Columbus Slip and Fall Injury Victims Lawyers

Premises Liability Lawyers Serving Columbus, GA

Slip and Fall Cases Can Be Complex

Slip and fall cases against property owners often involve complex legal issues, such as sovereign immunity when pursuing an injury claim against a public entity, the legal relationship between the parties and the purpose of the injury victim for being on the premises as well as other important legal questions that can impact liability.

Our Columbus slip and fall attorneys at Montlick also recognize that slip and fall claims may require careful investigation of lighting conditions, the amount of time a hazard was present, maintenance practices, prior accident reports and other factors. We have successfully represented Columbus slip and fall victims since our law firm was founded in 1984.

What Is Premises Liability?

Slip and fall accident claims are governed by the area law referred to as “premises liability.” Premises liability law defines the duty of property owners to make their premises safe for those who come on their land or to warn about potential hazards that are not obvious to visitors. While a Columbus commercial property owners conducting business on the premises essentially have an obligation to make their premises reasonably safe by removing known hazards or investigating to discover hazards that they should know exist, this duty can vary depending on the reason a visitor is on the premises.

When a customer is patronizing a Columbus business, the business owner generally must take reasonable care to make the premises safe from foreseeable hazards and hidden dangers. This includes conducting reasonable inspections and maintenance of the premises to discover unsafe conditions like a bunched up rug, broken step, slick or sticky substance on the floor or other hazards.

What Damages are Available?

When a serious Columbus slip and fall causes serious injuries, it can result in physical limitations or pain and emotional stress and anxiety as well as challenging financial obstacles. Our Columbus slip and fall accident law firm may be able to pursue a claim for multiple forms of financial compensation including:

• The expenses associated with medical treatment including hospitalization
• Pain and suffering which may include diminished enjoyment of life
• Reduction in earning potential and lost past and present income
• Diminished spousal services or companionship
• Burial and funeral expenses (wrongful death cases)
• Other damages depending on facts

We Know How to Get Slip and Fall Victims Paid

When a Columbus slip and fall injury victim pursues a legal claim, it is important to understand the key role of an investigation and proper discovery of the facts. Slip and fall cases in Columbus will typically turn on the specific facts surrounding the incident that results in injury. Our experienced Columbus slip and fall accident injury lawyers may investigate for evidence of carelessness or indifference by a business owner including patterns of accidents and the response of the property owner to those reports, a lack of proper maintenance inspections, inadequate lighting, the use of warning signs and barriers, and more.

Your attorney might use any of the following methods to prove liability and get you the money you deserve:

• Inspection of the premises
• Review of business records
• Examination of store accident reports
• Public records of past accidents requiring emergency medical response personnel
• Surveillance video
• Citation or inspection records by fire and building inspectors
• Accident reports made at the time of the Columbus slip and fall accident
• Interviews with witnesses and customers including suppliers, patrons and employees
• Review of prior lawsuits or settlements

Common Slip-and-Fall Injuries

Slip and fall injuries are often parodied in movies as minor incidents with exaggerated injuries, but this is a gross misrepresentation of the types of permanently debilitating injuries that often result from a Columbus slip and fall accident. There are over nine million people disabled or hospitalized in slip and fall incidents annually in the U.S., and an elderly person dies in a fatal slip and fall accident every 35 minutes. Columbus slip and fall accidents can result in serious injuries including:

• Severe head trauma including injuries to the brain
• Broken bones including frequent hip injuries in seniors
• Damage to the spinal cord that may result in impaired sensation, mobility limitations and paralysis
• Ligament and tendon damages to knees and other joints that require surgery
• Wrongful death