Slip and Fall

Slip and fall injury accidents can happen at any time and can cause substantial injury. For slip and falls accidents that are the result of snow and ice accumulation, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial court made it much easier to sue property owners. Prior to July 2010, a land owner had no obligation to remove snow and ice from his property. If the snow and ice was a "natural accumulation" then the owner would likely not be held responsible for any injuries. This was the law in Massachusetts for over 100 years!!!

Then in July of 2010, The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that landowners must take action to make their property safe. The case was Papadopoulos v. Target Corporation. Because of this case, it is much easier to hold property owners responsible for not taking care of their property and removing snow and ice in a timely manner.

If you've been injured in a slip and fall accident, call my office for a free consultation. 978 - 457 - 9090

Most people will slip and fall at least once during their lifetime. In certain cases, if a person slips and falls they may be entitled to some sort of reimbursement for the accident.

If a person slips and falls at their place of employment, then the typical course of action is to file an incident report with the employer. This type of accident is covered under the employer’s workers’ compensation coverage. The employee will need to file a workers’ compensation claim through the state where the employer is located. The workers’ compensation claim will cover medical expenses and disability payments to the employee. As long as the claim is not denied, the employee cannot bring further action against the employer in most cases.Slip and Fall Personal Injury

In cases where a person slips and falls at a place of business, such as a retail establishment, the process is different. First, the person must notify the store immediately and file an accident claim with the store. Most businesses have separate slip and fall insurance coverage that will pay for any medical claims as a result of the accident. Failure to notify the proper management or owner of the business could result in medical claims having to be paid for out of pocket by the injured person.

In certain circumstances, injuries may result that require long-term medical care. Personal property may also have been damaged. A person may be unable to work at their place of employment as a result of the slip and fall accident. In these cases, the person may have a legal claim against the business where the accident occurred.

The best course of action for a person that slips and falls, once the appropriate documentation has been filed with the business, is to contact a personal injury lawyer. It is important for a person to find out what legal rights, if any, they may have. If the place of business has insurance coverage, then they may end up paying for all medical expenses and replacement of personal property damaged in the fall. However, they may not reimburse for lost wages.

A personal injury lawyer will almost always offer a free consultation. It is important to bring along any documentation that the person has about the incident. Documentation could include the accident report from the store and medical reports. During the consultation, the lawyer will collect the facts about what happened and determine if there is a potential case.