to the liable parties.
Establish Negligence and Liability
It is not always simple to pinpoint who is liable for a slip-and-fall accident. Knowing who is liable is the first step to filing a successful claim. By establishing who failed to observe the state’s standards of care, we can prove who is to blame for your accident.
Prove How the Other Party’s Negligence Caused Your Injuries
Establishing negligence does not automatically make your claim compelling. You need to show how the other party’s negligence led to your slip-and-fall accident.
Proving the link between negligence and causation is challenging in Atlanta. Luckily, our Atlanta slip-and-fall lawyers have years of experience doing this — and with impressive results.
For representation backed by years of experience and a proven success record, look no further. Call us if you have sustained slip and fall injuries in Atlanta.
File Within the Ideal Timeframe
Two or four years may seem like a long time for a personal injury claim. However, you must keep in mind that claims can take time. Also, the opposing side will be mounting a legal defense that can delay proceedings in their favor.
For the reasons mentioned, seek legal counsel and representation immediately. Our Atlanta slip and fall lawyers are ready to work with you as soon as you reach out for a free consultation.
Get in touch with us for a free consultation, and let us move your case with speed.
Maximize Your Settlement
Georgia’s modified comparative negligence rule makes hiring Atlanta slip-and-fall lawyers all the more necessary. With lawyers in your corner, you can build a case that shifts all liability to the other party. As a result, you stand to receive a larger settlement when your claim succeeds.
Of course, a successful claim depends on the experience and expertise of a lawyer. Choose a lawyer that has been in the game for more than a decade.
Call us now for experienced and proven legal representation for your slip-and-fall claim in Atlanta.
Negotiate Aggressively for a Fair Settlement
The opposing side and their insurance providers may try to settle matters early in exchange for you no longer pursuing your claim. No matter how generous it seems, don’t take it. You stand to receive more by pursuing your claim with the help of our Atlanta slip-and-fall lawyers.
Our lawyers can deal with insurance providers and negligent parties on your behalf. As your legal representatives, we can argue and negotiate for a full and fair settlement.
With us in your corner, lowball offers are one less thing for you to fear. Reach out for a free consultation, and receive representation that gets you what you deserve.
Why Choose Us?
We are ready to represent and guide you throughout your personal injury claim in Atlanta. We have created a reputation for professionalism and quality legal representation in Atlanta and nearby areas in GA.
Years of Experience
We have been serving clients for more than 15 years in Atlanta, positioning our firm as one of the most experienced in the city. We have represented clients in various personal injury cases and won most of them.
Nothing is new to us. Call us and receive legal counsel and representation backed by more than a decade of experience in Atlanta.
Experienced in All Areas of Personal Injury
We have represented our clients in various personal injury cases, including slips and falls. Our expertise in personal injury law is apparent in the success stories of our clients.
Be our next successful client. Reach out today for your free case evaluation and experience expert representation you won’t find elsewhere.
A Proven Track Record
Our success speaks for itself. For more than 15 years, we have rendered quality legal services to clients for their personal injury cases.
Our commitment to providing the best legal representation underlies every positive review we have received. Don’t take our word for it. See what our satisfied clients have to say.
No Fees Until You Win
We recover payment on a contingency basis. In other words, we only recover payment after you win a settlement.
We commit to getting you the results you want even before you pay for it. Get in touch and learn more about our contingency fees.
Committed To Representing You
Slip-and-fall injuries can leave you with impairments that can reduce your quality of life. Get compensation from those liable. Call us for legal counsel and representation for your slip-and-fall claim in Atlanta.
At Law Offices of Matthew C. Hines, we put your interests first.
