How a Fall Can Lead to a Personal Injury Claim
Premise accidents can happen anywhere. From a friends’ home to the grocery store, if a person is injured while on the property of another, they can file for a personal injury claim. The most common premise accidents are slips and falls, but a person may also have a case after a dog bite, fire, or swimming pool injury. There are many reasons why a person may fall, but the key to a personal injury lawsuit is proving negligence.
What Is Negligence?
Although a property owner may not purposely cause harm to a person, if an accident could have been prevented, they may be considered negligent. Negligence is having the opportunity to fix an issue, such as a broken stair, but not following through. If a property owner is aware of an issue, they have the minimum obligation to put a warning up. For example, a wet floor sign is considered an adequate warning if surfaces are slippery inside a store after a rainstorm. If a person falls due to a medical condition, such as fainting, they would not likely be able to sue the property owner because there was no negligence involved on their part.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of all falls lead to serious injuries. Even tripping over an exposed wire could lead to a broken bone or head injury. That being said, most falls do not end with an injury that requires hospitalization. However, the ones that do can cause stress like not being able to go to work and getting expensive medical bills. This can negatively affect not only the individual victim but their family too.
Even after a moderate fall, it still may be a good idea to be medically evaluated. Especially if there is any chance the victim hit their head. Sometimes injuries are not apparent right away with the heat of the moment and adrenaline. If the injury ends up being more serious than initially thought, the proof of the accident will be on record and can be used as evidence in a personal injury case.
Contact an Aurora Premise Accident Attorney
Negligent parties should be held accountable. It may feel like an uphill climb to take on a corporation, or uncomfortable if the property belongs to a friend, but you deserve compensation after a severe injury that could have been prevented. If you have been injured on someone else’s property, contact an experienced Kane County personal injury attorney today to discuss your options. Call our office at 630-907-0909 to schedule a free consultation.
Source:
http://cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Falls/adultfalls.html
