Have you been injured due to a slip and fall? Check out our 3 slip and fall tips for guidance, then contact our Atlanta attorney today.
Sidewalk Slip and Fall Liability
People often want to know whether they can sue a city or a county for an injury that occurred when they may have fallen on a curb or a public sidewalk. The answer is it is possible, but it’s much harder than suing a private entity. Governmental entities have a lot of protections and what are called “immunities” under the law. However, if they fail to maintain items under their control in an appropriate fashion, a lawsuit can be filed against them and a claim can be pursued. These are different cases in that there are different steps that you have to take to sue a municipality. One of the main things that you have to do is give what is called an ante litem notice to the governmental entity within a certain period of time (generally, 6 months), putting them on notice of what this potential claim may be.
If you’ve been injured on a sidewalk or curb of some sort that’s maintained by a governmental entity and you want to know if you have a personal injury claim, please contact us so we can investigate the claim, make that determination, and help you preserve all the evidence necessary to pursue such a lawsuit.
Slip and Fall Caused by Faulty Stairs
We’re often contacted by people who have been injured after a fall on a staircase who want to know if they have a potential personal injury claim. Staircase matters are unique in that people often slip or trip on staircases for a reason that has nothing to do with the negligence of another person. Most staircase falls are simply due to the carelessness or rushing of a person who’s going downstairs; it doesn’t have anything to do with someone else doing something wrong. In those situations, there’s no personal injury claim to pursue.
However, in some situations, a fall may occur because a staircase is not up to applicable regulations or has not been maintained in an appropriate form and, therefore, has become defective and dangerous. In those situations, we oftentimes can pursue a personal injury matter. It’s important in situations where you’ve been injured in a fall on a staircase to immediately contact an experienced personal injury attorney. That attorney can locate and determine the appropriate standards for maintaining staircases and building staircases to evaluate whether there is a claim or not and evaluate who the potential parties are that may be liable for these falls.
If you have been injured in a fall on a staircase, please give us a call so we can begin investigating and preserving evidence in order to maintain your claim and present it in the best possible light.
Faulty Handrail Injury
If you have been injured due to a defective handrail, there are several things you need to do to make sure your claim is preserved. The first thing you need to do is get medical attention. You need to get this care in order to maximize your recovery potential, but also to document the injuries that you’ve suffered in a timely fashion. The next thing you need to do is put the owner of the property on notice of your claim and of what occurred. If that is a commercial property, you need to alert the owner or someone that may be working at the property and ask them to fill out an incident report. If you were on a residential property, alert the owner and ask them to put their insurance carrier on notice.
The next thing you need to do is be aware that the insurance company may contact you and ask you to give a written statement. If that occurs, don’t give them a written statement. You have no obligation to do this, and doing so can potentially be detrimental to your claim. The next thing you need to do is contact a personal injury attorney who has experience handling premises liability matters, such as injuries occurring from a defective handrail.
We have handled many of these claims and know the process to work through in order to gather all of the necessary evidence and investigate liability. If you’ve been injured in this type of situation, please give us a call as soon as possible after the incident so that we can begin preserving evidence and be ready to present your claim in the most effective way.
If you or a loved one were injured in a slip and fall accident in Georgia, you may have questions about our 3 slip and fall tips.
Contact experienced Atlanta slip and fall lawyer Christopher Gunnels at Gunnels Injury Law today to arrange a free consultation.
Let our experience work for you.
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