If you are injured because of a slip and fall, our team of Lansing personal injury lawyers are ready to assist you and make your life whole again. Unlike other law firms in Michigan, the Lee Steinberg Law Firm has handled slip and fall cases for decades. We understand the frustration and financial turmoil these incidents cause. Our team of lawyers will help get you compensation for lost wages, medical bills, pain and suffering, emotional distress, depression, and other injuries.
Every day the Lee Steinberg Law Firm represents people injured in Lansing and Ingham County due to the negligence of a landowner. We fight the insurance company and their defense lawyers. And we will take your case to court and before a jury trial if necessary.
Why Hire the Lansing Slip and Fall Lawyers from the Lee Steinberg Law Firm
- Decades of experience. Our Lansing personal injury lawyers have handled these cases for decades, even when many law firms refused to take them on. We are not afraid to seek the truth and get justice for our clients.
- Familiarity with these cases. Slip and fall cases are not the same as car accident cases. Liability or negligence is almost always contested and the defendants point blame at the injured plaintiff for falling. We know how to defeat these accusations.
- We get ready for trial. Our team of dedicated Lansing slip and fall attorneys prepare each case as if it may go to trial. We take the necessary depositions and hire the right experts. And we are not afraid to go to trial and make sure our client’s voice is heard.
- There is never a fee until we win. We work on a contingency-fee basis. This means we don’t charge anything until we win your case.
Why Is It Important to Hire Lansing Slip and Fall Lawyers with Experience?
Slip and fall cases are very different than car accident cases. In most auto accidents, liability is not contested. In a slip and fall case, the defendant almost always fights liability, or who is at fault for the injuries.
Property owners, their insurance adjusters, and defense lawyers will try and say the plaintiff was at fault. They usually use two main defenses, comparative fault and open obvious. These are explained in more detail below but they are powerful defenses.
To right the insurance companies and their attorneys, you must have a team of dedicated and experienced Lansing Michigan slip and fall attorneys assisting you every step of the way. We will protect you from:
- Recorded statements taken by the insurance representative
- Aggressive defense lawyers asking irrelevant questions
- Prior medical or legal issues that have no bearing on the slip and fall and your injuries
Our Lansing Michigan personal injury law firm is aggressive in pursuing these cases. We go out to the scene and take photos, request surveillance videos, talk to witnesses, get weather reports, hire the right experts, and do all the things needed to win your case.
How Much Are Slip and Fall Cases Worth?
Compensation for slip and fall accidents in Lansing can vary. Several factors can affect how much money a victim is owed in a slip and fall case. These factors are most often referred to as damages suffered by the victims, which can include:
- The seriousness of the injury and whether the injury causes permanent disabilities or restrictions.
- The cost of medical expenses for the slip and fall injury
- Lost wages while the victim is recovering from their injury
- Loss of future earning capacity if the injury leaves the victim unable to work in the future
- How much physical pain and suffering the victim is in
- How emotionally distressed the victim is because of the accident and their injuries
- How the injury has affected the victim’s quality of life
In most cases, the more evidence you can provide to show how your life has been deeply affected physically, financially, and emotionally by the landowner’s negligence, the more money you will be awarded.
This is why hiring a top Lansing slip and fall law firm is so important. Our team of great personal injury attorneys delivers millions in compensation to slip and fall and trip and fall victims every year.
What is Comparative Negligence in a Lansing Slip and Fall Accident?Â
There are two types of negligence. There is the standard negligence, or fault, of the defendant for allowing a dangerous hazard to remain that causes the injury. Then there is comparative negligence, which is the fault or blame towards the plaintiff or injured person for not avoiding the dangerous condition.
A judge or jury can decide what percentage of your own negligence caused your injuries. If you were partly to blame, the court reduces the amount you receive by your apportionment of fault. However, if you are more than 50% at fault, then the injured plaintiff cannot obtain any compensation for pain and suffering.
Here is a quick example of how comparative fault works. A jury found the plaintiff’s losses and injuries from the slip and fall were $100,000, but found the plaintiff was 30% at fault for the injury. The plaintiff would receive $70,000. If the jury finds the plaintiff 51% at fault, the plaintiff receives nothing.
What Does Open and Obvious Mean?Â
Under Michigan law, a condition is open and obvious if “an average user with ordinary intelligence would have been able to discover the danger and the risk present upon casual inspection.” While under the old Michigan law a person could not even file a lawsuit if they slipped and fell on an open and obvious condition, the law has changed.
However, the open and obviousness of a condition goes to the comparative negligence of the plaintiff. The more open the hazard is the more likely a judge or jury will find blame the plaintiff for their injuries.
Our Lansing, Michigan slip and fall lawyers specialize in protecting our clients from these accusations. Instead, we flip the script on the landowner or landlord. Why did they allow such a dangerous condition to exist? Why did they not inspect the premises more regularly? Who oversaw the inspections? Why didn’t they put up a warning sign or caution tape? Why did the wet floor exist for so long?
All these questions are relevant and important to your case. But only a Lansing personal injury law firm with experience handling slip and fall cases can be successful.
What are Common Causes for Premises Injury Cases?Â
In Michigan, a person injured on another person’s property must prove the landowner knew or should have known of an unreasonably dangerous condition on the land, and that hazard led to the injury. Examples of typical slip and fall cases are:
- Failing to shovel or remove snow
- Failing to salt a sidewalk, walkway, or parking lot
- Broken step or staircase due to lack of maintenance
- A loose handrail that gives way
- Wet floors
- Falling in a large pothole in a parking lot or driveway because the area is in poor condition.
- Falling through a defective porch or step
- Defective city sidewalk
To win a slip and fall case, the injured person must prove the property owner was negligent in maintaining the property. To prove negligence, first a person must show the owner owed a duty. This is usually simple. The owner of a store, restaurant, mall, or landlord generally owes a duty to the public.
Second, the injured person must prove the owner breached this duty. This means the owner failed to properly inspect and fix the hazard.
Third, the plaintiff must show he or she was injured and that the injuries were caused by the landowner’s negligence.
What Happens if the Property Owner Denies Liability?
If the property owner or the insurance company adjuster for the landowner sends a letter denying liability, this means they will not pay anything to you for your injuries. In this situation, you must hire a great Lansing slip and fall law firm that protects you and your family. A lawsuit will be necessary and you will need attorneys who are legal experts on Michigan premises law.
When this happens, cease talking to the insurance company. Contact the Lee Steinberg Law Firm at 1-800-533-3733 so we can quickly get started on your case.
What Areas of Mid-Michigan Does the Lee Steinberg Law Firm Serve?
For over 50 years, the dedicated team of Michigan personal injury lawyers has represented clients throughout Lansing and the mid-Michigan area. We have represented clients in Grand Ledge, Charlotte, Mason, St. Johns, Ithaca, Alma, Owosso, Battle Creek, Mt. Pleasant, and all places in between.
Contact Us Today – Our Lansing, MI Slip and Fall Lawyers Are Ready to Represent You
When you have sustained serious injuries in a slip and fall incident in Lansing, you have a lot going on. The attorneys at the Lee Steinberg Law Firm will meet with you and protect you throughout your case. We will fight for the monetary compensation you deserve by law.
We have represented thousands of clients throughout Michigan and obtained hundreds of millions in settlements and verdicts.
Call us for a free consultation at 1-800-533-3733, or fill out a contact form today.
