Doral Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer

Confusion can arise about what the term “slip and fall” actually means. In a nutshell, it refers to any preventable fall on someone else's residential, commercial, or public property in Doral that results in an injury.

In other words, to have a case that lawyers would refer to as a slip and fall, you only need to have fallen and gotten hurt on a premises that wasn't your own and due to no fault of your own. But you do not need to have slipped, necessarily. You could also have tripped, stumbled, or lost your footing in any other way.

A preventable slip and fall accident means that someone could have, and reasonably should have, taken steps to fix or warn you about a dangerous property condition.

For example, a preventable fall could include:

• Spilled liquid, sand, or anything else on a floor that someone could slip on
• Uneven, cracked, or broken flooring or pavement that's likely to cause someone to trip
• Loose handrails and balcony railings that could give way and cause someone to lose their balance
• Poorly lighted or uneven stairs that might lead to a misstep and a tumble

These are just a few of many possible examples. The important takeaway is that you likely have what lawyers would call a “slip and fall” case if you suffered injuries in a preventable fall on someone else's property in Doral.

Generally speaking, under Florida law, Doral slip and fall accident victims have the right to pursue compensation for any injury and loss they suffer as a result of a preventable fall on someone else's property. The property owner and/or occupant owes you a duty to keep the premises free of unreasonable hazards and to warn you about known hazards on their property. If they fail to fulfill these duties, the owner and/or occupant could be liable for paying you compensation for the expenses and injuries you incur due to the premises hazard.

These are the basic concepts. In practice, determining the scope of your rights is often more complicated, depending on the details of when, where, and how your slip and fall accident happened. The best way to learn about your rights after getting hurt in a slip and fall in Doral is to contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible for a free consultation.

What compensation you can recover in a Doral slip and fall accident case depends on the particular facts of your fall and your injuries.

However, in general, you can typically hold the property owner/occupant financial responsible for your:

• Medical expenses you have already incurred to treat your fall-related injury, and any you are likely to incur in the future
• Non-medical expenses that you can tie directly to the fall and your injury, such as the cost of hiring help around the house while you recover, or of installing home modifications to accommodate your injury
• Lost wages and income, if the injury you suffered in the fall causes you to miss work, you become unable to work, or you otherwise lose out on economic opportunities you otherwise would have had
• Physical pain, emotional suffering, and overall diminishment of your quality of life and personal relationships, attributable to the injury

In some Doral slip and fall accident cases, you may be able to convince a court to award you a payment of punitive damages. These damages are less common and are not designed to compensate a victim for their expenses and impacts but to punish a defendant for extreme or intentional misconduct that led to the accident.

It varies, based on a wide variety of factors.

The timeline for receiving payment for injuries you suffered in a Doral slip and fall could depend on:

• How long it takes for a doctor to give you a reasonably certain prognosis for injury and physical recovery
• How much time it takes to gather evidence necessary to prove how your fall happened and who should bear the blame
• The number of parties who may bear financial liability to you for your injuries and losses
• The degree of dispute those parties raise over core questions like liability and your damages

For the most part, these factors are beyond your ability to control. You do, however, have control over one key element of that timeline, which is how soon you contact an experienced Doral slip and fall attorney about your case. Taking that step as soon as possible can put your case on the fastest possible track to getting compensation.

Probably not, at least not in the sense of a full-blown trial. The vast majority of Doral slip and fall cases settle out-of-court, without the need for formal presentation of evidence and witness testimony in front of a judge or jury. Many cases even settle before victims have to officially file a lawsuit.

However, if you do have to file a lawsuit, you might still have to give sworn testimony in your on-the-record to an insurance company's lawyer in what is called a deposition. Depositions are conducted as part of the discovery process, which is a period preceding trial where the parties are gathering evidence and building their cases. A deposition by the insurance company serves as an opportunity for them to ask you anything related to your fall and your injury accident and injuries. A skilled slip and fall attorney helps you to prepare for a deposition and stands by you as an advocate for you to make sure the other side doesn't mistreat you or ask improper questions.

Of course, while the vast majority of cases settle out of court, not all do. It's always possible a Doral slip and fall lawsuit may need to go to trial. That's why you should always hire a slip and fall attorney who has a proven track record of success, whether by securing a settlement or winning at trial.

Yes, you do. Lawyers have a saying: “He who represents himself has a fool for a client.” What it means is that it is virtually always a mistake to try to “represent yourself” in any kind of legal matter. Even lawyers hire lawyers when they have a legal issue. Hiring a lawyer is especially critical when you are pursuing a settlement for serious injuries in a Doral slip and fall. After all, you get one shot at agreeing to a settlement, and you need to make sure it will take care of your expenses.

Parties on the other side of slip and fall cases—the insurance companies and their defense lawyers—deal with settlement proceedings every day. They have a detailed knowledge of the law, of how to obtain evidence, of what evidence matters, and of how much your case is probably worth. Trying to represent yourself places you at an immediate disadvantage in every step of the process of securing compensation for your injuries.

It is true in almost any case that a skilled slip and fall lawyer can get you more money in a slip and fall case settlement than you could get on your own, even after taking that lawyer's fee into account.

Here's another reason why you should never go without a lawyer in a Doral slip and fall case: with most slip and fall lawyers, it costs nothing to meet for an initial consultation to learn about your rights and options, and it costs nothing upfront to hire the lawyer to represent you.

Experienced Doral slip and fall attorneys offer potential clients a free consultation upfront, and they represent their clients on a contingent fee basis. This payment arrangement allows the attorney to go to work on your case without charging any legal fees upfront. Instead, they take their fee from a percentage of any money they secure on your behalf. In short: your slip and fall attorney only gets paid if you get paid.

Perhaps, but with a caveat—you are likely not going to be digging at your friend's personal funds for compensation. Your friend should have homeowners' insurance or other insurance that can be a source of compensation, and you might not even need to file a lawsuit to obtain an insurance payout. If it appears a lawsuit is necessary to recover compensation, you decide whether to proceed.

You should always feel free to tell your slip and fall lawyer about any personal concerns you have about pursuing legal action for compensation. A skilled Doral slip and fall attorney will understand the delicate situation of having to pursue compensation against a friend and can help to handle the situation in a way that does not force you to choose between a friendship and the money you need.

First and foremost, get the medical care you need as soon as possible. Falls can cause serious injuries, some of which may not show symptoms right away. Rather than waiting until you start to feel pain, go get checked out by a doctor immediately after any fall. The sooner you get a check-up, the better your odds of limiting the damage done by any injury, and the better your odds of securing the compensation you deserve.

Next, if possible, tell the property owner or occupant about your fall right away. As with seeking medical care, the sooner you do this, the better. It may become important in any legal action to establish that the property owner/occupant knew about your fall and the dangerous condition that caused it. Notifying the owner/occupant is the surest way to establish this. Be careful though not to get into a discussion about fault, or even about the details of the accident. Simply put them on notice that you had an accident on their property.

Finally, find an experienced Doral slip and fall accident attorney. You may do this even before putting the property owner or occupant on notice of your accident, such that your lawyer can reach out to them on your behalf. Getting an attorney as soon as possible can help you avoid any pitfalls that might hurt your case, and get your claim in process so you can recover the compensation you desperately need as soon as possible.

Falling simply because you lost your balance does not necessarily give you the right to hold anyone else responsible for your injuries. However, many slip and fall accidents take place as a result of negligence on the part of a business or property owner.

When businesses invite the public in, they have the duty to keep their premises in safe conditions for their customers. This includes inspecting the premises on a regular basis, addressing any possible hazards, or warning customers if hazards may exist. Courts can deem businesses that breach this duty negligent and legally liable for any injuries that result.

Examples of negligence in slip and fall cases include:

• Wet or slippery floors without proper warning
• Failure to clean spills or debris from the floor
• Ramps without railings or slip-proof flooring
• Carpets that slide or shift
• Worn flooring that becomes slippery