Slip and fall accidents happen more often than you may think. While many falls occur at home, others occur on someone else’s property. And, while some individuals dust themselves off and go on with their day, others suffer serious injuries. If you get hurt while falling on someone else’s property, you may be entitled to compensation. However, you will need to work with a Maryland slip and fall attorney to ensure you get what you deserve. Personal injury cases are often more complicated than they seem. Therefore, trying to get fair compensation for slip and fall injuries on your own may be difficult. Let’s discuss some of the main components of slip and fall cases and how you can recover your losses.

Common Injuries Caused by Slip and Fall Accidents

It’s easy to slip or trip and fall. You may tumble down a flight of stairs, go crashing on a sidewalk or stumble over an unsecured cable. Sometimes, all you get is a slight bruise. However, not everyone is that fortunate. These accidents often cause serious injuries, some of which can have long-term effects. Some of the most common injuries include:

• Broken bones
• Muscle and ligament strains and pulls
• Neck and back injuries
• Brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Knee injuries

Depending on the nature of your injuries, you could need costly treatment and your recovery period could be lengthy. If you can’t work while you recover, you’ll lose out on wages. You shouldn’t have to deal with these issues on your own if someone’s negligence led to your injuries.

Understanding Property Liability in Maryland

Under Maryland law, property owners can be held liable for the state of their premises. Whether it’s a commercial building owner or a homeowner, they’re required to address dangerous situations promptly. At the very least, they should warn people about the danger until they can correct it. If someone gets injured because of a property owner’s negligence, they could have to pay damages. Determining whether a property owner or manager acted negligently is the first step in seeking to recover damages. Your Maryland slip and fall lawyer will examine your case thoroughly to ensure you have a genuine case.

Notably, owners can’t be held responsible for everything that happens on their property. Not every slip and fall is the fault of the property owner or manager. The circumstances surrounding your accident will play a major role in your ability to get compensation. Let’s say a spill occurred at a restaurant and 20 seconds later, you walked by and slipped in it. Since there was little time for anyone to address the hazard, you may not be able to recover damages. However, if someone reported the spill on multiple occasions but nothing was done, you may have a case.

Another thing which you have to bear in mind is the principle of contributory negligence. If you had any role to play in causing the incident, you won’t be able to recover damages. If a caution sign was placed next to the spilled liquid but you stepped in it, you’re partially at fault. It is highly unlikely that you will get compensation for your injuries under these circumstances. A court would likely find that the property owner made a reasonable effort to warn patrons.

Ultimately, your lawyer will have to determine if the four elements of negligence are present. These are duty, breach of duty, causation and damages. If any one of these is absent, you may not be able to prove negligence. You can expect the property owner to mount a strong defense against your claim in any case. They may argue that you knew about the risk but proceeded anyway or you were texting and not looking to see where you were going. Your lawyer will have to prove the defendant was completely at-fault.

Contact Pinder Plotkin for Help Getting Compensation for Slip and Fall Injuries

If you believe your injuries were due to someone else’s negligence, you need a Maryland slip and fall attorney. At Pinder Plotkin, we offer free consultations. When you come to your meeting, bring all the documents you have relating to the situation so we can review them. We need to have all the facts before we draw a conclusion. We’ll give you our expert advice and you can determine whether you want to proceed with the case. If you choose to work with us, we’ll do everything we can to help you get fair compensation for slip and fall injuries. You won’t have to pay until we recover damages on your behalf. Call us today!