The first step is to get a free case evaluation with a slip and fall lawyer in Tampa, Florida. Simply fill out the contact form below. We will have one of our Tampa injury lawyers contact you to discuss your slip and fall accident case and claim value.
Slip & Fall – It Comes Down to a Simple Rule.
If a business invites you to their shop to sell you goods or services, its owners/employees need to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable experience. But what if a business violates safety rules and you get hurt? Then a Tampa slip and fall lawyer can help you recover what was taken away from you.
Your damages may include:
- The cost of medical bills
- Lost work time/lost wages
- Emotional pain and suffering
- Physical pain and suffering
- Permanent disability
- Chronic pain
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of ability to do activities that you used to be able to easily do (i.e. jogging, bicycling, boating, playing with your children or grandchildren, walking your dog, etc.)
The success of slip and fall accident legal matter depends on the unique circumstances of each case, therefore, we cannot guarantee particular results for future clients.
Stores Have a Legal Responsibility To Protect You From Slip And Fall Accidents!
Specifically, Florida law requires a business or property owner to:
Keep his or her premises in a reasonably safe condition, fix dangerous conditions on the property that the business knew about or should have known about, and warn customers/visitors about any dangerous conditions.
If a business or property owner did not fulfill these requirements, then he or she acted negligently — and you may have a personal injury case.
Initial Steps Our Tampa Slip And Fall Lawyers Take In Every Case
Remember, a slip and fall accident happens at a building is in owner (aka the defendant) controls. A wily corporation can remedy the problem or otherwise destroy evidence, making your Tampa personal injury case much more difficult to prove.
A slip and fall attorney is a type of personal injury attorney who specifically knows how to take on big businesses like a restaurant or a grocery store.
Therefore, the name of the game in Tampa Bay slip and fall injury cases is to move fast. In every slip and fall case, we do the following:
- Secure pictures and videos of the scene of the slip and fall accident.
- Seek witness statements from employees of the business and other people at the scene.
- Send spoliation letters to the business demanding that its associates not destroy any evidence of slip and fall accident.
- Seek insurance policy premiums from the business and/or any other responsible party or parties.
- Hire accident reconstructionists and safety experts as needed.
- Ensure you get the best possible medical treatment and get your resulting bills covered as much as possible.
- Our slip and fall lawyers work with your treatment providers from the beginning to ensure a coordinated plan of legal attack that also gets your medical needs met.
- Review the complete facts of your case and make the phone calls necessary to try to keep your slip and fall accident case out of the courtroom.
Prevent unnecessary courtroom litigation if possible; however, your experienced Tampa slip and fall attorney is not afraid to go to trial if this will get you the compensation you deserve.
Big Tampa Stores We Have Successfully Fought And Won
- Publix
- Wal-Mart
- Target
- K-Mart
- Marshall’s
- Westshore Shopping Mall
- JCPenney
- 7-11
- Memorial Hospital of Tampa
- Bars, restaurants, and clubs
- Private homeowners
Situations Where a Business Owner Or Homeowner Can Be Held Responsible For A Slip And Fall Accident In Tampa
- Wet floors
- Foreign substances on the floor
- Slippery floors
- Boxes or open merchandise left on the floor
- Uneven floors
- Insufficiently lit walkways or stairways
- Not enough lighting in other areas of the premises and/or avoidable problems with existing lighting such as burned-out light bulbs
- Stairs that are not up to code
- Poorly maintained sidewalks
- Poorly maintained parking lots
- Assault
- Insufficient or negligent security
Real-Life Case Example: A Slip And Fall Case Against South Tampa Wal-Mart (Near I-275)
A client of ours injured his shoulder at a Tampa Wal-Mart after he slipped and fell on a foreign substance on the floor in the produce section.
Despite the chaos, our client’s wife was smart enough to snap a picture of the foreign substance on the floor. It was clear that Wal-Mart employees should have known about the dangerous condition and fixed the problem. For whatever reason, they failed to do so. And now, Wal-Mart as a corporation was legally responsible (or liable) for this man’s injury.
Our client tried conservative treatment, but ultimately surgery was the only way to fix his injured shoulder.
Now, the local Wal-Mart employees were nice enough to my client at the scene. Insurance company adjusters were also uncharacteristically nice to him on the phone.
But Wal-Mart is a big business with a procedure in place to avoid paying out money after slip and fall accidents. They are experienced at hiring experts to help them save money and expect people to feel intimidated by these experts. In other words, they expect an injured person to simply go away and not pursue his or her claim in a court of law.
So, our client’s injury claim was sent to Wal-Mart’s corporate headquarters in Arkansas for review. From there, a claims representative tried to settle the case with our client (even though he was represented by a personal injury attorney; that’s another example of how unethical big businesses are when it comes to saving money) for $400!
From there, Wal-Mart battled with us every step of the way. We did not give up. We filed a lawsuit, proved our client’s pain and suffering, proved that Wal-Mart was legally responsible for his injury, and settled the case for $165,000.
Do I Have A Case If The Business Claims I Am At Fault?
What if the business owner claims that you contributed to your slip and fall injuries?
Florida is a comparative fault state. That means if you are partially responsible for your own injuries, then your economic claim is reduced proportionally according to your fault.
However, you still have a case. The value of your case is simply reduced to account for your share of the blame.
For example, let’s assume that your slip and fall injury case results in a $500,000 settlement claim award for you. But the evidence proves you were 20% at fault in the accident.
In this case, the award for the settlement is simply reduced by the amount that you were at fault. Or 20% of $500,000, which reduces the net settlement claim in your slip and fall case to $400,000.
Do I Have To Pay Money Upfront for Slip and Fall Case?
In the situations we’ve been discussing in this article, no.
Denmon Pearlman only gets money if you do.
Once you decide to work with us, you will sign a retainer agreement/contract. The agreement will state clearly the contingency fee (basically a percentage of the settlement or award that your lawyer receives as payment for his or her services) for which you are responsible. This is usually 33.33% if there is no trial, or 40% if there is a trial.
Again, for personal injury cases like a slip and fall there is no upfront money that you will have to pay.
In the rare event, we cannot get money for you, you pay nothing.
What Other Types Of Personal Injuries Can An Experienced Denmon Pearlman Attorney Handle For You?
- Dog bites: cases with dog bites are much easier to win claims for, as the owner is much more naturally liable for these types of accidents under Florida statutes than a store would be in a Tampa slip and fall case.
- Accidents bicycle: bicycle accidents are naturally devastating, even when the rider is wearing a helmet.
- Nursing home abuse: these types of cases can be hard to prove — but if you have witnesses and/or documents that so-called caregivers abused or neglected your loved one, then you and your family are entitled to compensation.
- Negligent nursing practices
- Burn caused by fire or chemicals
- Robbery or assault: while at a store or other location with negligent security; under Florida law, a business is responsible for hiring the best employees to protect its customers.
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- School bus accidents
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI): brain injuries are serious and often life-long; these are often caused by a Tampa slip and fall or a car accident.
