Legal Advice For Slips and Falls on Water or Liquid

If you have slipped and fallen on water, liquid or another substance, and injured yourself, you will want to speak to a lawyer who is experienced in slip and fall cases. Water or liquid on the ground can be dangerous because it decreases the co-efficiancy of friction and makes it more likely that someone will slip and fall and injure themselves. Attorneys that handle slip and fall cases are familiar with the dangers of slippery conditions. The types of injuries are varied and is usually determined by the part of the body which hits the ground first. Often the victim of a slip will put his or her hand out to brace themselves resulting in a wrist, arm, or shoulder injury. It is also common to have head, back, hip or leg fractures and serious injuries from such falls. If the slip victim is able to get up on their own, they often do so, and leave the scene without getting the names of witnesses or making a report. This is usually because the victim is embarrassed, or does not immediately realize the extent of the injuries suffered. Whenever possible though, a report should be made and witnesses identified. Such will be helpful later, though the lack of doing so is not a bar to recovery. One of the most important things that a lawyer will have to do when handling a slip and fall case is to determine the origin, or cause, of the water, liquid or foreign substance which caused the fall. To prove a case, it will have to be shown that the defendant either caused the condition to be on the floor (created the condition), knew it was on the floor (had actual notice of the condition), or should have known it was on the floor (such is called constructive notice). A defendant may have created the condition by mopping the area, spilling something, or allowing a liquid to flow from a hose or by other means. The defendant may have obtained actual notice of the condition by actually seeing it, or by someone telling them of the problem. A defendant will be charged with constructive notice of a slippery condition where it existed for a significant enough period of time that they should have learned of it in the ordinary course of business. For example if Customer A in the supermarket sees a puddle on the floor, and then 20 minutes passes before customer B slips on the puddle. The supermarket will be charged with constructive notice for failing to notice and clean the puddle in the 20 minutes that passed. A defendant's knowledge of a recurring condition may also result in constructive notice. For example, if it is known that the ceiling drips every time it rains, causing a puddle below, the property owner will be charged with constructive notice of the regularly reoccurring condition. If you have slipped and injured yourself you should contact an attorney experienced in handling slip and fall cases. At Zalman Schnurman & Miner we have such experience. We are happy to provide a free legal consultation, and to discuss your slip and fall case with you. - Marc Miner, Esq. Zalman Schnurman & Miner P.C. is a New York law firm that concentrates in personal injury actions such as slips and falls on water, slips on ice, slips and falls on foreign substances, slips on garbage, slips and falls on debris, slips in stores, slips and falls in homes, slips in apartment buildings, slips and falls in restaurants, stairway accidents, slips and falls at construction sites, premises liability, trip and falls, slip and falls, snow and ice cases, serious injuries, and traumatic brain injuries, including many other injury cases. Learn more at www.1800Lawline.com, or contact us at 1-800-LAWLINE, or 1-800-529-5463 Zalman Schnurman & Miner P.C. handles personal injury actions in New York City, Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Westchester County, and Rockland County. We can often refer you to attorneys in other areas that we have worked with in the past. The information provided here is for informational purposes only and is not meant as legal advice or to cover all possible facts or factors. An attorney should be consulted to discuss specific facts and laws.