Atlantic City Slip & Fall Injury Attorney
A slip and fall may not sound like an especially serious matter, but never discount one—slip and fall accidents can cause extremely serious injuries. If someone else’s negligence caused your slip and fall injury—such as on a property owner’s unexpectedly treacherous floor or walkway—you need experienced legal counsel.
If a slip and fall accident injured you, you know the distress, pain, and danger that can result. The skilled slip and fall attorneys at The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers have the experience, knowledge, and commitment to help you navigate your slip and fall claim toward full and fair compensation.
Common Causes Of Slips And Falls
People may associate slip and fall accidents with many sources:
- Inclement weather that leaves walkways slippery, including rain, ice, and snow
- Poorly maintained walkways and stairways
- Unexpectedly slippery walkways and walking surfaces
- Uneven sidewalks
- Cluttered walkways, stairs, or floors
- Poorly maintained carpets that pose tripping hazards
Most safety hazards that lead to slip and fall accidents are far less obvious than the old trope of a banana peel on the ground, which is why accident victims often don’t recognize the impending dangers.
Every slip and fall accident is unique, but several basic categories group these serious accidents and are worth taking a closer look at:
- Weather Related Slip And Fall Accidents – In New Jersey, we experience a lot of weather that can lead to serious slips and falls. Black ice, for example, isn’t uncommon and is essentially undetectable, which can lead to serious injuries. Furthermore, ice and snow in general—when property owners do not properly deal with it—can cause dangerous walking conditions both outside and inside (when it collects inside doorways and in hallways and aisles). Rain can also contribute to dangerous walking conditions. Even something as innocuous as a few scattered leaves can become extremely slippery when wet.
- Poorly Maintained Walkways – When you’re out and about, you need to engage with your surroundings in their entirety and not just with the ground on which you walk. Unfortunately, plenty of property owners don’t maintain their walkways as well as they should. Uneven pavement, debris, cracked sidewalks, loose paving stones, and deep holes can pose slip and fall dangers that unsuspecting victims never see coming.
- Poorly Maintained Stairways – Poorly maintained stairs raise the stakes even higher—you have farther to fall and can hit steps on your way down. Inclement weather and cracked, uneven, slippery, and debris-riddled surfaces (for both outdoor and indoor stairways) exacerbate the danger.
- Unexpectedly Slippery Walking Surfaces – When you expect a slippery walking surface, you take appropriate precautions to protect yourself from injuries. When you shop in a grocery store or walk down an empty sidewalk on a sunny day, you don’t usually anticipate slipping and falling. When you hit an unexpected slippery patch or run into debris that the property owner should have known about and taken care of (by clearing away the danger or by erecting a warning sign), serious slip and fall injuries can result.
New Jersey Slip And Falls—Where They Happen
While a slip and fall accident can take place wherever property owners don’t properly maintain entryways and walkways, some spots are especially conducive to these dangerous accidents:
- Grocery stores are something of a slip and fall petri dish with their spilled liquids, squashed produce, scattered debris, and leaking refrigeration and freezer units. When you head out to your local grocery store for a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk, stay safe out there.
- Retail stores can present similar dangers—merchandise often spills over into areas where it shouldn’t.
- Schools—from preschools to universities—can overflow with maintenance problems that can lead to serious slips and falls. Furthermore, public schools have legal protections in place that private schools do not, which can make bringing a successful slip and fall claim more difficult.
- Restaurants can also teem with situations that lead to slip and fall accidents. Spilled drinks, spattered grease, and wet bathroom floors are but a few culprits.
- Parking lots are common locations for slip and fall injuries, and the property owner’s responsibilities don’t end when you leave the business and head for your car. Inclement weather, poor maintenance, and debris can all contribute to such accidents
Atlantic City Slip and Fall FAQ
Falling and getting hurt on someone else’s property in Atlantic City can leave you with lots of questions about your legal rights. Below, we answer some of the most common questions we get from people in that situation. For answers to your specific questions about an incident in which you fell and got hurt at a business, someone’s home, or in a public place, contact an experienced Atlantic City slip and fall lawyer at the Levin Firm as soon as possible.
How do I know if I have a case after falling and getting hurt in Atlantic City?
People tend to think that falls just happen, and that falling is their own fault.
The fact is, however, many falls result from someone else making a bad decision, or taking a dangerous action, that makes a fall more likely to happen.
For example, your chances of falling and getting hurt on someone else’s property go up when you encounter:
- Steps with no handrail;
- A wet floor from a spill or leaking roof;
- Torn or frayed carpets, broken tiles, and cracked pavement; and
- Poor lighting.
Of course, people should always watch their step. However, property owners also have a responsibility to protect the safety of anyone who comes onto their properties. Property owners, occupants, or managers who fail to take reasonable steps to keep their premises safe—such as by warning about or fixing the types of hazards above—can face legal liability to anyone who gets hurt as a result.
Owners of all types of properties—commercial, residential, and public—have at least some duty to keep them in a safe condition to help prevent falls and injuries.
So, you might have a claim for damages against the owner, occupant, or manager of a property in Atlantic City where you fell and got hurt if a dangerous condition on that property played a role in you falling. Keep in mind, however, you might not always know right away about the property hazard that led to you falling.
Speak with an Atlantic City slip and fall attorney at the Levin Firm as soon as possible after falling and suffering an injury to help you investigate whether someone’s decisions or actions put you in harm’s way.
What kind of damages can I recover if I have an Atlantic City slip and fall case?
No two slip and fall accidents are alike. The circumstances that caused your fall and injuries, and the types of injuries you suffered, play the largest role in determining the types and amounts of damages you might have the right to recover through legal action.
However, generally speaking, people who suffer injuries in accidental falls in Atlantic City can often take legal action seeking compensation for:
- Current and future medical expenses related to treating the injury;
- Other expenses directly resulting from having fallen and suffering an injury;
- Current and future lost income caused by missing work or injuries that keep the fall victim out of work long-term;
- Pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life and relationships caused by the fall and injuries; and
- In some cases, punitive damages that punish the party at-fault for causing the fall, if that party engaged in outrageous or extremely reckless conduct.
Lawyers cannot guarantee that Atlantic City slip and fall victims will always recover compensation, of course. Also, the amount of compensation available for someone who gets hurt in a fall can depend, at least in part, on the financial resources of the party that has legal liability. Fall victims can give themselves the best possible chance of recovering maximum compensation, however, by contacting an experienced Atlantic City slip and fall lawyer as soon as possible.
How long does it take to recover compensation in an Atlantic City slip and fall claim?
It all depends on the facts of your particular case. Sometimes an experienced Atlantic City slip and fall injury attorney can secure compensation for a fall victim in a matter of weeks. Sometimes, it can take a year or more for a case to reach a favorable outcome.
Most of the factors that can affect the timeline for an Atlantic City slip and fall injury case are somewhat out of your or your lawyer’s control.
They include:
- The number of parties involved in your claim;
- The amount of dispute over whether someone owes you money for your injuries, or how much money you should receive;
- The availability of evidence to prove your case; and
- The personalities and working styles of the parties, lawyers, and others involved.
One thing you can control, however, is when you speak with an experienced Atlantic City slip and fall lawyer about your fall and injuries. The sooner you take that step, the sooner the rest of the process of recovering compensation on your behalf can begin. As a bonus, acting sooner-than-later also increases your lawyer’s chances of building the strongest possible case on your behalf.
What kind of slip and fall injuries do Atlantic City lawyers handle?
All of them. Literally. People can suffer just about any kind of injury you can imagine in an accidental fall, and an experienced Atlantic City slip and fall lawyer has typically represented people with a wide range of those injuries.
Of course, some injuries are more common than others.
Some especially common fall-related injuries that experienced Atlantic City slip and fall attorneys often handle include:
- Traumatic brain injuries;
- Spinal cord injuries;
- Broken bones;
- Severe lacerations and abrasions;
- Orthopedic injuries, such as torn ligaments and tendons; and
- Injuries resulting in the tragic death of the person who fell.
No matter what kind of injury you suffered, a skilled Atlantic City slip and fall lawyer can evaluate the financial, physical, and emotional impact of the harm you suffered, so that you can be sure to seek an appropriate amount of compensation for your injuries and losses.
Should I ask the Atlantic City hotel, restaurant, or other business where I fell and got hurt to comp me or give me credit? If they offer, should I accept it?
No. Never ask for, and never accept, anything of value from a business where you fell and got hurt in Atlantic City.
It’s normal for commercial property owners, like Atlantic City hotels and casinos, to want to make things right with a guest who falls and gets injured. They might even offer to do so, without you asking, with the best of intentions.
But taking comps or credits comes with a huge potential downside. Defense lawyers and insurance companies might view that as your agreement to settle a legal claim. The more tricky businesses might even ask you to sign a document containing fine print that waives your right to sue before they give you the compensation they claim to offer you out of the goodness of their hearts.
Here’s the bottom line: Asking for and/or taking anything of monetary value—including a comped stay, a free meal, or gambling credit—can cost you your legal rights after you fall and get hurt at an Atlantic City property. Do not make that mistake. Instead, leave it to an experienced Atlantic City slip and fall attorney to negotiate fair and reasonable compensation on your behalf.
How about accepting money from the Atlantic City property owner’s insurance company? Should I do that?
No. The same answer applies. Taking that money, without at least first talking to an experienced Atlantic City slip and fall attorney, could cost you your valuable legal and financial rights.
Insurance companies that offer money out-of-the-blue to people injured in a slip and fall do so for one reason: to get out from under their customer’s legal liability to you as cheaply as possible. Unless you have a skilled lawyer negotiating on your behalf, any offer you receive from an insurance company will likely fall far short of the amount of money you need and deserve for your injuries and losses.
We know how tempting it can be to take what seems like a lot of easy, quick money. Trust us, if an insurance company puts money on the table without your lawyer asking for it, chances are they will be willing to put a lot more on the table when your lawyer starts negotiating.
What else can I do to help my Atlantic City slip and fall case?
Falling and getting hurt can feel embarrassing. Some people do everything they can in the immediate aftermath of a fall to minimize what has happened. They might tell the property owner or worker they feel “fine.” They might try to walk it off. They might shy away from attention from staff or good Samaritans.
We understand those feelings of embarrassment, but urge you not to give in to them.
Instead, after falling and suffering an injury at any property in Atlantic City:
- Seek medical attention. Always seek medical attention right away. Go to the hospital if necessary, and at a minimum, follow up with your regular doctor or an urgent care center within 24 hours. This will protect your health, generate important records of your injury, and ensure that no one can ever claim you made up your injury or made it worse by not getting the care you needed.
- Report the fall and injury to the property owner/occupant/manager. Tell someone connected to the property or business right away that you fell and got hurt. Tell them how it happened and how you are feeling physically. Do not minimize. You want to make sure the property owner cannot claim you made up the fall or your injury.
- Take pictures/video of the scene of your fall. Get images of any hazardous condition that played a roll in you falling—loose carpet, spilled liquid, etc.—before the property owner fixes it.
Then, contact an experienced Atlantic City slip and fall injury attorney for a free consultation about your legal rights to compensation.
What can an Atlantic City slip and fall injury lawyer do for me?
A lot. Most importantly, an experienced Atlantic City slip and fall injury lawyer can protect your legal rights and financial interests by holding a property owner, or anyone else, accountable for the dangerous decisions, actions, or conditions that led to your fall.
The specific steps a lawyer might take on your behalf can vary, depending on your circumstances.
However, they often include:
- Investigating your fall to figure out how it happened, and whose dangerous decisions or actions contributed to it.
- Planning a legal strategy for recovering the maximum compensation from those parties available to you under the law;
- Preparing, filing, and pursuing a lawsuit in New Jersey court in your name;
- Negotiating with defense lawyers and insurance companies to obtain a fair and reasonable settlement of your claim, if possible;
- Taking your case to trial, if that is what’s needed to get you the compensation you need and deserve.
How much do the Levin Firm’s Atlantic City slip and fall injury lawyers cost?
Your first meeting with our experienced Atlantic City slip and fall injury attorneys is free. You pay nothing to discuss your fall with our lawyers and get a basic idea of whether you have a claim that we can help you with.
Our Atlantic City lawyers always represent our clients who fall and get injured in Atlantic City on contingency. That means the only compensation they receive is a percentage of any money they recover for their clients. Clients pay no money upfront, and the lawyers do not charge by the hour or assignment.
Never let money worries stop you from speaking with our experienced Atlantic City slip and fall attorneys.
When should I call an Atlantic City slip and fall lawyer?
As soon as possible. You may have valuable legal rights to compensation, but you must act on them quickly to give yourself the best possible chance at obtaining the compensation you need and deserve. If you wait too long to contact a lawyer, you could lose your rights altogether and end up empty-handed.
So, do not wait to get the help you need after falling and getting hurt on someone else’s property in Atlantic City. Contact our experienced slip and fall injury attorneys right away for a free consultation to learn about your legal rights to compensation.
Your New Jersey Slip And Fall Claim
If a slip and fall accident injured you in New Jersey, first seek immediate medical attention, then consult with an experienced slip and fall lawyer. While every claim is unique, several factors universally apply:
- The statute of limitations for a slip and fall claim in New Jersey is two years, which means that you have only two years from the time of your accident to bring a claim.
- Immediately after a slip and fall accident, however, is rarely the best time to calculate your total losses, which can compound with time.
- Such losses can include medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning potential, the expenses associated with changed plans, the pain and suffering precipitated by the accident, and much more.
An experienced slip and fall attorney will carefully examine each of these factors as they relate to your unique case and will help direct your claim in the direction that best serves you.
If A Slip And Fall Injured You, Contact An Experienced Slip And Fall Attorney Today
Slip and fall accidents—despite their whimsical name—may cause extremely serious injuries. If such an accident injured you, you need experienced legal counsel. At The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, our skilled Atlantic City personal injury attorneys have the experience, knowledge, and commitment to aggressively advocate for your claim’s best possible resolution. We’re here to help, so please contact us online or call our legal team at (215) 825-5183 for a free consultation today.