It’s important to note that not all slip-and-fall incidents and injuries call for a lawsuit. The law does not protect carelessness in individuals. If you trip over an exposed pipe in a building, ask yourself if a reasonable person would expect that pipe to be there. Accidents on wet floors pose similar questions: Were there warning signs? Would a reasonable person exact caution when walking on the floor? Did or should the owner, manager, or employee of the location know the situation was dangerous?
Much of this is based on common sense and reason, which are very hard to quantify. There are a few ways to help determine “reasonableness,” including:
- For how long was the situation dangerous?
- Was their sufficient time to correct the problem?
- Does the object that caused the accident have a legitimate reason for being there?
An experienced injury attorney will be able to examine all the facts of the case to determine if a lawsuit is warranted.