Florida Summers See More Slip & Fall Accidents

Florida summers can be beautiful, but they also bring rain, to say nothing of the tourist influx the state always sees in its warmest months. With packed bars and clubs, plus more frequent storms, accidents are more likely to happen, especially those that involve slip-and-falls. It is all too easy to fail to see something on the ground that can send you flying. If you are injured on someone else’s property in a slip-and-fall accident, you need to be aware of your options for seeking compensation for your injuries.

Many Different Causes

According to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), slip and fall incidents account for over 1 million emergency room visits per year (roughly 12 percent). While most people think of slip and fall accidents as occurring in a grocery store or a bar, they can occur anywhere; wet sidewalks or driveways, poorly maintained flooring or walkways, and loose or damaged staircases are some of the most common causes for these types of falls, in addition to slipping on a substance on the floor.

Some slip-and-fall accidents simply happen, without any real negligence on anyone’s part, or at least nothing quantifiable. However, in many of the cases where the terrain is dangerous, there is a reasonable argument to be made that if someone had taken better care of premises, your accident would not have occurred. These cases, if they are brought to court, are brought under a theory of premises liability. Premises liability is the theory of liability under which someone can be held liable for failing to uphold their premises in a reasonably safe condition.

How Much Care Is Owed?

In order to recover for your injuries, you must be able to establish both your position on the property, and the duty of care that the landowner or property owner owed to you. Florida law recognizes three types of visitors onto land – invitees, who are people invited onto the land or into the business for a purpose of the owner’s, such as business customers; licensees, who are those who come onto property for their own purposes (such as salesmen or door-to-door petitioners); and trespassers, who are fairly self-explanatory. Each type of visitor is owed a different level of care, with the highest being owed to invitees.

Once you are certain of which category you belong to, you can be aware of the level of care you were owed. For example, if you were injured while on business premises as a customer, you were an invitee, and thus owed the highest duty of care. A property owner must make their property as safe as possible, and warn visitors about any potential danger they cannot correct. If you can show that this did not happen, you may have a good chance at recovery.

Call An Orlando Slip-and-Fall Attorney Today

If you have been injured on someone else’s property, do not think that you have to deal with it on your own. The Orlando slip & fall attorneys at the Hornsby Law Group are well versed in this area of law, and are ready to try and assist you with your case. Contact our offices today for a free consultation.

Resource:

casemine.com/judgement/us/591497a4add7b049345f6f31

nfsi.org/nfsi-research/quick-facts/

https://www.hornsbylawgroup.com/florida-slip-and-fall-accidents/