Slip & Fall Accident Attorneys – Austin, TX
Slip & Fall Accident Attorneys In Austin, TX
More than eight million people visit U.S. emergency rooms each year to seek treatment for injuries caused by falls, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control rank them as the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States. Even simply tripping or slipping while walking can cause devastating injuries, including broken bones, joint injuries and head trauma that can affect you for the rest of your life. While some of these falls are simple accidents for which no one is at fault, many are caused by dangerous conditions that property owners should not have allowed to happen. In these cases, Texas law allows the injured person to collect damages from the negligent property owner. These are commonly known as slip and fall accident cases. Contact slip & fall accident attorneys today.
If you were injured in a slip and fall accident and believe the property owner was negligent, you need a skilled and experienced attorney to help you collect what you are owed. At The Buche Law Firm, PC, we can help you navigate the legal system and start your path to healing without money troubles hanging over your head. You may even be able to recover more than just your medical bills and treatment expenses, such as compensation for time off work, loss of earning potential and general pain and suffering caused by the accident.
In most slip and fall accident cases, the property owner must have been negligent to be liable for the injury. This can happen in many different ways. Unmarked wet floors that make it difficult to see a puddle are a common cause. Uneven ground or protruding obstacles that cause people to trip are another. Even holes or severe unevenness in the ground or overgrown landscaping that hides hazards can qualify. If the property owner knew or should have known that it was dangerous and didn’t take appropriate steps to fix the problem, you may have the potential for a successful slip and fall lawsuit.
Your relationship to the property owner may also play a role in your case. If you were a personal guest of a homeowner, they may have less liability than if you were a business guest or client of a commercial establishment, although homeowners can still be liable. Businesses and homeowners alike typically don’t have any duty of care towards trespassers, but even that can depend on whether the property owner knew that trespassers were common or likely, among other factors. If you’re not sure whether the property owner was negligent, a consultation with a good personal injury attorney like those at The Buche Law Firm, PC can help you determine if you have a case.
Slip and fall cases do have an unfortunate reputation due to some scammers taking advantage of the legal system, but that shouldn’t stop you from pursuing a lawsuit if you or a loved one was seriously injured due to another’s negligence. Not only can it help you recover from the injuries you received, but it may help make the property owner take the hazard more seriously and remedy it before someone else gets hurt. After all, if you fell, someone else might too. Contact slip & fall accident attorneys today.
Pursuing slip and fall cases is also important because of the high costs that many of them cause. Even if you have good insurance and good savings, the toll of your injuries may add up over time. Falls due to negligence are often very serious since they happen so suddenly and unexpectedly. You may not have time to catch yourself or otherwise protect yourself, which can lead to more serious injuries than if you fell while playing sports or in another situation where falls are more common.
Slip and fall injuries can come in many forms. Broken bones are common, but often the soft tissue injuries such as sprains, strains and tears often cause more lasting pain. Joint injuries may be serious enough to require surgery or other invasive intervention. Neck and spine injuries can cause chronic pain and even paralysis in extreme cases. One of the most serious injuries you can receive is a head injury. Even mild concussions often cause disorientation and confusion, although it typically goes away quickly. More severe brain injuries can lead to permanent symptoms, including loss of speech, loss of motor skills, memory loss and confusion. In the most extreme cases, this can make the injured person unable to care for themselves. The property owner whose negligence caused the injury may have to pay for nursing care and other support.
Even if a slip and fall injury exacerbates an existing problem, the property owner may still be liable for the medical costs and other associated damages. Many slip and fall victims are elderly or have existing disabilities, which makes them more unsteady on their feet and more likely to be seriously injured when they do fall. However, that does not excuse the property owner’s negligence, and the injured person still deserves to be compensated for their pain and economic losses.
Shopping outlets and parking lots are some of the most common locations for slip and fall accidents due to the high volume of visitors and the hands-off approach some owners take towards commercial properties. Construction sites are another common spot for them, since some degree of uneven ground and other hazards are unavoidable during construction. Visitors must be properly warned of those dangers or it may still be negligence. Slip and fall injuries can happen virtually anywhere, though, including public facilities.
In slip and fall cases, recovering the costs of treatment is often one of the biggest focuses. This can include surgeries, pain relief therapies, physical therapy and time spent in rehab or nursing facilities. Since many of these injuries are severe enough to require time off work, victims can also pursue compensation for lost wages. In addition, injured people may be able to recover damages for their pain and suffering. While this doesn’t make up for the struggles a fall victim goes through, it can help start the road to long-term recovery.
If you are injured in a slip and fall accident, the first step is to get any emergency medical care required. After the initial crisis has passed, schedule a consult with an experienced slip and fall attorney at The Buche Law Firm, PC. Be sure to bring in any information you have to help us assess your case, including photographs, medical records and other documents. We’ll need to know how and when the fall occurred, what caused it and what injuries you are suffering from in order to help you evaluate your case. Lawsuits can be confusing and intimidating, but our friendly and experienced attorneys can assist you through every step of the process to help you get the compensation you deserve. If you’re in Austinor the surrounding areas and you or a loved one has suffered a slip and fall injury, call us today to schedule a free consultation.