New Jersey Slip and Fall Attorneys

When a person slips or trips and then falls, how they fall and the surface they fall onto can both be significant factors in determining how severe the injuries caused by the fall will be.  Many slip and fall accident cases center on dangerous property conditions and whether property owners were aware of such hazards. People who have been involved in slip and fall accidents need to understand that property owners and their insurance companies will both be very likely to claim that you were the party at fault for your accident.

If you suffered catastrophic injuries or your loved one was killed in a slip and fall accident anywhere in New Jersey, you do not want to wait to find an experienced personal injury lawyer who has handled these types of cases. Brach Eichler Injury Lawyers has helped scores of people hurt in slip and fall accidents get justice.

Our firm can take quick action to preserve your legal rights and fight to help you recover all of the compensation you are entitled to. We can answer all of your legal questions when you call (973) 364-8300 or contact us online to set up a free consultation.

Do I Need A Slip and Fall Lawyer?

Both the property owner and their insurance company are likely to argue that you were at fault for your slip and fall accident, so you will immediately be dealing with a situation in which you will have to prove that another party was to blame for your accident. You will want to seek an attorney for assistance with this because they can conduct their own independent investigation that will be incredibly beneficial to you.

A lawyer is going to know what kinds of evidence to seek during this investigation, but you must keep in mind that you can often get some of the most important types of evidence in these cases when you can take pictures of your accident scene. Keep in mind that many public property owners will quickly correct the dangers that caused falls, and evidence will disappear, but your photographs of a dangerous scene will often be sufficient for demonstrating what caused your accident.

You will also want to have an attorney deal with an insurance company for you because you cannot trust the insurer to ever be on your side, even when agents are trying very hard to relate to you and act sympathetic. Representatives from insurance companies could present their conversations as just being attempts to gather information, but many of the questions you could be asked are specifically designed to elicit damaging responses that may be recorded and used against you.

An insurance company could also go a different route and quickly offer you a lump sum amount to settle your case, but this figure is almost always a mere fraction of what you are entitled to. You will want a lawyer who will always be on your side and committed to securing only a just settlement to your case, and they can file a lawsuit when an acceptable settlement offer is not presented.

Why Choose Brach Eichler Injury Lawyers To Handle My Slip and Fall Case?

Brach Eichler Injury Lawyers has recovered more than $425 million for our clients. Our firm was ranked a Top 40 Law Firm by the New Jersey Law Journal.

Edward P. Capozzi is a member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, who recovered least one (and as many as three) of the top 20 verdicts or settlements in New Jersey every year from 2012 to 2018. Super Lawyers Magazine named him a Super Lawyer every year between 2011 and 2018.

Keith J. Roberts is a member of the Health and Hospital Law Section of the New Jersey Bar Association, Bergen County Bar Association, and New Jersey chapter of the American Trial Lawyers Association. Charles X. Gormally has been certified as a civil trial attorney by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Slip and Fall Cases We Handle in New Jersey

A slip and fall accident will often result in a premises liability claim, which is an area of law that relates to injuries suffered because of dangerous or defective property conditions. As it relates to premises liability claims, people are often classified into one of three groups:

• Invitees — People invited onto the property by the property owner, often for the mutual benefit of both parties. Members of the public on premises open to the public are considered invitees. Invitees and business guests are the only parties that property owners owe the duty of care to guard against dangerous conditions that the property owner knew about or should have known of.
• Licensees — People on the property with the consent of the property owner, but typically for their own benefit, such as a meter reader. Property owners must warn licensees about dangerous property conditions they know of but are not expected to conduct additional inspections to discover any hazards.
• Trespassers — People on the property without the consent of the property owner. The only duty a property owner owes to a trespasser is not to engage in injurious conduct. In Hopkins v. Fox & Lazo Realtors, 132 N.J. 426, 434 (1993), the Supreme Court of New Jersey stated that the “duty owed to a trespasser is relatively slight,” but a property owner still had a duty to “warn trespassers only of artificial conditions on the property that pose a risk of death or serious bodily harm to a trespasser.”

It is important to understand that one major exception to the duty of care for trespassers concerns the attractive nuisance doctrine, which holds that a property owner can be liable for injuries caused to trespassers when the trespassers are small children, and the trespassing occurred because of some feature on the property that posed a significant danger to children, such as a swimming pool or trampoline. Attractive nuisances must be somehow secured such that they are inaccessible to children.

The actual causes of slip and fall accidents can vary wildly. Some causes are exceptionally common but people can also slip or trip on a number of other very unique hazards.

Among the possible causes of slip and fall accidents, some of the most common include:

• Dirty and/or trash covered floors
• Potholes, ice, curbs in parking lots
• Stray electrical cords and wires
• Defects in pavement
• Exposed cords (obstacles)
• Unsafe or hazardous premise/property
• Wet, slippery flooring
• Broken handrails
• Inadequate lighting
• Snow and ice
• Torn floor mats
• Cracked or uneven flooring

The actual locations that these accidents occur in can also vary. Some slip and fall accidents occur in private homes or residences, but many other accidents occur in public places.

When your slip and fall accident does occur in a public place like a retail store or another establishment, always make sure that you file a report with the manager or supervisor on duty. You should also ask for a copy of this report and keep it in your records.

Common locations for slip and fall accidents generally include, but are not limited to:

• Workplaces
• Parking Lots and Garages
• Bars
• Grocery Stores
• Retail Stores
• Movie Theaters
• Hotels and Resorts
• Staircases
• Restaurants
• Office Buildings
• Public Spaces
• Homes
• Amusement Parks
• Small Businesses
• Escalators and Elevators

Slip and fall accidents can also cause a wide range of possible injuries. Many injuries will require people to have to receive several weeks or months of medical attention, and continuing treatment could be required for more severe injuries.

There can also be cases in which the injuries a person sustains in a slip and fall accident will prove to be fatal. The death of a loved one in a slip and fall accident can be an incredibly jarring experience for a family, but family members often have the right to file wrongful death lawsuits in these cases.

Contact a Slip and Fall Attorney in New Jersey

Did you sustain serious injuries, or was your loved one killed in a slip and fall accident in New Jersey? Our firm is committed to providing the highest quality legal representation to the members of our community, and we’ll be ready to stand up for you. Call (973) 364-8300 or contact us online to take advantage of a free consultation with a knowledgeable New Jersey premises liability lawyer today.