Slip and Fall - Premises Liability Lawyers in Cleveland, Lake County, and Northeast Ohio
Each year thousands of people suffer personal injury from slip and fall accidents - some very seriously - as the result of another person's negligence. The injury lawyers of Lallo & Feldman represent victims injured in falls in Cleveland and the surrounding Northeast Ohio area, ensuring that victims and their families receive just compensation for their injuries.
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident in the Cleveland area, there are several things you can do to help strengthen your case. Get the names and numbers of any witnesses to the slip and fall, as well as people who were there after the accident. It is also helpful to take photographs of the dangerous condition as soon as possible, before the property owner has a chance to fix it.
Slip and fall cases often deal with complex legal issues which can include actual or constructive notice, the "open and obvious" doctrine, natural versus unnatural accumulations of ice and snow, the "step in the dark" doctrine, and others. The experienced lawyers at Lallo & Feldman have successfully dealt with these issues for over 30 years while representing clients who have been injured in falls.
Injuries from slips and falls, as the result of negligent maintenance and upkeep of premises, can include falls both indoors and outdoors, falls due to ice and snow, falls on stairs, injuries while using elevators or escalators, or as the result of hidden dangers on premises which can include houses, parking lots, shopping centers, or office buildings.
The Duty of Property Owners
Property owners owe different levels of responsibility to people using their land or establishment, depending on the legal category of the person in question. The law recognizes three main categories:
- Invitees
- Licensees
- Trespassers
The laws are different for each of the above groups, and vary from state to state. With more than 30 years of experience, the attorneys at Lallo & Feldman know how to navigate the complex laws and obtain maximum compensation for their clients' injuries.
Dangerous Indoor Conditions
Our attorneys have handled many cases involving slip and fall accidents occurring indoors, and most have involved three areas:
Flooring problems often result in slips and falls, and include an owner's failure to provide adequate signs for wet spots, failure to provide proper barriers to closed-off areas, using excessive or uneven floor waxing, and allowing torn, uneven, or bulging carpet areas to go unrepaired.
Stairs undergo normal wear and tear, and the property owner is responsible for maintaining their upkeep. Edges can become rounded, the stairs' non-stick surface (which is required in most states) can wear out, and a handrail can be broken or missing -- all are attributed to owner negligence and can result in injury.
Escalators and Elevators are held to high standards under the law because they are designed to carry passengers. Property owners must fulfill these high standards or risk a lawsuit when users slip, trip or fall.
Dangerous Outdoor Conditions
According to our attorneys, the most common outdoor conditions that lead to slips and falls are:
Ice or Snow Build-up: Granted, property owners are not required to remove snow and ice that accumulates as a result of normal winter weather. But this does not remove all responsibility. The law states that if the property owner/manager, or a condition of the property causes an unnatural accumulation of snow and/or ice, the owner can be held liable. An example of an unnatural accumulation might be a walkway that is perpetually shaded by a surrounding building or trees, and thus is covered in a thin sheet of ice while all other walkways are ice-free. Another example might be snow that accumulates on the roof of a building and then drips down via a defective gutter and downspout and refreezes as ice. Either of these situations could be interpreted as owner negligence.
Inadequate Outdoor Lighting: Inadequate lighting can lead to pedestrian injuries in parking lots or on sidewalks. The property owner can be held liable if they knew or should have known about the dangerous situation and failed to remedy the problem in a reasonable amount of time.
Sidewalks: Most sidewalks are owned and maintained by the city or county. However, if a public sidewalk is used exclusively by the property owner's clientele, the owner can be held liable for the sidewalk's dangerous conditions.
Parking Lots: Parking lot owners are legally responsible for maintaining the safety of their lots. This includes any protrusion in the surface of the parking lot that contributes to an injury.
Store Owner Liability
Because people in stores are there primarily for the benefit of the store owner (i.e. to purchase their goods or services), owners have a considerable responsibility to keep their premises safe. Store owners must inspect their property for potential dangers and then either fix the problem in a reasonable amount of time or adequately warn the public of the dangers. If they do not, they can be liable for any injuries that may result.
If you have suffered a slip and fall in Cleveland, Lake County or the surrounding Northeast Ohio area, contact our personal injury lawyers today toll-free at (866) 605-0236 to schedule a free consultation. We operate on contingency fee arrangements for all slip and fall cases. Therefore, if we do not achieve for you a money award, you owe us nothing.
