Tampa Sidewalk Slip & Fall Lawyer
Walking down a sidewalk is not normally considered a dangerous activity. Yet every day people are injured when they slip and fall on a cracked or otherwise damaged sidewalk. And a sudden fall onto hard concrete often causes serious injury to the victim.
Whether the sidewalk is owned by the local government or a private business, the victim has the right to seek compensation under Florida law for their medical bills and other losses arising from these kinds of accidents. The Tampa sidewalk slip & fall lawyer at Anderson & Anderson can review your case and advise you on what steps to take next. Our Florida personal injury attorneys have over 35 years experience in helping accident victims seek civil justice following preventable accidents.
Who Is Legally Responsible for a Tampa Sidewalk Accident?
Sidewalk accidents are one of the trickier types of premises liability claims to deal with, in large part because it is often not immediately clear who legally owns or controls the sidewalk itself. Depending on state and local laws, the government itself may be the owner. Alternatively, a private property owner who controls the building or land adjacent to the sidewalk has the legal responsibility for its maintenance.
It actually matters quite a bit whether a sidewalk’s owner is public or private. This is because there are special rules in Florida governing personal injury claims against government entities. When a slip and fall accident occurs on a publicly owned sidewalk, the victim typically must first file an administrative claim with the government. The state or local government then has a period of time to conduct an investigation and potentially make a settlement offer. If the government rejects the claim, or the victim rejects the settlement offer, only then can the victim file a personal injury claim in court. Even then, state law caps the amount of compensation a victim may receive.
Such restrictions do not apply to sidewalk slip and fall claims against private property owners. Regardless of who owns the sidewalk, however, the victim must still prove that the owner was negligent. This means gathering and presenting evidence that there was a known dangerous condition on the sidewalk that either (1) the owner knew about and failed to correct or (2) the owner should have known about through the exercise of reasonable care, i.e., by regularly inspecting the sidewalk.
Contact Anderson & Anderson Today
In a successful sidewalk slip and fall claim, victims may seek compensation for their past and future medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering, among other economic and non-economic damages. Our Tampa sidewalk slip and fall lawyers can advise you on the value of your specific injuries following a full case review. Call Anderson & Anderson today at 813-251-0072 or contact us online to schedule an initial consultation.
