People in Cook County are injured every day due to slip and fall incidents. Sometimes injuries may be minor, but in other instances, a fall can result in long-term complications, permanent disabilities, or even death. To make matters worse, many slip and fall accidents could have been prevented if the landowner or manager of the property had only lived up to their legal responsibilities.
While a premises liability lawsuit cannot restore lost health, a dedicated injury attorney could help you file one that provides compensation to make up for added expenses and makes it easier to move forward afterward. Consult a knowledgeable Cook County slip and fall lawyer if you are suffering injuries from a slip, trip, or fall caused by the negligence of another party.
Types of Compensation Available for Slip and Fall Injuries
If a slip and fall incident is attributable to the negligence of a property owner or manager, the person injured in the fall may be entitled to monetary compensation to cover a variety of consequences from the incident. Some damages may have a direct calculable cost, such as bills for doctor’s examinations and hospital stays, as well as time lost from work and reduced future wages.
Other consequences, though very real, do not have a direct tangible cost. These include pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of particular activities. An experienced Cook County slip and fall lawyer could assist with calculating a reasonable value for both tangible and intangible consequences projected into the future.
Premises Liability Theories Provide Grounds to Recover Damages
In general, a property owner who expressly or indirectly invites others onto their property has a duty to keep the property in a safe condition and either repair or warn visitors about hazardous conditions. When the owners, managers, or occupiers of property fail to fulfill this duty of care to others, they may be held liable for injuries that result from the dangerous condition.
Potential sources of premises liability for slip and fall accidents include:
- Slipping on a wet surface due to a spilled substance
- Falling on an icy sidewalk some time after a winter storm has passed
- Tripping on cracked concrete or unexpected debris
- Falling down stairs that lack handrails required by law
- Tripping over hazards not visible due to poor lighting
If the landowner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition and failed to take adequate measures to remedy the situation, the property owner may be held liable for harm suffered as a result. A slip and fall lawyer in Cook County could help individual plaintiffs take stock of their situation and file suit in court to recover from the consequences of a property owner’s negligence.
The Theory of Comparative Negligence May Limit Recovery
Many slip and fall incidents in Cook County can be attributed to more than one cause. When the negligence of the person injured contributes to the cause of the fall, that person’s actions may reduce the amount they are able to recover under the comparative negligence rule.
For example, it may be found that a store owner was 90 percent at fault for leaving a slippery substance on the floor with no warning signs, but the person injured was 10 percent at fault for not looking at the floor before walking on the slippery surface. In that case, the injured person’s damage award would be reduced by 10 percent to account for their own comparative negligence.
Get Help from a Cook County Slip and Fall Attorney Today
If you were injured in a slip and fall accident, compensation may be available, but it may be important to pay attention to details. In order to be eligible to recover this money, you must comply with the Illinois statute of limitations and have adequate evidence to prove liability and the extent of damages.
An experienced Cook County slip and fall lawyer could help in all these areas to help you work toward a positive resolution to your case. For an in-depth consultation, call today.
