Chicago slip-and-fall lawyers
“Slip-and-fall” is a term that applies to personal injury cases in which someone has slipped or tripped and fallen, sustaining injuries, on someone else’s property. When you visit a business or private residence, it is reasonable to expect the property will be maintained in a way that minimizes the risk of slip-and-fall accidents. If a slip-and-fall accident is caused by property owner negligence, our Chicago slip-and-fall lawyers can help. You may have a premises liability claim for compensation.
How a Chicago slip-and-fall lawyer can help
At Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates in Chicago, our injury attorneys have been successfully handling injury claims for decades, obtaining record-setting jury verdicts in many cases. Our trial lawyers have been named by their peers as Leading Lawyers, an honor earned by less than five percent of licensed lawyers in Illinois.
If you have been injured in a slip-and-fall accident on someone else’s property in Chicago, consult with our slip-and-fall attorneys to find out if you have a case and what damages you may be entitled to claim.
Common causes of slip-and-fall accidents
Many different hazards on a property can cause slip-and-fall accidents, including:
- Floors that have been recently mopped or waxed
- Spilled liquids that are not cleaned up immediately
- Splashed grease or oil left on a floor
- Ice in parking lots and on sidewalks that have not been salted
- Loose rugs, mats, or floorboards
- Uneven surfaces with no warning signs
- Trash or debris on the floor
- Cords that run across walkways
- Poor lighting that makes it difficult to see obstacles
- No handrails in stairways
- Potholes in parking lots
Liability for slip-and-fall accidents
Liability for injuries in slip-and-fall accidents is based on negligence. Property owners have a legal duty to use reasonable care to prevent injuries to others on their property. The type of legal duty owed by the landowner depends on the status of a person on the property.
In Illinois, landowners owe a duty of reasonable care to both licensees and invitees. Licensees are social guests. Invitees are other visitors on the property with permission, including business customers, contractors, window washers, etc. Property owners are not required to ensure the safety of visitors. This being said, they may be held liable for injuries sustained in slip-and-fall accidents if it can be proven that:
- The owner or occupier knew about the hazardous condition or would have discovered it with reasonable care
- The visitor could not discover or realize the danger
- The owner or occupier failed to use reasonable care to protect the visitor from harm
A trespasser is someone who enters a property without invitation or permission. Generally, property owners are not held accountable for injuries sustained by trespassers, unless a property owner willfully and wantonly injures a trespasser.
Experienced legal representation in Chicago slip-and-fall accidents
Despite the old cartoons featuring a character slipping on a banana peel, slip-and-fall accidents are no laughing matter. Falls can cause serious injuries, including fractures, head injuries, spinal cord injuries, soft tissue injuries, cuts, and abrasions.
Our Chicago slip-and-fall lawyers at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates have decades of experience and a successful track record handling personal injury matters. If you or your loved one has been hurt in a slip-and-fall accident on someone else’s property, contact us for a free consultation to find out how our injury lawyers in Illinois can help you receive the compensation you deserve after your slip-and-fall accident in Chicago.
What are the Levels of Spinal Cord Injury? Read here
“Close to the end of a 10,000 ft. deck, my partner and I slipped and he pulled the muscles in his arm and I tore my rotator cuff. When I called the job safety coordinator, she responded, ‘I know all about you – and I’m not giving you anything.’ Thank God for the support of Horwitz and Horwitz. I said, ‘Listen, what do I do about this? We’re just honest people trying to take care of our kids.’ I got hurt, and if wasn’t for Horwitz and Horwitz I probably would have just given up. They are real people. They understand and they don’t just put you off. Absolutely unquestionably the best treatment I’ve ever had from anybody in any type of serious matter.”
– Anonymous
