Tampa Slippery Conditions Lawyer
A slippery substance on a floor or sidewalk can easily lead to a slip-and-fall accident. Such falls often produce serious–and in some cases life-threatening–injuries that require emergency medical attention. The worst part is that many of these accidents could have been prevented if the property owner had taken prompt action to remedy the slippery condition.
If you find yourself in a situation where you have been hurt in a slip-and-fall accident where a property owner’s negligence was to blame, you can seek compensation under Florida law. The Tampa slippery conditions lawyer at Anderson & Anderson can investigate your accident and represent you in dealing with the property owner and their insurance company. You should not have to suffer further losses because a Tampa-area business or property owner failed to address a known slippery condition on their premises.
What Florida Law Says About Property Owners and Slippery Conditions
Under Section 768.0755 of the Florida Statutes, if a person sustains injuries in a slip-and-fall accident in a business establishment such as a hotel, restaurant, or store, they must prove the owner had “actual or constructive knowledge of the dangerous condition and should have taken action to remedy it.”
Actual knowledge is just what it sounds like–the owner knew there was a slippery condition and did nothing. Constructive knowledge means the owner should have known there was a slippery condition through the exercise of “ordinary care.” Essentially, the victim must prove that the slippery condition “existed for such a length of time” that the owner would have noticed just by looking, or that the “condition occurred with regularity and was therefore foreseeable.” For example, the owner of a store should foresee that every time it rains, the floors in front of the entrance to their stores are likely going to be wet.
If you can prove that you were harmed by a slippery condition that the property owner failed to correct before your fall, you can seek a variety of legal damages as compensation for your losses. These damages include:
- past and future medical expenses;
- physical therapy and other rehabilitation expenses;
- lost wages due to time missed from work;
- diminished earning capacity; and
- pain and suffering.
In some cases, a fall caused by slippery conditions results in a victim’s death. When that happens, the family and estate of the victim may seek compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit. Damages for wrongful death include the family’s loss of the victims financial and emotional support, as well as the victim’s final medical and burial expenses.
Contact Anderson & Anderson Today
Winning a slip-and-fall claim is often more involved than victims realize. Property owners are quick to claim they could not have known of the slippery condition, or that the victim was somehow at-fault for what happened. So if you have been recently injured in such an accident, it is important that you speak with a qualified Tampa slippery conditions lawyer as soon as possible. Call Anderson & Anderson today at 813-251-0072 or contact us online to schedule an initial consultation.
