Allentown Slip and Fall Lawyer

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Can an Allentown Slip and Fall Attorney Help Me After a Slip and Fall Accident?

Accidents involving slip and falls can occur anywhere in Allentown, including on a sidewalk, in a grocery shop, or at a friend’s house. Serious injuries from these events may have a profound effect on your life. It is crucial to seek the advice of a skilled Allentown slip and fall lawyer if you have been hurt in an accident. You can fight to collect the compensation you deserve by working with a competent lawyer to better understand your legal options and rights.

A slip and fall injury lawyer can assist you in navigating the legal system and obtaining the best result for your case, regardless of whether you are dealing with medical bills, missed income, or other expenses linked to your accident. If you were injured in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, call our Allentown premises liability lawyers to schedule a free consultation.

What is a Slip and Fall Accident in Allentown?

As its name implies, a slip and fall case is one in which a person slips or trips and falls on someone else’s property, leading to injury. This is a type of premises liability case, meaning that the victim is claiming their injury occurred as a result of someone else’s negligence, particularly a property owner. In a slip and fall accident, a victim does not need to prove that the property owner had any malicious intentions. They only need to prove that they were a negligent property owner. Every property owner has a responsibility to keep their premises safe for all who enter it, and failure to do so could make a property owner liable in this kind of case.

When Can You Sue for a Slip and Fall Accident?

As with any personal injury claim, if you’re interested in opening a slip and fall case, you must meet specific requirements in order to have a valid claim.

Firstly, you must be within the statute of limitations. In Allentown, PA, you have two years from the date of the incident in which to open a personal injury claim. That being said, if possible, it’s always best to begin the legal process as soon as possible. Waiting too long may mean you lose valuable evidence, or find yourself running up against the clock before the statute of limitations expires.

If are within the statute of limitations for your slip and fall case, you and your slip and fall attorney must then prove a few key items in order to have a successful claim:

• The property owner owed the victim a duty of care: Every property owner has a duty of care to keep their premises safe and free of dangerous conditions. In fact, it’s written into Pennsylvania law that property owners must actively avoid causing harm to both pedestrians and legal visitors.
• The property owner acted negligently, breaching this duty of care: Your Allentown slip and fall lawyer must show that the property owner breached this duty of care by acting negligently. There are many different ways in which a property owner may be negligent: their property may fail to meet reasonable safety measures, there may be tripping hazards or inadequate lighting, or anything else that could result in an accident.
• That negligence resulted in injuries: Next, your personal injury lawyer must show that the property owner’s negligence caused the injuries.
• Those injuries resulted in specific damages: Serious injuries generate both economic and non-economic costs for the injured victim. Economic costs medical bills, ongoing medical treatment, lost wages, and more. Non-economic costs include pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and more. Your experienced Allentown slip and fall lawyer will show that the victim’s injuries resulted in both economic and non-economic damages, all of which are deserving of compensation.

What is a “Hazardous” Condition?

Dangerous conditions that lead to fall injuries can take many forms. Some common types of hazardous or dangerous conditions that may result in a slip and fall include:

• Wet or oily floors
• Uneven pavement or flooring
• Loose or torn carpeting
• Loose or faulty handrail
• Poor lighting
• Potholes or cracks
• Spillage of food or drinks
• Uneven flooring
• And more

Any of these can lead to serious injuries, but this is far from a comprehensive list. Talk to one of the slip and fall lawyers at Munley Law to review the specifics of your case and determine if a hazardous or dangerous condition was present at the time of your fall.

Who is Liable for a Slip and Fall Accident in Allentown?

As stated above, under Pennsylvania law, every property owner is responsible for keeping their property in a safe condition. However, there are many scenarios in which the actual property owner may not be the one with the day-to-day responsibilities of keeping a property in a safe condition. To that end, there are several parties who could potentially be held liable in a slip and fall accident. these parties include:

• Commercial Tenants: Commercial tenants are those renting a space for commercial or business purposes; ie, renting a space for a restaurant or a hair salon. Generally, fall accidents, and ensuing slip and fall suits, are more likely to be filed towards these kinds of tenants.
• Residential Tenants: Residential tenants, those renting a home or apartment for residential purposes, can also be held liable for a slip and fall accident. In something like an apartment building, the landlord or owner would likely be liable if someone slipped and fell in a communal space, like the parking lot or a stairwell. However, the residential tenant could be liable if a slip and fall occurred inside of their unit.
• Homeowners: While most slip and fall accidents happen in businesses, it’s entirely possible for one to happen inside of a home as well. All homeowners must ensure the entirety of their property is free from hazards.
• The Government: If a slip and fall occurs on public property, the local government may very well be held liable. For instance, there might be a personal injury case in which someone stepped into a pothole and sprained their ankle, or tripped on a poorly maintained sidewalk. These things genuinely fall to the local government to maintain, so when an accident occurs, they can be held liable. There are limitations on taking legal action against the government, so it’s always wise to consult with an experienced fall attorney before making any decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions About Slip and Fall Accidents in Allentown

How Do I Prove Negligence in a Slip and Fall Accident?

As stated above, in order to have a valid claim, you and your personal injury lawyer must show that the property owner in question exhibited negligence. But what exactly does that mean?

In order to prove a property owner’s negligence, you must show that they knew about the unsafe condition. Alternatively, you can prove that any reasonable person would have known about this condition.

A negligent property owner may have known about this unsafe condition, and either did nothing to attempt to rectify it or did not attempt to warn you about it and provide a reasonable alternative. For instance, imagine a scenario in which a handyman is hired to work upstairs in someone’s home. The homeowner knows that the banister on the staircase is completely unsecured, but does not warn the handyman, and watches as he takes the stairs. If the handyman leans on the unsecured banister, falls, and sustains serious injuries, it’s very likely a court may find the property owner liable.

In some cases, fall accident lawyers may also seek to prove that the property owner is actually directly responsible for causing the unsafe condition. This may be the case if, for instance, they left a hazardous object in the middle of a dimly lit walkway or hallway, creating a high chance that someone would trip and fall when trying to navigate that area.

Overall, you may have a case if you can show that the property owner either caused the unsafe condition, or knew about it and did not attempt to fix it and/or warn you about it.

What Are the Common Injuries in a Slip and Fall Accident?

Slip and fall accidents can result in a wide variety of injuries, ranging from minor cuts and bruises to far more serious injuries. Some injuries that can occur as the result of a fall accident include:

• Fractures
• Dislocated joints
• Lacerations
• Spinal cord injuries
• Brain injuries (including traumatic brain injuries)
• Other head injuries
• And many other fall injuries

While many people who fall will emerge with fairly minor injuries, it’s entirely possible for a slip and fall to also cause something as serious as a traumatic brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries can be mild, moderate, or severe; on the severe end of the spectrum, a traumatic brain injury can cause drastic shifts in the injured party’s cognitive function, motor function, and emotional state.

If you have sustained severe injuries from a slip and fall accident, it’s in your best interest to reach out to one of our Allentown personal injury attorneys as soon as possible. Our Munley Law Allentown slip and fall lawyers are ready and waiting to take your call.

What Age Group is at Risk of a Slip and Fall?

It’s worth noting that while anyone can sustain injuries as the result of a slip and fall, those most likely to do so are people over the age of 65. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than one in 4 people in this age group fall every year, and that every year, 3 million older people are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries. Within this age group, head injuries and hip fractures are some of the most common injuries.

Working With Our Allentown Slip and Fall Lawyer

Slip and fall accidents are never a pleasant experience. What’s more, the burden for the injured victim includes even more than just physical injuries–there’s the stress of paying medical bills, the confusing process of filing a personal injury lawsuit, the emotional burden of dealing with severe injuries, and so much more. At the Munley Law offices, we know that, although we wish we could, we can’t undue the pain you’ve experienced. But what we can do is fight tirelessly on your behalf to ensure you receive both the justice and compensation you are owed. We believe that each and every injured victim deserves these things, and that all responsible parties need to be held accountable.

When you work with Munley Law, you can rest assured you’re working with some of the most respected and experienced Allentown personal injury lawyers.

All Allentown residents have the right to move through the world safely, and if this right is compromised, our experienced Allentown slip and fall lawyers can help you take action.

Don’t wait: contact our law firm today to speak to one of our attorneys. You are always entitled to a free case evaluation, and you never pay a dime unless you win.

Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys

609 Hamilton St
Allentown, PA 18101
(610) 857-7424

Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys

1275 Glenlivet Dr
Suite 100-599,
Allentown, PA 18106
(610) 232-7006