West Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers Help when Slip and Fall Accidents Cause Serious Injuries
Our family of attorneys serves personal injury victims and their families throughout the state
It is winter, and as you enter the local supermarket, you slip on an accumulation of slush just inside the main entrance. In falling, you suffer a broken hip. Or the sidewalk in front of a residence is uneven. It is evening, the street lighting is poor, and as you walk past, you trip, spraining your ankle. One thing is certain: in both cases you have sustained an injury. But who is responsible for it? Can you recover compensation for your medical expenses, pain, suffering, or permanent disability?
Paulson & Nace, PLLC, our family owned and managed firm of West Virginia personal injury lawyers, can evaluate the circumstances of your accident. We advise you about the likelihood of recovering compensation for your injury. We have been protecting the rights of West Virginia accident victims for decades. We have helped them; now let us help you.
What is special about slip and fall injuries?
Slip and fall accidents usually occur on wet or uneven surfaces and cause serious injuries: broken bones, head and brain injuries, or spinal damage. Besides the cost of medical treatment and compensation for pain and suffering, a slip and fall accident may render its victim unable to work. The victim may be unable to work for an extended period of time – sometimes even permanently – causing significant financial loss to both the individual and his or her family.
Each slip and fall case must determine who had the duty and responsibility of taking reasonable care to prevent visitors and passersby from injury. It must also be determined whether they neglected to carry out that responsibility under the circumstances in which the accident occurred. The criterion in such cases is that of the hypothetical “reasonable person.” In order to prevail in a slip and fall case, a West Virginia personal injury attorney must prove not only the existence of the dangerous condition, but the owner’s or occupier’s actual or constructive knowledge of it and their failure to correct it. That entails:
- Identifying the person(s) or company actually responsible for maintaining the accident site.
- Inspecting the site to identify and record the condition alleged to have caused the slip and fall accident.
- Engaging appropriate technical consultants to establish that the condition was, in fact, dangerous.
- Identifying and contacting witnesses to the accident or witnesses who have knowledge of the dangerous condition and the length of time it has remained uncorrected.
- Reviewing prior accidents, complaints, or charges against the responsible parties because of the dangerous condition at that location.
The attorney must also be able to successfully counter several possible defenses the owner or occupier may put forward:
- Denial. Denying the existence of a dangerous condition, or any knowledge of it.
- Comparative negligence. Asserting that you were fully or partially responsible for your injuries.
- No injury. Asserting that you were not seriously injured, or injured at all, or that the fall did not aggravate a pre-existing condition.
- Assumption of risk. Assertion that you assumed the risk of injury by knowingly placing yourself in danger.
Dedicated lawyers advocating for West Virginia victims of slip and fall accidents
If you have been injured in a slip, trip, or fall accident, you need to seek the advice of one of the experienced West Virginia personal injury attorneys at Paulson & Nace, PLLC. Our distinguished family of West Virginia personal injury attorneys offers the compassionate and professional attention you deserve. We are widely recognized throughout the state for our comprehensive legal services and our aggressive advocacy for personal injury victims. When you choose a personal injury lawyer from our practice to represent you, you are choosing a team that values families and family relationships. Please call 304-741-8079 or fill out our contact form to tell us your story in a no-obligation consultation. Our office is located at 3501 Maccorkle Ave SE, Charleston, WV 25304.
We have dedicated our lives to helping victims of injury. Now, let our family help you and yours.