Hollywood, FL, a jewel in Broward County, is celebrated for its pristine beaches, eclectic downtown, and the famed ArtsPark. But falls can occur without warning, turning a day of work or enjoyment into a long-term battle with injury.
Slip and fall accidents can lead to serious injuries, chronic pain, inability to work, and significant medical expenses. Fortunately, the law is on your side if you sustain injuries on someone else’s property due to their negligence. 1-800-Injured connects you with established slip-and-fall accident lawyers in Hollywood. Contact us today to get started.
Places Where Slip and Fall Accidents Occur in Hollywood, FL
You can fall virtually anywhere, but there are certain places where these accidents are more likely to happen due to higher foot traffic, environmental conditions, or specific hazards. This includes:
- Retail stores and shopping malls: spilled liquids, uneven flooring, or cluttered aisles in stores and malls
- Grocery stores: wet floors due to spills or cleaning
- Restaurants and bars: spilled drinks or food, as well as freshly mopped floors
- Workplaces: exposed wires, wet floors, or uneven surfaces
- Public sidewalks and streets: cracks, uneven pavement, ice, and snow
- Parking lots and garages: poor lighting, potholes, and slippery surfaces due to oil or ice
- Residential properties: loose carpeting, cluttered stairways, or icy walkways
- Hospitals and nursing homes: spilled liquids, recently waxed floors, and the general mobility of patients and elderly individuals
- Swimming pools: wet and slippery surfaces around pools
- Hotels and resorts: hazards in hallways, bathrooms, pool areas, and dining spaces
How to Recover Compensation After a Hollywood Slip and Fall Accident?
Personal injury victims have several legal options to obtain compensation primarily based on the concept of premises liability, which holds property owners, managers, or occupiers responsible for maintaining safe conditions.
To begin, you must report the accident to the person in charge. If it’s a business, they might have a formal incident report to fill out. Take photos of the accident scene, especially what caused the fall. If there were any witnesses, get their contact details. Your phone can be handy here for quick note-taking and pictures.
Even if you feel okay, get checked by a doctor. Some injuries are not immediately apparent, and a treatment record will be vital for your claim. Keep a record of all medical visits, treatments, and expenses related to the injury. If you miss work, note the lost days and wages.
If the insurance company offers a quick settlement, consult with your fall accident lawyer before accepting. It may be much less than what you could get with a proper personal injury claim.
What Is a Premises Liability Claim?
All slip and fall claims fall under premises liability. It is the legal responsibility of property owners and occupiers to ensure their property is safe for visitors. This includes residential, commercial, and public properties.
The core of a premises liability claim is the “duty of care.” This means property owners must take reasonable steps to maintain a safe environment. This duty varies depending on the type of visitor:
Invitees
People invited to the property, like customers in a store, are owed the highest duty of care. Owners must regularly inspect the property and fix or warn about hazards.
Licensees
Guests for social reasons (like friends visiting a home) must be warned about known dangers, but owners do not need to inspect for potential hazards.
Trespassers
The lowest duty of care is owed to trespassers, but Florida property owners cannot willfully harm them.
How Do I Win a Slip and Fall Accident Claim in Hollywood?
To win a fall claim, accident victims with severe injuries must prove the property owner’s negligence. This means showing that the owner knew or should have known about the hazard and failed to address it, which resulted in your fall injuries.
This is how a personal injury attorney will prove this:
- First, the fall attorneys will show that the property owner had a duty to ensure the safety of the premises.
- Next, they will demonstrate that the owner failed to uphold their duty of care. This means proving that a reasonable person in the same situation would have taken steps to prevent the hazard.
- They will prove that the owner’s negligence directly caused the accident resulting in injuries to the fall victims. For example, if you slipped due to a wet floor that should have been marked with a warning sign, they will prove that the wet floor was the direct cause of your fall.
- They will also establish that the property or business owner knew or should have reasonably known about the hazard and did nothing to rectify it. Evidence like incident reports, maintenance records, or witness statements can support your claim.
- They will provide medical records and expert testimony to make a compelling victim argument and prove that your injuries suffered were a direct result of the slip and fall.
What Is Florida’s Updated Comparative Negligence Rule?
Comparative negligence, also known as comparative fault, is the new system — adopted in 2023 — used to determine the amount of fault each party holds in an accident. In fall accident claims, this rule considers the extent to which the injured party may have contributed to their own accident.
Each party’s level of responsibility for the fall is assigned a percentage as part of the legal claim. For instance, if a court finds that the injured party was 20% at fault for not paying attention to a warning sign, and the property owner was 80% at fault for a wet floor that led to your broken bones or neck injuries, the fault is split proportionately.
In Florida, as of 2023, accident victims can recover damages only if they are found to be less than 50% responsible for the accident. If you are deemed 51% or more liable, you will not be eligible to seek compensation from the other parties involved.
Get Connected to Experienced Hollywood Slip-and-Fall lawyers
Having legal representation from a slip-and-fall attorney can significantly increase your chances of recovering financial compensation. If the accident occurred due to another’s negligence, the injured person should have a strong fall lawyer slip and trip injury claim representation. An attorney from a dedicated law firm takes the following actions on your behalf:
- Evaluates the merits of your claim, considering the details of the accident and the extent of your injuries
- Collects evidence such as photos of the scene, witness statements, and surveillance footage
- Identifies all parties who may be liable for your serious injuries, which might include property owners, managers, or even third-party contractors
- Handles all necessary legal paperwork and deadlines set by the new statute of limitations
- Calculates your total damages, including medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering
- Negotiates with the insurers and defendants, while remaining prepared to go to trial
If negotiating with insurance companies does not work and your slip-and-fall case goes to trial, your personal injury lawyer can represent you in court. 1-800-Injured is a lawyer and medical referral directory. Call 1-800-Injured or fill out this form to reach us.
DISCLAIMER: 1-800-Injured is an attorney and medical referral service.