People often ask me about slip and fall incidents, as many times folks are severely hurt when they fall on someone else’s premises due to the owner or the manager of the property’s negligence. We also at times hear laughter at these types of matters due to the stereotypical case that many people imagine when someone falls and claims an injury has occurred. However, it’s no longer a laughing matter when somebody’s life has been permanently altered by someone else’s wrongdoing, that could have been easily prevented.
A slip and fall case is simply, as noted above, where someone falls on someone else’s property due to the negligence of the owner or manager of the property. In order for an injured party to prevail in a slip and fall case, the law is clear in Georgia, as two basic things must be proven. These are: 1) the owner or manager of the property knew of the dangerous condition and simply ignored it, or 2) the owner or manager of the property should have known of the dangerous condition and ignored it. And then, of course, the injured person must have had a reason to have been on the property.
For example, if someone walks into a grocery store and slips on the floor that has just been washed, the injured person had a right to be on the property because the grocery store invites customers to come onto their property as a customer and to spend money purchasing their products. If someone falls and is hurt, it must be proven that the grocery store either knew that their floors had just been washed and they ignored this by not displaying signs so that people would be aware of the danger, or it must be proven that the grocery store should have known of the hazard, such as spilled liquid, through inspections and simply ignored this hazard.
Most often, a property owner or manager will not usually admit that they knew of a dangerous condition that caused someone to be injured. However, there are many ways to prove that a property owner or manager should have known that there was a hazard. An aggressive trial attorney will obtain maintenance logs, talk with employees that may have been present on the property at the time of the injury, will review videotapes that may have recorded the incident, and will inquire to see if the area of the injury was monitored and inspected on a regular basis, among many other investigative methods. Many times we find that due to the owner or manager’s negligence, individuals are severely hurt from situations that could have been easily prevented.
Slip and fall cases are oftentimes challenging cases. However, our firm has handled many of these matters over the years, and we have been very successful in helping people with their medical bills, lost wages due to time missed from work, and compensation for how their quality of life has been affected.
Stay tuned for part 2
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Attorney Randy Fry is an Atlanta Personal Injury Trial Attorney who exclusively handles automobile and trucking accidents, slip and fall injuries, bicycle and motorcycle incidents, workers’ compensation cases, and almost all other types of personal injury matters. Thoughts expressed are the opinion of Attorney Fry and do not constitute legal advice.
