Georgia Slip and Fall Lawyers
Filing a Slip, Trip, and Fall Injury Claim
When Georgia property owners fail to maintain reasonably safe premises, they can be held liable for accidents, injuries, and damages that result from dangerous conditions on their properties. This includes slips, trips, and falls, which frequently lead to severe and even life-changing injuries.
At Mike Slocumb Law Firm, our Georgia slip and fall lawyers can help you get back on your feet after a serious accident. We understand how serious these incidents can be, as well as the many effects they can have on your life. Because of this, we are aggressive when it comes to representing our clients’ rights and fighting for the maximum compensation they are owed.
Contact us onlineor by phone at (706) 203-4434 to request a free initial consultation with one of our experienced attorneys. Hablamos español.
Is the Property Owner Always Responsible for a Slip and Fall Accident?
Under Georgia premises liability laws, property owners are often—but not always—liable for slip and fall accidents that occur on their properties.
To bring a successful slip and fall claim against a property owner, you must prove several things, including:
- Your Injuries: You must prove that you suffered injuries that led to measurable, compensable damages to have a slip and fall case. If you were not injured, or if you did not suffer any damages, you likely do not have a claim.
- Your Visitor Status: Your visitor status is related to your purpose for being on the property. If you were there for commercial purposes (i.e., as a customer), you would be considered an “invitee.” If you were there for your own purposes, you would be a “licensee,” and if you were on the property unlawfully, you are considered a “trespasser.”
- The Property Owner’s Duty of Care: In Georgia, property owners owe different types of visitors varying duties of care. For example, they owe invitees the greatest duty of care, licensees a lesser duty of care, and trespassers almost no duty of care.
- The Property Owner’s Breach of the Duty of Care: This most often involves demonstrating that the property owner knew about (or should have known about) a dangerous condition on the property yet failed to take reasonable steps to remove, repair, or warn you about it. It can also involve proving that the property owner failed to adequately maintain the premises.
- How the Breach of the Duty of Care Caused Your Injuries: This is known as “causation,” and it is one of the most important elements of your claim. You must prove that the property owner’s failure to maintain a reasonably safe premises was the proximate cause of your injuries.
Under the state’s rule of comparative negligence, you must also prove that, if you were partly at fault for the slip and fall accident, you were less than 50% at fault. If your degree of fault exceeds that of the other party, you cannot file apersonal injury claim or receive compensation for your damages.
