Did you slip on a slippery substance and have a bad fall as a result? Were you injured in a fall resulting from a defect on a floor or sidewalk? Who should be held responsible in such cases?

What is a Slip and Fall Accident?

The term ‘slip and fall’ is used to refer to accidents that result when a person trips or slips on someone else’s property. These cases therefore fall under what is known as premises liability. The accidents often involve a person being injured on property that is maintained or owned by another party. In some cases, the property owner can be held responsible for the injuries.

Slip and fall accidents involve a variety of conditions that can be considered dangerous including torn carpets, narrow stairs, poor lighting, slippery or wet floors. Trips may also occur on cracked or uneven sidewalks. Slips or trips may also occur as a result of natural conditions such as snow, ice, rain or other hidden hazards.

Liability and Proving Fault

Proving that someone else should be held legally responsible for the injuries you suffered in a slip and fall accident can be difficult. In these cases, the injured party must prove that the accident was caused as a result of dangerous conditions that the property owner knew or should have known about. It helps if your attorney can prove that any reasonable person who owns or manages a property similar to the defendant’s would have removed or repaired the dangerous condition upon discovering it.

In many cases, people file claims based on the defendant’s failure to fix the dangerous condition. This is a difficult case in which to prove liability. This is because negligence claims hinge on proving that the defendant did not act reasonably. You must show that the owner does not make thorough or regular effort to keep the property clean and safe and that he specifically failed to cure the known dangerous condition that caused plaintiff’s injury.

What to Do

If you or someone you know has been involved in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, you should get in touch with a lawyer as soon as possible to help you file your claim. A lawyer will help examine your case and determine the best approach.

Be sure to seek medical attention soon after the accident. Do not wait for too long. This will ensure that the injuries related to the accident are identified and documented.

The results of medical malpractice can range in severity from a short-term inconvenience to death. In some cases, victims of malpractice are never even aware that a mistake has occurred. Doctors often cover their mistakes by claiming they are normal potential outcomes. If you suspect that you have been the victim of medical malpractice our Charleston medical malpractice attorneys can help you.

Types of Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice can occur in any type of health care setting. Some examples of the various types of medical malpractice include:

• Medication error
• Surgical error
• Emergency room malpractice
• Birth injury
• Nursing home malpractice
• Psychiatric malpractice
• Dental malpractice
• Cosmetic surgery errors
• Failure to diagnose cancer
• Failure to diagnose heart attack or stroke
• Failure to diagnose other conditions
• Gastric bypass errors

Consequences of Medical Malpractice

The consequences of medical malpractice typically depend on the type of malpractice involved and can include:

• Worsening of a condition
• Failure to improve
• Extended recovery time
• Infections
• Medication overdose or other adverse reaction
• A second, worse episode of an event such as heart attack
• Shortened life span
• Loss of limb or organ
• Brain injury
• Permanent disability
• Disfigurement
• Death

If you or a loved one has been inured due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, please call our Charleston injury attorneys or submit an online questionnaire. The initial consultation with our personal injury lawyers is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your case, in most cases we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary recovery of funds. In many cases, a personal injury lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. Please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.