Virginia Slip and Fall Lawyer

A Virginia slip and fall lawyer can provide you with important legal advice if you have been hurt or a loved one has died after a fall. Property owners have certain obligations to maintain their property in a safe way that prevents falls from occurring. Nursing homes also have obligations to care for their residents to prevent them from falling. Getting hurt on someone else’s property or in a nursing home facility, are two of the many situations in which you may want to contact a Virginia slip and fall lawyer to help recover compensation for  your losses.

Virginia Law on Slip and Fall Accidents

In order to make a successful personal injury or wrongful death claim, a plaintiff or their Virginia slip and fall lawyer must prove a defendant was negligent or otherwise failed to fulfill a legal duty. If a fall is fatal, surviving family members can file a wrongful death claim. In Virginia, any wrongful death claim must be brought in the name of the personal representative of the decedent.

Property owners owe a legal duty to people who come onto their property. The specific nature of this duty varies depending upon why the visitor is there.

• If you were hurt on a commercial property, the business owner or the renter of the space owed you the duty to use ordinary care to keep the premises in a reasonably safe condition for your use consistent with the purpose of being on their property. This means that if you get hurt in a store, hotel, or restaurant, you should be able to recover compensation for your injuries if you can prove that the owner or occupier knew, or should have known, of a hazardous conditions in an area where you were legally allowed to be, that caused you to fall, and that the owner or occupier failed to warn you about the condition or take action correct the problem.
• You can also pursue a claim for damages if you were on someone’s property as a casual social guest or even, in some cases, as a trespasser. Your Virginia slip and fall lawyer can evaluate how your fall happened and help you to determine against whom to pursue a claim for damages.

Slip and fall injuries commonly occur in nursing homes. If a nursing home was negligent in supervising residents, or failed to warn of a dangerous condition in the home, an injured person may be successful in pursuing a claim against the nursing home.

Slip and falls also commonly occur at work. If you fell down on the job, a workers’ compensation claim may be your best bet for obtaining compensation and medical benefits. Your slip and fall lawyer in Virginia can help you to determine what types of legal action can maximize your chances of recovery.

Contacting a Virginia Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer

Injuries from slipping and falling down are sometimes very serious. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that falls are the top cause of brain injury in America, and the Mayo Clinic attributes 1/4 of spinal cord injuries to falls.  These and other injuries can be costly to treat and can permanently change your life.

Contact a Virginia slip and fall accident lawyer for help understanding your rights, determining the strength of your case, putting together a strong claim, and pursuing compensation through a court trial or settlement.