When you slip and fall on someone else’s Burlington, NJ property, you may have grounds to file a slip-and-fall personal injury claim. Property owners are responsible for keeping their premises safe for visitors. This responsibility is called a duty of care.
If owners do not uphold this duty and you slip or fall because of their negligence, the property owner may be accountable for paying your damages. Slips and falls can cause serious injury, putting you out of work and requiring long-term recovery or medical care. A Rand Spear Burlington personal injury lawyer can help you file and prove your claim, so you can collect the settlement you need.
The Accident Location Matters
Where your slip-and-fall accident occurs, and your role on the property affect your case. New Jersey has three classifications for people visiting a property, and property owners owe different levels of duty of care to visitors from each category.
- Licensees are welcomed to a person’s property, such as family, friends, and neighbors
- Invitees are those who are invited to a premises to conduct business, such as shoppers in a grocery or retail store
- Trespassers enter a property without permission
Duty to Invitees
Since business owners profit from visitors who come to their properties, they owe these invitees the highest duty of care. They must keep the premises safe from slip or fall hazards, such as icy steps, wet floors, or cluttered aisles, and provide warnings for any areas the owners should reasonably recognize as posing a danger. Burlington business owners are required to perform checks on their properties, looking for hazards and removing them, before giving invitees access.
Duty to Licensees
Homeowners in Burlington, NJ must take care to warn guests, or licensees, of possible hazards that a reasonable homeowner would know exist. For example, if a staircase has a loose step that could cause someone to trip, lose their balance and fall, the homeowner needs to make guests aware of that danger.
Duty to Trespassers
For the most part, Burlington property owners do not owe trespassers a duty of care. Property owners’ only duty to trespassers is to avoid intentionally or recklessly causing them harm. If a trespasser slips, trips, or falls on a property entered unlawfully, they are typically responsible for hurting themselves.
Whatever your category, secure representation from a slip-and-fall accident lawyer in Burlington, NJ. Rand Spear and the team at Spear Greenfield will work to get you the compensation you deserve. Property owners usually fight hard against slip-and-fall claims, looking for ways to put the blame on you for the accident. Our slip-and-fall accident attorneys have the experience to help you prove your claim.
Injuries Sustained in a Slip or Fall Accident
Slips and falls are often considered minor incidents where a person may end up with scraped hands or knees. However, the consequences of these kinds of accidents can be quite severe, causing temporary or long-term physical damage, loss of income, and even emotional distress. Common injuries include:
- Head or Brain Trauma: Concussions, brain bleeds, broken teeth or jaws, and serious brain injuries
- Back Injuries: Bruised or torn muscles or fractured vertebrae, or damage to other soft tissue
- Spinal Cord Injury: Damage to spinal nerves or the spinal column can lead to catastrophic injuries, including paralysis
- Broken Bones: Broken hips, knees, wrists, or other bones
- Lacerations and Disfigurement: Deep lacerations can produce scarring or other disfigurement
Burlington Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer Near Me (215) 985-2424
What a Typical Slip and Fall Accident Settlement Covers
Every slip-and-fall accident has its own unique circumstances, making it impossible to predict a “typical” settlement amount. However, you can trust your Burlington, NJ slip-and-fall lawyer to gather comprehensive evidence of your fall and fight for a settlement covering your economic losses and compensating you for non-economic losses.
Economic losses are those affecting your finances, such as medical bills, lost wages, lost potential wages if your injuries prevent you from returning to employment, and any additional expenses you face because of your injuries.
Non-economic losses are damages you cannot touch but you certainly feel. They include your pain, emotional trauma, and the loss of quality of life caused by your injuries. A fair settlement is critical for your financial recovery and future.
How Representation from a Burlington NJ Slip and Fall Accident Attorney Helps You
It is best to partner with a slip-and-fall accident attorney in Burlington, NJ promptly after your accident. New Jersey has a two-year statute of limitations for filing personal injury claims, and a fast partnership allows your attorney to investigate the accident thoroughly and still file on time.
Your attorney will:
- Investigate your accident to determine its cause and gather evidence to prove the at-fault party’s failure to uphold their duty of care caused the accident, and resulting injuries and damages
- Prepare and file all required paperwork accurately and on time
- Fight against counter-claims leveled by the at-fault party’s representatives who will work hard to put responsibility for the accident on you
- Demand and negotiate for a settlement covering your needs and acknowledging your suffering
- Represent you at every court date if the at-fault party does not play fair and you have to take the case to court
Do not risk dealing with insurance companies on your own. They will use intimidation to scare you into accepting a far-too-low offer, or even manipulate the accident details to put blame on you. Under New Jersey’s modified comparative fault laws, the settlement amount you collect is lowered in proportion to your percentage of fault.
Your Burlington, NJ slip-and-fall accident attorney will not give in to these tactics and will guard your settlement against unfair reductions.
Put Our Combined 200 Years of Experience to Work for You
Rand Spear and the team at Spear Greenfield treat our clients like family, which means we care about their recovery and want to see them treated fairly. We are ready to welcome you to our family so we can put our experience to work for you, never settling until you get the compensation you deserve. Contact us to call and leave a message to arrange a free consultation with a compassionate, aggressive slip-and-fall accident attorney in Burlington, NJ.
Call or text (215) 985-2424 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
