Gulfport Slip and Fall Lawyers
Filing a Slip and Fall Claim in Mississippi
If you slip and fall due to unsafe or defective conditions on someone else’s property, Mississippi law allows you to bring apersonal injury claim against the liable party. By filing a claim, you can recover financial compensation for your damages, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Navigating Mississippi’s premises liability laws can be difficult, especially without the help of a skilled attorney. When you work with the team at Mike Slocumb Law Firm, you don’t have to worry about dealing with the insurance company on your own. Instead, our Gulfport slip and fall lawyers can help you with every aspect of your claim, from preserving critical evidence to negotiating for a fair settlement. If necessary, we are even prepared to represent you in court.
Schedule a complimentary consultation and case evaluation with our team today by calling (228) 206-6286 or by contacting us online. Hablamos español.
When Can You Sue for a Slip and Fall?
Not every slip, trip, and fall accident warrants legal action—but many do. To have a valid slip and fall case in Mississippi, there are several things you must prove.
Generally speaking, you can file a slip and fall lawsuit if you can prove each of the following elements:
- The Property Owner Owed You a Duty of Care: To establish that the property owner owed you a duty of care, you must prove that you were legally allowed to be on the property when the slip and fall accident occurred. In Mississippi, your status as a visitor affects the duty of care owed to you by the property owner. For example, people who visit a property for commercial/business purposes are known as “invitees” and are owed the highest duty of care in Mississippi. People who visit a premises for social purposes or for their own purposes and not for the benefit of the property owner are known as “licensees.” In Mississippi, property owners’ only duty of care to licensees is to refrain from causing harm through willful or wanton conduct.
- The Property Owner Failed to Uphold the Duty of Care: Proving that the property owner failed to uphold (or “breached”) the duty of care they owed to you most often involves proving that they:
- Knew about or reasonably should have known about a dangerous or defective condition that existed on the property, and;
- Failed to adequately remove, repair, or warn visitors about the dangerous or defective condition, or;
- Failed to conduct adequate and reasonable property maintenance
- You Were Injured: You also only have a personal injury case if you can prove that you suffered actual injuries and that these injuries led to measurable economic and/or non-economic damages for which you can be compensated, such as medical bills, pain and suffering, or lost wages due to necessary time taken off work. Even if you slipped and fell due to a dangerous or defective condition on someone else’s property, if you were not injured, you almost certainly do not have a case.
- The Property Owner’s Negligent or Wrongful Act or Omission Was the Cause of Your Injuries: Lastly, you must prove “causation,” or the causal link between the property owner’s failure to uphold the duty of care and the slip and fall accident that led to your injuries. In other words, you must prove that you slipped and fell (and were subsequently injured) because the property owner failed to maintain the property and/or remove, repair, or warn of a dangerous or defective condition.
The Mike Slocumb Law Firm team is adept at proving each element of these cases. Our Gulfport slip and fall attorneys utilize all available evidence to develop strong, innovative legal strategies for our clients based on the facts of each individual case.
