When you venture out of your home and are spending time at a friend's house or at a commercial property, you should have the expectation that the property has been properly maintained and, as such, is safe for you and your family. However, lack of maintenance can cause residential or commercial properties to deteriorate, leading to serious accidents and severe injury.
If you or a loved one has suffered a fall due to the negligence of a property owner, you may have rights to file a premises liability lawsuit. Please contact Jeffress Law today by calling 303-632-9748. Our attorney, Christopher W. Jeffress, can draw upon his 25 years of experience to help you seek the maximum compensation to get you or your loved one back to normal and healed.
What Are The Most Common Slip-And-Fall Injuries?
In Colorado, homeowners and business owners are responsible for maintaining their property to ensure it's safe. When they fail to do this, and another person is injured, they can be held liable for damages and medical expenses.
A slip and fall injury can have long-term consequences and should not be taken lightly. According to the CDC, one in five falls results in a serious injury that can make it hard to get around or complete other daily tasks. Common injuries caused by such accidents include:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Brain injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Broken wrists, arms, and ankles
- Fractured hips and knees
- Abrasions and lacerations
- Meniscus, tendon, or ligament tears
Some of these injuries occur more often than others. It may come as a surprise to learn that falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries ahead of car crashes and other accidents.
The effects of a serious fall can also be psychological. Some people become very fearful of falling again. This can lead them to become less active and withdraw from their social lives.
Conditions That Cause Slip & Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents often happen because of unsafe property conditions, such as:
- Wet or freshly mopped floors, spilled liquids, and icy walkways that create slick surfacesÂ
- Uneven pavement, cracked sidewalks, loose floorboards, and torn carpeting that cause someone to lose their footing
- Poor lighting in stairwells, parking lots, or hallways that make hazards harder to see.
- Missing handrails, unstable steps, and cluttered walkways.
In some cases, inadequate maintenance or failure to fix known issues allows these dangers to persist, putting visitors, customers, and tenants at risk of serious injury.
Liability in Slip & Fall Accidents
The fault for your slip and fall accident may rest with many different parties. Most often, property owners are legally responsible for slip and fall accidents. However, liability can also fall to:
- Landowners
- Property managers
- Tenants/occupiers
- Municipalities
It may not be enough to show that you were hurt by a hazardous property condition. In general, you must also prove that the responsible party knew or should have known about the condition.
What to Do Immediately After a Slip & Fall Injury
There are a few steps you should take immediately after a slip-and-fall. Sometimes, it is not possible to complete them all due to the severity of your injuries or various other circumstances.
In general, these are the things you should do right after a slip and fall injury:
- Seek medical treatment
- Report the accident
- Take photos
- Get contact information from witnesses
- Avoid giving a recorded statement
- Save all documents and pieces of evidence
- Contact an attorney for additional directions
The right response can support your recovery and any future legal claim. Meanwhile, an incorrect response can jeopardize your rights and make it difficult to obtain compensation.
How Common Are Slip and Fall Injuries?
Slip and fall injuries are very common. Take a look at these statistics from the CDC:
- Over 800,000 patients are hospitalized each year due to falls
- One out of five falls causes a serious injury
- Medical costs for fall injuries in 2015 totaled over $50 billion
A few facts from the National Floor Safety Institute help paint an even clearer picture. Slips and falls account for over 1 million hospital emergency room visits. Meanwhile, floors and flooring materials contribute to more than 2 million fall injuries each year.
Put simply, falls happen all the time. They are nothing to be embarrassed about. What matters is taking the right steps to protect both your health and your financial future after a slip-and-fall.
Statute of Limitations for Boulder Slip & Fall Cases
In Colorado, most slip and fall claims must be filed within two years from the date of the injury. This deadline generally applies to premises liability cases involving unsafe property conditions. If the claim is against a government entity, shorter notice requirements may apply. Missing the statute of limitations can prevent you from recovering compensation, so acting promptly is important.
Preparing for a Slip & Fall Case
When you hire an attorney, you are hiring the lawyer to resolve your case. You should focus on your medical and physical recovery. There are, however, some things you can do to help your case:
- Get medical attention. Have the injury checked out by your doctor if you haven't already. Fulfill all of the doctor's orders, such as surgery, treatments, medications, etc.
- Keep all documentation. Hold onto medical bills, insurance company communication, witness information – anything and everything that could be relevant to your case.
- Save photos. If you took photos of your injury, the accident scene, or the location after the slip-and-fall, save them and, preferably, back them up.
Why Choose Jeffress Law for a Slip & Fall Accident Lawyer in Boulder, CO?
Jeffress Law brings decades of focused personal injury experience to slip-and-fall cases in Boulder, CO. Christopher W. Jeffress began his career defending insurance companies in 1991, giving him firsthand insight into how insurers evaluate and challenge claims. Since 1994, his firm has represented injured individuals exclusively, handling slip-and-fall incidents, wrongful death, and other serious injury cases.
Mr. Jeffress's trial background includes multimillion-dollar verdicts and numerous reported decisions. He will review your case for free and operates on a contingency-fee basis, meaning he doesn't charge anything up front, nor does he collect his fee unless he wins a cash award or settlement for you.Â
FAQs
If it is determined and proven that the slip-and-fall victim contributed to their injuries, any financial recovery may be reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to them. Texting, forgetting to wear prescription glasses that day, doing something careless - these things could be seen as contributing to the slip and fall.
As the victim of a serious injury, you probably want to resolve the matter as quickly as possible so you can try to move on with your life. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict how long it will take to resolve any particular claim.
In general, personal injury cases may require several months or longer to resolve. Some of the most involved cases can stretch a year or longer.
The amount of compensation you can collect after a slip and fall depends on several factors, including the severity of your injury, whether you can return to work, and the cost of your current and future medical care. Our attorney will calculate the full impact of your injury.
Keep in mind that accepting the first settlement offer from the insurance company means accepting less money than you deserve. It is important to fight for full and fair compensation.
Yes, you may be able to file a claim if a business failed to address hazardous ice or snow within a reasonable time. Property owners in Colorado have a duty to maintain reasonably safe conditions for customers and visitors. If they knew or should have known about the dangerous accumulation and did not take appropriate action, they may be held responsible for resulting injuries.
Strong evidence can significantly impact your claim. Photographs or videos of the hazard, incident reports, witness statements, and medical records are often critical. Surveillance footage, maintenance logs, and weather records may also help establish how long the dangerous condition existed. Prompt documentation of your injuries and the scene can strengthen your position when seeking compensation.
To prove negligence, you must show that the property owner owed you a duty of care, failed to meet that duty, and caused your injuries as a result. This often involves demonstrating that the owner knew or should have known about the hazardous condition and did not correct it or provide adequate warning. Evidence of poor maintenance or ignored complaints can support your claim.
Many slip-and-fall cases are resolved through settlement negotiations before trial. Insurance companies often prefer to settle when liability and damages are clear. However, if a fair agreement cannot be reached, your case may proceed to court. An attorney can prepare for trial while also pursuing meaningful settlement discussions on your behalf.
In some cases, you may recover compensation for emotional distress brought on by a slip and fall. Anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, or fear of falling again can be considered as part of your damages. Medical documentation, therapy records, and personal testimony can demonstrate how the accident has affected your mental and emotional well-being.
Discuss Your Case Today
For help with your slip-and-fall injury, please contact Jeffress Law today by entering your information in the contact form on this page or calling us at 303-632-9748. We are happy to serve clients in Boulder, Longmont, Fort Collins, Loveland, and the surrounding metro area.
