Seeking Justice For The Injured

Attorneys Axel Dumas and Jonathan Sanclemente photo

Call Our Lawyers In Tampa Bay For Help After A Slip-And-Fall Accident

Slip, trip and fall accidents can happen anywhere. They can occur on another person’s residential property, a business, sidewalk, government agency, parking lot, open field, or another type of property.

While Florida requires property owners to maintain their properties to keep their properties in a safe condition to minimize the risk of falls, many people fail to properly maintain their properties, leading to serious or fatal injuries. When this happens, victims may be entitled to recover compensation in a premises liability action.

If you have been injured in any type of trip, slip, and fall accident in Florida, our compassionate and dedicated team of lawyers is ready to help you recover the compensation that you are entitled to and will stop at nothing to get you the compensation you deserve.

Call Dumas & Sanclemente, PLLC, today to schedule a free consultation to learn more about how we can help you and your family today.

The Seriousness Of Your Losses

Here at Dumas & Sanclemente, PLLC, our dedicated bodily injury team of slip-and-fall lawyers understand how catastrophic falls can be for a victim and his or her entire family.

Many times the effect of a fall is much more than just physical pain and emotional harm, but also financial distress for a victim and the victim’s family. This is particularly true of permanent and disabling fall injuries which result in catastrophic harm keeping a person out of work for a prolonged period of time.

Common Scenarios Of Fall Accidents In Florida

Although there are many common causes of falls that apply to nearly every state, there are certain examples that may occur more commonly in Florida. Some of the most common scenes or causes of slip-and-fall accidents in Florida include the following:

  • Pool decks
  • Falls on painted wood stairs without friction stripes near water or pools
  • Leaky AC units
  • Tracked in rainwater without carpets
  • Excessive use of water, wax, or cleaning agents on a floor that becomes slippery
  • Spilled products on a floor
  • Leaky refrigeration units
  • Broken curbs
  • Uneven flooring
  • Missing handrails on ramps or stairs
  • Improperly built stairs
  • Other serious floor defects

People often dismiss falls as being an inconvenience or an embarrassment. Which they can be, but that is often not the full story. Falls can lead to permanent or fatal injuries. Examples of injuries due to slip-and-fall accidents include broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, internal bleeding or internal organ injuries, back, shoulder or knee injuries and many other serious injuries.

The Legal Concept Of Premises Liability

Premises liability refers to the assigning of liability when another individual is injured on someone else’s property. As mentioned above, landowners have an obligation to maintain their property and keep it safe from any potential hazards. Liability depends on the type of property and the reasonable expectations of the property owner and the person who was on the property.

If a land owner or land occupier fails to properly maintain their property, the owner or land occupier may be liable to pay for damages to the injured person. This means that a property owner can be just as liable as a tenant, maintenance company, or another type of individual or entity who has a responsibility to maintain the premises in a safe condition.

Statistics And Trends

Slip-and-fall accidents are quite common and often lead to serious personal injuries. According to statistics, there are over 1 million hospital emergency room visits each year in the United States due to slip-and-fall accidents.

Although many falls may result in a mere bump or bruise, unfortunately some falls may result in serious or catastrophic personal injuries – including traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and spinal cord injuries (SCI), which falls are the most common cause of a TBI and the second most common cause of a SCI.

Additionally, some falls are fatal, with some statistics reporting estimates of seven (7) fall deaths an hour by the year 2030 based on current trends. If you suffer injuries or if you lose a loved one in a fatal fall accident, please call our slip-and-fall lawyers in Tampa Bay, Florida, who can help you.

Common Injuries Occurring Because Of Slip-And-Fall Accidents

Slip-and-fall accidents often result in serious injuries. Some of the most common injuries seen as a result of slip-and-fall accidents include the following:

  • Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and other brain injuries – TBIs are particularly common as a result of slip-and-fall accidents. Traumatic brain injuries occur when a person hits their head, resulting in a brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries are often serious and can be permanent or fatal. TBIs and other brain injuries do not always cause immediate symptoms after an accident and may take hours or days to show signs of the injury that has occurred.
  • Spinal cord injuries – Spinal cord injuries can occur due to a slip and fall accident. This type of injury can cause alteration in mobility or permanent paralysis. This is one of the most life-altering types of injuries resulting from a slip-and-fall accident.
  • Broken bones or fractures – Broken bones or fractures are commonly caused by slip-and-fall accidents. Victims who fall due to a slip-and-fall accident commonly break their hip, wrist, arm, leg, or other bones due to the fall.
  • Soft tissue injury – A fall due to a slip-and-fall accident can result in permanent or serious injury to soft tissues, such as tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Some of these injuries may heal but may cause permanent injury.
  • Nerve damage – Nerve damage is another example of an injury caused by slip and fall accidents. Nerve damage may lead to an alteration in sensation and chronic pain for individuals who suffer nerve damage as a result of a slip-and-fall accident. The most common type of nerve injury after a fall is a brachial plexus injury, which occurs when a person’s outstretched arm lands with a heavy and significant impact.
  • Back and neck injuries – Herniated discs, slipped discs, and other types of serious back injuries and neck injuries are very common in fall cases. Although some may recover, unfortunately too many will require a spinal fusion surgery to repair the damage done.

Based on the statistics that we cited above, falls are some of the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and wrongful death in the United States. This is a shocking statistic as falls are actually ahead of car accidents in two out of three of those categories.

After A Fall Accident, Call Our Slip-And-Fall Lawyers In The Tampa Bay Area

If you or your loved one was injured or killed in a slip-and-fall accident, you should call our lawyers at Dumas & Sanclemente, PLLC, to learn how we can help you by protecting your rights and recovering you the compensation you truly deserve.

We offer free case evaluations and can help you understand what your legal rights to compensation may be under Florida law. To learn more, please call 844-400-2667 or use our convenient inquiry form to send us a message.