Slip and Fall Incidents on Someone Else’s Property

I hear many clients come into my office and say “the last attorney I spoke to told me my case is very difficult and will most likely be unsuccessful” because there is a misconception that someone who is injured as a result of a slip and fall or a trip and fall is not a good case. I have never believed that to be true. If someone is injured because of a hazard on another person’s property, they may be entitled to compensation for their injuries.

First, it is important to make sure there is a RIGHT to be on the property and you aren’t trespassing. If you have a right to be on someone else’s property, and you are injured, we must then determine if the owner of the property had notice of the hazardous condition that caused the fall, whether it was an icy sidewalk or a broken stair. Depending on why you are on the property triggers the extent of notice the property owner must have. For example, if you are at a store or a business to spend money, or invited to make that person money, the property owner has a duty to remedy any hazard they knew or should have known existed through reasonable inspection. But if you are injured on property where, say for example, you are visiting a friend or walking on a public sidewalk, the property owner has a duty to remedy a hazard they actually knew about.