Orlando Slip-and-Fall Lawyer

If you’ve suffered an injury from a slip-and-fall accident, you likely face escalating medical bills and potential income loss. To address your concerns, our law firm offers two essential services: a contingency fee structure where we only get paid if we win your case and offer free evaluations. At DWK Law, there are no risks or surprises when we do a free case evaluation.

Guests, visitors, and licensed professionals are entitled to different protections under Florida law. Your slip-and-fall lawyer in Orlando, FL, can collect evidence proving your visitor status, which is important since the property owner will likely claim that you didn’t have the right to be there. 

Florida recognizes three types of visitor status: Invitees, licensees, and trespassers.

Public and business invitees

Invitees are people who are directly or indirectly “invited” onto a property, such as visitors to a public park or family members visiting a loved one at the hospital.

Business licensees are individuals who are invited to enter a property for a specific, mutually beneficial purpose. The patron of a store or a visitor of an Orlando theme park would be considered a business licensee. Public and business invitees are given the highest standard of care.

Invited and uninvited licensees

An invited licensee, typically a social guest, has the same protections as public or business invitees. Uninvited licensees who come for personal convenience without invitation (e.g., a door-to-door salesman), require property owners to avoid willful or wanton injury, such as removing known concealed hazards.

Trespassers

A trespasser does not have permission, invitation, or license to enter a property but does so anyway. The lowest duty of care is owed to trespassers; property owners must only refrain from willful or wanton injury, like setting a bear trap next to their fence.

There are different interpretations of the law in instances where the trespasser is a minor child, especially where an attractive nuisance like a swimming pool is present.

Liquids and slippery surfaces are the most common causes of slip-and-fall accidents, but many others exist.

Broken or poorly-constructed staircases

When the steps or railings of a staircase are in disrepair, you could not only slip on the stairs but also fall down the stairs. This can result in severe injuries.

Inadequate lighting in stairwells and hallways

Poor lighting or flickering bulbs make it difficult to see where you are going. You may also trip over items you can’t see in the dim light.

Uneven pool decks

Running or walking on uneven surfaces can cause you to fall. If you end up in the pool and can’t swim, disaster could result.

While some falls are minor enough that only your ego gets bruised, many result in serious injuries that require emergency treatment.

Soft tissue injuries

Torn, strained, and sprained muscle tissue can lead to mobility issues. You may also injure internal organs if you fall against your abdomen or lower back.

Head and brain injuries

If you cannot control your fall, you could suffer a traumatic brain injury. These types of injuries are often difficult to diagnose and prove but DWK Law is experienced in doing just that.

Spinal cord injury

Many times a slip-and-fall can cause traumatic injury to the discs in your back, causing lifelong pain.

Broken bones

Many people suffer a broken hip or pelvis when they trip and fall. Even younger, healthier individuals can end up with fractures of their hands or arms from trying to stop their fall.

The process of finding an attorney who listens to you, explains your rights and helps you understand potential opportunities to obtain recovery for your medical bills and other expenses can be frustrating. Many attorneys churn through as many new clients as possible so they can generate more revenue, settling numerous claims rapidly without regard to their client’s real needs, goals, and well-being.

The experienced attorneys at Dellecker, Wilson, King, McKenna, Ruffier & Sos take a different approach. We provide expert counsel and personalized, compassionate assistance you need to fully recover. Our mission is to empower victims and to give them the support and long-term structures they need to return their lives to normal. To that end, we invest diligently in each client by leveraging investigative resources, research, and thorough preparation. Our tenacity, skill, and dedication have earned us respect from our legal peers and judges.

One of the primary tasks your slip-and-fall attorney in Orlando will perform is identifying who is at fault for your injury. There can be many potential parties who are liable. For example, a property owner is responsible for safety inside the store and in their parking lot and surrounding sidewalks.

Suppose you are hurt while returning to your car because a negligent driver backed out quickly and took you by surprise. You slip and fall because the parking lot is covered with wet leaves. The driver and the store owner could be held liable for failing to uphold their duty of care to you.

Our slip-and-fall attorneys in Orlando, Florida will ensure we hold all responsible parties accountable for their actions.

Preparation is key when it comes to getting results. The defendant and the defendant’s insurance company tend to resist, even if you have a legitimate claim and serious injuries. Your slip-and-fall attorney in Orlando, FL, will ensure they demonstrate the following conditions to prove negligence.

1. A dangerous condition existed on the property

Your attorney will collect photos, videos, and witness statements showing that a hazard on the property put you and others at risk.

2. The owner or manager knew of the condition but did not do enough to fix or warn of the danger

Under Florida law, if a danger exists long enough that an owner knows about it or should have known about it, failing to fix the problem constitutes a breach of their duty of care. 

3. You suffered an injury

Using evidence such as your medical records, your lawyer will demonstrate that you suffered injuries. They will also present proof of the medical bills and out-of-pocket expenses you’ve accrued. 

Retaining legal assistance shortly after an accident can make a tremendous difference in the ability to prove your case. For instance, evidence from a slip and fall loses its value if it’s not obtained quickly. An eyewitness account recorded on the day of an accident will be more highly valued than an eyewitness account recollected weeks or months later.

Likewise, pictures of the conditions of the slip and fall taken within days can prove extremely helpful.