British Columbia Slip and Fall Accident Lawyers
Seemingly commonplace, everyday, difficult-to-notice maintenance issues can cause serious accidents with life-altering impacts. As innocuous as they may seem, loose carpets, recently mopped floors, uneven surfaces, loose handrails, poor lighting, cluttered walkways, and other unremarkable features of someone else’s property could lead to disastrous, even fatal accidents.
The severity of a slip and fall accident’s outcome depends on a number of factors, including the height from which the accident victim fell, other physical characteristics of the accident site, and the age and/or medical condition of the injured party. For example, while a younger slip and fall accident victim might be able to walk away from the hazardous site relatively unharmed, older accident victims are typically more likely to face years of physical, emotional, and economic distress as a result of the injuries they sustained in their slip and fall.
In fact, falls are far and away the leading cause of injuries among our country’s seniors; 85% of seniors’ injury-related hospitalizations are the result of a fall. Age is one of the greatest risk factors for slip and fall accidents. Seniors who are involved in slip and fall accidents often face significant physical challenges and drastic changes to their lifestyles as a result of the injuries they sustain.
Seniors account for over 50% of the county’s injury-related hospitalizations. The injuries they sustain in slip and fall accidents could range in severity from moderate to catastrophic. In British Columbia, injuries frequently sustained in slip and fall accidents include:
- Hip fractures
- Facial or dental injuries
- Musculoskeletal injuries
- Fractures
- Sprains
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- And more
Sustaining injuries in a slip and fall accident can have profound physical, emotional, and economic repercussions. No matter the age of the injured accident victim, oftentimes the road to recovery is long, demoralizing, and expensive.
Injured slip and fall accident victims often incur substantial financial losses as a result of the injuries they have sustained, especially if the physical and/or psychological consequences of their accidents prevent them from continuing to carry out the tasks associated with their jobs. People who have been seriously injured on someone else’s property could lose their regular wages due to an inability to work, and even suffer from a reduced future earning capacity if their injuries make it impossible for them to make career advancements in their fields.
Furthermore, injured slip and fall accident victims often incur financial losses related to:
- Medical expenses
- Attendant care
- Mobility devices
- Mileage to and from medical appointments
- Housekeeping services
- Psychological treatment
- Physiotherapy
- Prescription drugs
- And more
If you have been injured as the result of a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, it can be difficult to know what actions to take next. In the immediate aftermath of an injury-causing fall, it can even be difficult to ascertain just who was responsible for causing the accident to occur. Many slip and fall victims who sustain injuries in public are often quick to blame themselves. They often do not realize that the fault could lie with someone else entirely.
The fact of the matter is: many British Columbia slip and fall accidents are caused by the negligence of individual property owners and/or occupiers. That is why, if you have sustained injuries on someone else’s premises, you might be entitled to compensation. To learn more, contact our slip and fall accident lawyers serving British Columbia online, or call Preszler Injury Lawyers at 1-800-JUSTICE to receive a free initial consultation on your case.
When is a Property Owner/Occupier Considered Negligent?
In accordance with the province’s Occupiers’ Liability Act, the owners/occupiers of both commercial and residential properties are required by law to take certain precautions to safeguard the physical well-being of the people who visit their premises or otherwise engage with their spaces. In the context of occupiers’ liability claims, the term “occupier” could refer to:
- Property managers
- Landlords
- Superintendents
- Business owners/managers
- Landscapers
- Tenants
- Anyone responsible for the property’s maintenance
- And possibly more
Occupiers should perform regular safety inspections around their premises and ensure that any potentially hazardous maintenance issues on-site are repaired or removed expediently. Barring that, they should provide clear warnings to guests about the dangers on their premises in an attempt at reducing the risk of injury-causing slip and fall accidents.
If a property’s occupiers know about a potentially dangerous issue on their premises– or should know about– but fail to take any reasonable actions to alert or protect their visitors, they could be considered negligent. Customers, employees, tenants, neighbours, postal workers, delivery agents, and other passersby could be seriously injured as a result of the occupiers’ negligence.
As such, negligent occupiers who fail to fulfill the duty of care they owe to their guests could be considered liable for damages arising from any resulting injury-causing slip and fall accidents on their premises. That means, if you were injured in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, you might be entitled to compensation.
By working with our British Columbia slip and fall accident lawyers, you might be able to recover compensation for injury-related damages you have incurred or will incur in the future. To learn more about whether our slip and fall accident lawyers serving British Columbia might be able to help you collect the compensation you are duly owed, call 1-800-JUSTICE today to schedule your free initial consultation.
Call Preszler Injury Lawyers Today
Our British Columbia slip and fall accident lawyers believe that no one should be forced to pay for someone else’s wrongdoings. If you sustained compensable injuries on someone else’s premises, our slip and fall accident lawyers serving British Columbia may be able to provide you with beneficial legal advice and assistance.
If you are eligible to work with Preszler Injury Lawyers, our British Columbia slip and fall accident lawyers may be able to help you pursue a civil claim against the negligent property owner/occupier whose failure to meet their legal obligations caused you to sustain considerable harm. To review the details of your accident and learn about legal options that might be available to you, call our slip and fall accident lawyers serving British Columbia today to receive a cost-free, no-obligation initial consultation.
