If you are injured in a slip and fall, our team of Flint 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 Flint and Genesee 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 Is It Important to Hire Aggressive Flint Slip and Fall Lawyers?
Slip and fall cases are very different than car accident cases. In most auto accidents, liability is not contested. But 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. Sometimes, they may try to hide evidence or fix the defective area before anybody can investigate. That is why it is so important to call and hire an aggressive Flint slip and fall law firm. Your team of lawyers and legal professionals can get to the scene and take necessary photographs and videos of the area. In addition, a competent lawyer will send a spoilation letter to the landowner, asking them to preserve important evidence, such as video surveillance, that impacts the case.
Landlords, restaurants, shopping malls, grocery stores, and other establishments try to shift the blame to the injured person.
To fight the insurance companies and their attorneys, you must have a team of dedicated and experienced Flint 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 Flint Michigan personal injury lawyers are aggressive in slip and fall 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.
Why Is It Important to Hire Flint 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 Flint 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
What Are Important Steps to Take After a Flint Slip and Fall
It is very important to preserve as much evidence of the dangerous area as possible. Remember, the plaintiff must prove negligence. Just because fall occurs doesn’t mean you have a case. The plaintiff must prove their case. Preserving evidence is key.
For example, the following are some important things to try and do after a slip and fall:
- Take photographs
- Complete an incident report and demand a copy
- Take video or record the accident scene on your cellphone
- Get the names and numbers of witnesses
- Get the full names of employees working at the time of the fall
How Much Are Slip and Fall Cases Worth?
The amount of money an injured person can receive from a slip and fall incident in Flint can vary. It depends on a number of factors, including:
- The seriousness of the injuries
- Whether the injury causes permanent disabilities or restrictions
- The cost of past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages while the victim is recovering
- Loss of future earning capacity if the injury leaves the victim unable to work in the future
- The amount of physical pain and suffering
- The emotional distress the victim and family sustain
- How the injury has affected the victim’s quality of life
The more evidence your lawyers 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 Flint 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.
Flint Slip and Fall Lawyers Who Get Results
We are proud to have some of the best Flint slip and fall trial lawyers. And the results speak for themselves.
- $3,250,000 for a woman injured at a major retailer
- $5,750,000 for a man injured at a work site
- $1,300,000 for a man injured at a construction site
- $550,000 for a teacher injured in a slip and fall
- $1,250,000 for a tenant injured at her rental complex
What are the Major Defenses in a Slip and Fall Case?
Landowners and property owners use three main defenses when fighting slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall cases.
Comparative Negligence:
The most popular defendant is comparative negligence. Comparative negligence is the fault of the plaintiff for getting injured due to a dangerous condition. A jury must apportion fault. If a jury finds that the plaintiff is more than 50% at-fault or negligent for causing his own injuries, then he is not entitled to receive any pain and suffering compensation.
If a jury says the plaintiff is 30% comparatively negligent for causing their own injury, then the total verdict is reduced by 30%. For example, if the verdict is $100,000, then the plaintiff will only get $70,000.
Open and Obvious:
Another defense is the open and obvious defense. For many years, this defense meant that if a condition was there to be seen by an average person under casual inspection, then the property owner escaped all liability. Basically, the open and obvious rule meant the property owner had no duty to get rid of open and obvious conditions.
However, this is no longer the case. The Michigan Supreme Court held in Kandil-Elsayed v F& E Oil, Inc. and Pinsky v Kroger Co of Mich (docket Nos. 162907 and 163430 respectfully) that an open and obvious condition is relevant to whether a defendant breached its duty of care to its customers. But this goes to the comparative negligence, or fault, of the plaintiff, not the defendant’s duty.
This means property owners such as shopping centers, grocery stores, restaurants, and apartment complexes can no longer argue they don’t have a duty to warn of an open and obvious condition, such as a slippery floor. This makes it much more difficult for them to get lawsuits dismissed and for injured people to get compensation.
Notice:
The property owner must have notice of the defect before the injury occurs. This means they knew about or should have known about the dangerous condition. If they were unaware of the water on the floor, then they can use this to get out of paying anything.
Notice comes in two forms – actual notice and constructive notice. Actual notice is when the defendant knew about the dangerous condition. For example, a landlord who comes over to a property before the fall and sees the handrail is broken or missing screws has actual notice of the problem.
Constructive notice is when the dangerous hazard existed for a long enough period of time the defendant should have known about it and removed the defect. For example, if there is a spill at a restaurant that existed for some time and the manager or waitress fails to clean it up, the restaurant has constructive notice of the hazard.
What are Common Causes for Premises Injury Cases?
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 show
- 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
How Do I Win a Slip and Fall Case?
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 Flint 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.
Genesee County Slip and Fall Lawyers
For over 50 years, the dedicated team of Michigan personal injury lawyers has represented clients throughout Genesee County. We have represented clients in Flint, Grand Blanc, Clio, Swartz Creek, Flushing, Mount Morris, Montrose, Davison, and all places in between.
Contact Us Today – Our Flint, MI Slip and Fall Lawyers Are Ready to Represent You
When you have sustained serious injuries in a slip and fall incident in Flint, 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.
