Slip-and-fall accidents can cause painful and potentially chronic injuries. These may lead to significant medical bills, lost wages, and changes to your quality of life. Property owners are legally responsible for maintaining a safe environment for visitors and guests. If someone else’s careless actions or inaction cause an accident, you deserve fair compensation for your injuries – and a Jackson slip-and-fall lawyer can help you.

At Brach Eichler Injury Lawyers, our Jackson Township slip-and-fall accident attorneys work with injured accident victims to manage claims and cases related to incidents involving hazards and dangerous property conditions. We carefully review your situation and outline your legal options for holding careless property owners accountable.

After a Jackson slip-and-fall accident, contact an experienced attorney who can protect your legal rights and put you in the best position to recover maximum compensation for your injuries.

Do I Need a Jackson Slip-and-Fall Lawyer?

Yes. After the initial shock and awkwardness of a fall wears off, people often find themselves suffering from painful and devastating injuries after a slip-and-fall accident. These injuries can cause chronic pain and long-lasting medical problems that affect their mobility, quality of life, and financial stability. An attorney can help an accident victim pursue the money they need to get their life back on track.

Property owners and insurers are notorious for dodging responsibility and denying fair compensation to accident victims. A Jackson slip-and-fall lawyer understands their tactics to limit liability and push you into accepting pennies for your losses. An attorney advocates for you, protecting your rights and building a claim backed by evidence to help you achieve a favorable outcome.

Understanding Jackson Slip-and-Fall Accidents

Slip-and-fall accidents are a subcategory of premises liability law. In New Jersey, land and property owners are legally responsible for maintaining a reasonably safe environment for invitees and licensees. These individuals have implied or explicit permission to be on the landowner’s property.

When an accident occurs due to negligence, anyone who controls, maintains, or owns the property may be liable for compensating a slip-and-fall accident victim for their injuries. Those who may be wholly or partially responsible for a slip-and-fall accident can include:

• Property owners
• Landlords
• Property managers
• Easement owners
• Contractors

In New Jersey, the property owner’s liability towards an accident victim is determined by the relationship between the owner and the injured individual. Again, those with implied or explicit permission to enter a property, like invitees and licensees, can generally file a claim seeking compensation for their injuries after a dangerous slip-and-fall incident. The same legal rights do not extend to trespassers or those who enter a property without permission from the property owner.

Common Causes of Jackson Slip-and-Fall Accidents

A fall can happen at any time and anywhere. However, slip-and-fall accidents are caused by unsafe or dangerous conditions on a property that an owner knows about, fails to address, or should reasonably know about. Some of the most common causes of Jackson Township slip-and-fall accidents include:

• Wet or slippery surfaces
• Spills
• Freshly mopped or waxed floors
• Ice and snow
• Uneven or damaged walking surfaces
• Cracked sidewalks or pavement
• Loose floorboards or tiles
• Torn carpets or rugs
• Broken or uneven steps
• Potholes
• Dimly lit stairwells or hallways
• Obstructions in walkways
• Loose electrical cords, wires
• Boxes or merchandise left on the floor
• Clutter or debris
• Missing or broken handrails
• No warning signs around hazards
• Unsafe ladders or scaffolding
• Spills in industrial kitchens or warehouses

These unsafe conditions may occur at grocery stores, retail stores, apartments, offices, restaurants, hotels, workplaces, and private homes or residences.

Injuries Common in Slip-and-Fall Accidents

Slip-and-fall accidents can cause serious injuries. The National Safety Council lists falls as the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related fatalities in the U.S. Shockingly, 46,653 people died in falls at home and work in one recent year. Falls can cause substantial injuries that can impact a person’s lifestyle and ability to work, lowering their quality of life and causing significant financial uncertainty. Some of the most common injuries associated with slip-and-fall accidents include:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Neck and back problems
• Broken bones, especially hands, wrists, hips, and ankles
• Dislocations
• Soft tissue damage
• Abrasions
• Contusions
• Lacerations

Traumatic injuries and financial instability caused by a Jackson slip-and-fall accident can also lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

Compensation for a Slip-and-Fall Accident

The value of a slip-and-fall claim varies depending on the specific factors of the incident. No one can tell you what your claim is worth without carefully reviewing your situation, getting to know you, and how your injuries impact your well-being and quality of life. Compensation that you may be entitled to recover after a slip-and-fall accident can include:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Loss of earning capacity
• Pain and suffering

It is vital to speak with an attorney who can help estimate the value of your situation instead of accepting a speedy settlement offer from an insurer not invested in your best interests.

Is There a Time Limit for Filing a Slip-and-Fall Lawsuit?

Yes. There is a strict legal time limit for filing a slip-and-fall accident lawsuit. New Jersey law gives accident victims two years from the accident date to file a case pursuing compensation for their injuries. Securing legal representation as soon as possible is crucial because filing a case after the deadline passes means the opposing side can request that the court dismiss your case, a request courts generally grant. You lose all negotiating leverage, and the court will not hear your case.

FAQs

Have questions about your slip-and-fall claim? Our Jackson premises liability attorneys can help. Here are the answers to some of the most common questions we receive – reach out to learn more!

How can I prove negligence in a slip and fall accident case in Jackson?

Careless property owners can be held accountable for failing to provide patrons, guests, and visitors with a safe environment. However, proving negligence in a slip-and-fall accident case means establishing a few key legal elements.

The first element shows that the property owner owed you a duty of care or the legal responsibility for maintaining safe premises for lawful visitors. Next, you must establish that the property owner violated that duty by failing to reasonably address dangerous conditions on their property that they knew about or should have known about. The third element of proving liability is showing that the property owner’s actions or lack of action directly caused the slip-and-fall accident. Finally, you must prove that the fall caused harm and measurable losses.

Proving these four elements requires evidence such as an accident report, videos or pictures of the scene, witness statements, and medical records.

What challenges do I face in filing a slip and fall claim in Jackson, and how can a lawyer help me overcome them?

Property owners and insurance companies do not want to dip into their pockets to pay substantial slip-and-fall claims to accident victims. Often, they use aggressive tactics to get vulnerable accident victims to settle for lowball initial settlements. Landowners or insurers may attempt to shift the blame, accusing the victim of careless behavior or saying they were responsible for causing their injuries.

Common strategies include claiming the victim was at fault, that there were open and obvious dangers, or that the victim knew and assumed the risk of an accident. These tactics can help diminish the value of a claim or give an insurer an opening to deny the claim outright. A Jackson slip-and-fall attorney can fight these tactics and gather and preserve valuable evidence that supports your claim for maximum compensation for your injuries. When there are challenges, a knowledgeable attorney has the experience and resources to overcome them, giving you the best chance at a favorable outcome.

Can I file a slip and fall claim in Jackson if the property owner denies responsibility for my injuries?

Unfortunately for slip-and-fall accident victims, property owners denying responsibility for injuries is common. Many property owners and insurers will attempt to deny fault upfront. This can discourage accident victims from exercising their legal rights and seeking fair compensation for their injuries. However, a property owner denying fault does not prevent you from filing a New Jersey slip-and-fall accident claim or personal injury lawsuit.

You have the right to pursue compensation for your injuries. Working with a Jackson slip-and-fall attorney is crucial because an attorney can advocate for you, gather necessary evidence, and protect your legal rights, even when the other party claims the accident is the victim’s fault, denies knowledge of the dangerous condition, or claims the hazard was open and obvious.

Contact a New Jersey Slip-and-Fall Accident Lawyer Now for Help

A slip-and-fall accident can cause pain and serious injuries. You deserve to seek fair compensation for your injuries and hold careless property owners responsible for their actions. At Brach Eichler Injury Lawyers, our Jackson slip-and-fall lawyers provide effective, high-quality legal representation, personalizing our strategies to the unique aspects of your situation.

We know that to our clients, results matter. Contact our office online or call (973) 364-8300 to arrange a free consultation with a fall injury lawyer in Jackson.