If you ask people to name a reason for a personal injury lawsuit, “slip and fall” will be a common answer. These types of cases refer an incident where a person was injured after slipping or falling due to a hazard that could have been prevented.
The most difficult part of a slip and fall case is proving that the property owner acted (or didn’t act) in the way that a reasonable person would to avoid causing injury. For example, if there was a leak in the roof of a grocery store that dripped water onto the slippery floor below, a reasonable, responsible person would try to keep the area dry, put up a sign, and take action to repair the roof as soon as possible.
If a customer falls and breaks an ankle, they would have a hard time demonstrating that the owner of the store was irresponsible, as long as they had taken those steps. However, if nothing had been done about the problem, there may be a valid argument for negligence.
An experienced personal injury attorney can provide more information regarding slip and fall cases.