When winter weather arrives and ice coats the ground, slip and fall injuries rise to an alarming degree. If you’ve suffered a slip and fall accident on an icy surface, then you may be dealing with serious injuries and an inability to live your life the way you want and need. During these stressful circumstances, you might be wondering how to move forward, which is why you should consider filing an injury lawsuit.
However, slip and fall lawsuits involving ice are often extremely legally complicated, making it important you do your research to prepare for your case. Here are a few factors that can affect the success of your injury lawsuit after you’ve slipped on ice and suffered a traumatic injury.
Investigating Your Accident
The first step in bringing a personal injury lawsuit will be to gather evidence and examine all the facts involved in your case. Proving a slip and fall injury can be difficult without the right proof, so it’s important to be as thorough as possible during the evidence gathering process.
First, fully examine and document the area where you fell. Was there a tremendous amount of ice or a single spot that could have been avoided? If the area where you fell is mostly covered with ice, then you will likely have a good basis for an injury lawsuit.
Secondly, gather the contact information and accounts of any witnesses to your fall. Personal testimony about the conditions that led to your fall and information about the fall itself can be invaluable when trying to prove your case.
Finally, any concrete documentation that speaks to your injuries and the cause of your fall can be extremely useful in winning your claim.
Weather Conditions
Without winter weather, you can’t have icy conditions. However, the presence of winter weather may actually be a complicating factor that could cause your injury lawsuit to be dismissed. For example, if icy precipitation was occurring when your fall took place, then it may make it difficult for you to win your injury lawsuit. It is impossible to prevent icy conditions while a weather event is occurring, which would absolve a property owner of any fault in your case.
Prior to making the decision to file a lawsuit, closely examine the weather conditions surrounding your fall.
What Type of Property is Involved?
Finally, the success of your lawsuit will often depend on what type of property your fall occurred on. For falls that take place in a small, privately owned business, it is often much easier to prove the negligence of the property owner, as they are legally required to maintain safe conditions for their patrons.
On the other hand, if your ice induced fall occurred on the premises of a larger business, you will have a much tougher legal hill to climb. Big business often contract out their ice removal services, and the ice removal company, not the property owner, will be legally responsible for your fall if this is the case.
File an Injury Lawsuit
If you’re thinking about filing an injury lawsuit after you’ve slipped on ice, then you need the legal experience of the professionals at the Parrish DeVaughn Law Firm. Our team can help you navigate the difficulties inherent in a slip and fall case so that you win the compensation you need to recover from your injuries. Talk to us about your case today and find out how we can help you.
