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Obtaining Justice for Slip, Trip, and Fall Victims in Pennsylvania

Slip and fall accidents are one of the most common types of personal injury cases. Over 8 million emergency room visits every year can be attributed to slips and falls. These premises liability accidents can happen anywhere, at any time, with no warning.

Property owners, businesses, and residents must keep a property free of slip and fall hazards. When they fail in this duty, the resulting hazardous conditions can lead to serious, life-altering injuries. If you have suffered from a slip and fall accident on another's property due to their negligence, you deserve compensation.

At Munley Law, our Pittsburgh personal injury attorneys have helped people in Pittsburgh and throughout Pennsylvania for over six decades. We aren't afraid to fight property owners and big businesses who try to escape their responsibilities and duties to their patrons. Our team has the resources and experience you need to thoroughly investigate your case and prove negligence in your slip and fall case.

$32 Million Wrongful Death

$26 Million Truck Accident

$17.5 Million Car Accident

$12 Million Product Liability

$9 Million Truck Accident

$8 Million Truck Accident

$7.5 Million Auto Accident

$6.9 Million Garbage Truck Accident

$6.5 Million Traumatic Brain Injury

$5 Million Medical Malpractice

$5 Million Bus Accidents

High-Risk Areas for Slip and Fall Accidents

By their nature, slip-and-fall accidents can happen just about anywhere. However, some places more commonly play host to these accidents than others. Such high-risk places are usually high-traffic public locations, places that serve food and beverages, and places that are in some way exposed to the elements.

Common areas where slip and fall accidents occur include:

Workplaces – Slips and falls are one of the leading reasons behind worker's comp claims, particularly on construction sites. Injuries from falls are also one of the top occupational injuries for those 55 and older, according to the NSFI.
Convenience and grocery stores – When products hit the floor or beverage machines malfunction, any resulting liquids automatically create a slip-and-fall hazard for customers. Likewise, objects left in aisles and poorly maintained walkways can lead to trip and fall injuries.
Bars and restaurants – Foods, beverages, plates, and glasses can all drop on the floor, creating hazardous conditions. Additionally, bars and restaurants frequently get busy, leaving little time to notice and clean up accidental spills. Both patrons and employees can find themselves at risk for slip and fall injuries.
Hotels – Older hotels and motels may be poorly maintained, leading to trips from torn carpets, inadequate lighting, or broken tiles. Additionally, improperly marked maintenance areas and objects left in hallways while cleaning rooms can cause slip-and-fall accidents in hotels.
Movie theaters – Theater operators must monitor for concession spills left by patrons, ensure adequate lighting for aisles and rows, and prevent rushes into popular shows that could lead to crowd trampling injuries. Older movie theaters may also have uneven carpeting and flooring that can result in a trip.
Hospitals – A hospital with poor lighting, broken pavement, slippery floors, or incorrectly fastened carpets can lead to trip and fall injuries for patients and visitors.
Schools and playgrounds – Children can be victims of slip and fall accidents, whether due to uneven flooring, dangerous railings, or objects left in walkways. Poorly maintained playgrounds can also lead to serious injuries for young children.
Pools – Slip and fall accidents in or around a pool have a higher risk of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. These injuries can occur from slipping on slick floors or the pool deck, falling from ladders with poor traction, or using poorly set up equipment like diving boards or water slides.
Apartments, townhouses, and condos – Owners of apartment buildings or complexes are required to repair any dangerous conditions throughout the property, including sidewalks, hallways, and elevators. If you were injured inside of an apartment, the person renting the apartment may also be liable for your injuries.
Parking lots and garages – Holes and cracks in the asphalt of a parking lot or garage can lead to severe slip and fall injuries. Additionally, environmental conditions like ice, snow, puddles, and poorly marked construction zones can cause trip accidents.
Malls – Food courts in shopping centers are especially at risk for food and beverage spills leading to slip and fall accidents. Patrons may also bring their food or drinks along while they shop in other stores, leading to risks outside of the food court.

Adults 65 years and older are at higher risk of especially severe slip and fall injuries than the rest of the population. Every year 3 million adults over 65 find themselves in hospitals for the treatment of fall-related injuries.

Common Slip and Fall Injuries in Pittsburgh

According to the CDC, one in five falls causes a catastrophic injury, usually a broken bone or head trauma. Over 95% of all hip fractures are caused by falling.

Some of the most commonly seen injuries in a slip and fall case include:

Broken and fractured limbs – When you fall, your first instinct is to brace yourself by extending your arm. The absorption of the impact on your arm can lead to broken or fractured bones.
Hip Fractures – A broken hip is typically the most serious consequence of a fall for elderly victims, leading to significant health problems and, in some cases, death.
Cuts, bruises, and lacerations – If you fall on a rough surface, you may suffer from deep cuts and abrasions that require immediate medical attention. These lacerations are at high risk of infection, and in some cases may require physical therapy to recover from deep muscle cuts.
Dislocated joints, torn ligaments, and tendon strains – Suddenly twisting during your fall can lead to torn a torn ACL or MCL, dislocation of your joints, and other soft tissue tears.
Traumatic brain injuries – You may hit your head on an object while falling, causing a concussion or other major brain damage.
Herniated discs – Slip and fall accidents are one of the primary causes of herniated discs, which can occur when the soft spinal discs between vertebrae are torn during a fall. Herniated discs put pressure on the spinal cord, leading to shooting pains in the lower back and legs and often requiring surgery to resolve.
Spinal injuries – Back strains, nerve damage, and even partial or complete paralysis can result from a slip-and-fall accident.

Trip and fall accidents can lead to life-altering injuries. You may require a long recovery time, resulting in weeks of lost wages and high medical bills. You may also require long-term physical therapy, pain management, and intensive surgery. If you are left permanently disabled, you may need to pay costs for modifying your home, car, and other aspects of your life to accommodate your disability, all while possibly facing a reduced quality of life and earning potential.

Liability for Slip and Fall Accidents in Pittsburgh

When it comes to liability for a slip and fall accident, property owners almost always are liable for any dangerous or defective conditions. Landowners and property owners have a duty of care to their patrons and are responsible for ensuring the safety of their properties.

If you are injured on a commercial property, the business leasing the property may also be held liable, or they may hold primary responsibility. For residential properties, renters and lessors can also be held responsible for any injuries on their property.

Property owners may hire third-party companies to maintain property conditions. If a hired third-party company fails to properly clean up or fix hazardous property conditions, that company may also be held liable for any slip and fall injuries.

How a Pittsburgh Slip and Fall Attorney Can Help You

Liability is often difficult to prove in a slip-and-fall case. Defendants will do whatever they can to try to shift the blame on you as the victim so they can avoid paying high fees and settlements. An attorney with extensive experience in slip-and-fall cases will be able to support your case in many ways.

Pursuing a Slip and Fall Negligence Case

Like any injury case, slip and fall injury cases require filing the right paperwork on time. When you're already recovering from a severe injury, it can be hard to manage filling out and filing all the needed paperwork just to get your case moving forward. An attorney can help provide you peace of mind by handling this crucial part of your case.

Before filing a lawsuit, your slip and fall injury attorney will attempt to negotiate a settlement with any involved parties. Settlements are preferable to the time and costs of pursuing litigation, and your attorney will work to obtain the best compensation for you so you can recover.

However, sometimes defendants will choose litigation over settling, which can take anywhere from a few months to years to resolve. Your attorney can work with you during every phase of your slip and fall injury trial, presenting compelling evidence and calling in expert witnesses.

Proving Liability in a Slip and Fall Case

To pursue compensation for your slip and fall accident, you will need to prove the property owner, business, or other defendant's negligence caused the accident. You and your attorney must prove the other party or party failed in their duty of care and permitted the existence of hazardous conditions.

Your attorney can prove negligence in your slip-and-fall case through:

Surveillance footage before, during, and after the accident
Interviews with witnesses to the accident or previous slip-and-fall accident victims
Pictures of scenes from the accident
Incident reports filed by the property owner or other party
Testimony from experts and medical providers
Your medical records

Determining Damages for Your Trip and Fall Case

The average settlement for a slip and fall accident can vary widely, and calculating your full damages can be tricky. While you may be thinking of covering any immediate medical bills and lost wages, an experienced lawyer can help you calculate potential future costs resulting from your injuries. An attorney can reach out to economic and medical experts to determine your full economic losses resulting from current and future medical bills, lost wages and future earning capacity, and more.

Additionally, your slip-and-fall lawyer can also fight for you to receive non-economic losses. They can work to get you compensation for your pain and suffering, emotional damages, and other losses that are not as objectively calculable.

How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit for a Slip and Fall Accident in Pittsburgh?

In the majority of cases, you have two years from the date of your slip and fall accident to file a lawsuit against any liable parties. If you or a loved one was a minor at the time of the accident, you have two years from the time the minor victim turns 18 to file.

If you attempt to file your lawsuit outside of the statute of limitations, the court may entirely dismiss your slip and fall claim. Even if you are still well within the statute of limitations, you should reach out to Munley Law for help with your slip and fall case as soon as possible. Involving an attorney early in the process gives you the best chance at preserving crucial evidence needed to prove your case.

Contact Munley Law Today for Your Pittsburgh Slip and Fall Accident

Even if you are partially to blame for your injuries from a slip and fall accident, you still have the right to recover compensation for a property owner's, business's, or other party's negligence. Our experienced slip-and-fall attorneys at Munley Law can help you obtain the compensation you need for your recovery.

If you were injured on another's property, call Munley Law today at (855) 866-5529 or use our online contact form to get in touch. We have offices throughout Pennsylvania.

Types of Pittsburgh Personal Injury Claims We Handle

There are many different types of personal injury cases. When choosing a Pittsburgh injury lawyer to represent you, it's important to find someone who has handled cases like yours. Munley Law has successfully secured compensation for victims of the following types of personal injury cases:

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Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys

510 Third Avenue
2nd Floor,
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
+14125345133