Macon Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer

Slip Hazards That Don’t Look Dangerous Until They Are

For many people who slip or trip and fall, embarrassment is the most immediate consequence. That is especially true when it happens at work or in a public setting. But there can also be more serious, lasting effects: painful and nagging injuries that drive up your medical bills and limit your ability to do daily activities.

The Macon slip and fall accident lawyers at Merritt & Merritt Law Firm help people and families who have been injured in a wide range of accidents. We are experienced attorneys who have dedicated our careers to getting our clients the full compensation available under the law.

Slips and falls can happen in many different ways and in a variety of settings. What these accidents have in common is that they tend to happen suddenly. People who slip or trip have little time to brace themselves before they hit the ground. That increases the risk for significant injuries, even for falls that initially seem like simple mishaps.

These accidents frequently are the result of hazardous property conditions. The dangers can be hard to spot, especially for people who are visiting grocery stores or restaurants or simply walking on a sidewalk. People who are not aware of hazardous conditions are more likely to be injured because they naturally let down their guard.

If you or a loved one has been injured in these or other accidents, our Macon slip and fall accident lawyers are just a phone call away. Call us today at 478-845-6464 to speak with an attorney about your rights and options.

How Slips and Falls Happen

A slip and fall accident happens when someone loses their footing due to a hazardous condition and falls to the ground or another surface. These accidents can occur almost anywhere, including grocery stores, apartment complexes, workplaces, sidewalks, parking lots, hotels and private homes.

Slips and falls are a leading cause of injury, particularly for older adults. They can cause a wide range of harm, from sprains and bruises to spinal damage and traumatic brain injuries. Some injuries may not cause immediate symptoms. Pain, stiffness and even neurological issues can develop days or weeks after the fall.

Identifying the cause of a slip and fall accident is critical to proving liability and obtaining compensation for your injuries. Our Macon slip and fall accident lawyers find that these are some of the most common factors at play when people lose their footing.

• Wet or slippery floors
• Uneven walking surfaces
• Snow and ice on walkways, sidewalks and in parking lots
• Potholes, cracks, depressions
• Cluttered hallways
• Poor lighting
• Damaged or uneven sidewalks
• Loose floorboards
• Ripped or torn carpeting
• Loose or no handrails
• Dangerous stairwells
• Malfunctioning ladders

Sadly, property owners and managers frequently ignore their responsibility to identify and address safety hazards. By doing so, they put people at risk.

Property owners are obligated by law to keep the premises in reasonably safe condition. They also are responsible for addressing dangerous conditions that they know about or should know about through reasonable inspection. An owner who does not live up to this responsibility is likely to be legally liable for any slap and fall or other accidents that happen as a result.

Types of Slip Hazards That Can Cause Injuries

It is rare for slips and falls to occur because someone ignored an obvious danger or walked right into a clearly marked hazard. These accidents happen much more frequently in situations in which a danger did not look dangerous at all.

This can be one of the most frustrating aspects of slips and falls for people injured in the accidents. You were simply walking where you were allowed to walk, doing nothing unusual, and all of a sudden a surface that appeared safe is wet or icy or uneven, causing you to lose your footing.

A false sense of safety is what makes certain slip hazards so dangerous. People do not slow down, change their stride or brace themselves because nothing signals a risk. By the time they realize something is wrong, it is too late and they are already falling.

Invisible Spills

Clear liquids like water, cleaning solutions and melting ice are a menace. They easily blend into floor surfaces, especially when the lighting is bright or uneven.

Spills happen all the time in restaurants and grocery and convenience stores. When employees and managers do not notice – or do not respond quickly – customers have no way of knowing that floors are slick. It is far too late for them to recover their balance by the time their feet hit wet spots.

People injured in slips involving clear liquids often blame themselves, even when they had no reason to know that a spill had happened and no reasonable way to avoid the danger. The truth is that restaurant and grocery store management knows how common spills are and the safety threat that they pose to customers.

The companies that operate these businesses have a legal duty to be alert for spills and to address them as soon as possible. That means getting someone to clean them up and clearly marking off the dangerous surface in the meantime.

Shiny Floors

Shiny tile, marble and stone floors often appear clean and well-maintained. They can become extremely slippery, however, especially when recently cleaned or waxed.

A freshly polished floor may have a thin and nearly invisible residue that reduces traction. Without warning signs or floor mats, people walk across these surfaces expecting normal grip. Instead, their feet slide out from under them with little warning.

This type of hazard is particularly common in office and apartment buildings, as well as hotels, hospitals and shopping centers.

Slight Floor Level Changes

A transition between two types of flooring, like from carpet to tile, or a slightly raised threshold may not look dangerous at all. But even very small changes in floor elevation can create serious slip and fall risks, especially when they are not clearly marked or lighting is poor.

Your body expects a smooth, even surface. When your foot encounters a sudden change in height or texture, it can disrupt your balance. These transitions are especially dangerous when they are not clearly marked or when lighting is poor.

Floor level hazards often rear their ugly heads in older buildings, retail stores and apartment complexes where flooring has been repaired or replaced over time.

A Trick of the Light

A poorly lit area may not look dangerous, but it dramatically increases the risk of sudden slips and falls.

Dim or uneven lighting can hide slippery areas, surface changes or floor debris. When lighting is inadequate, even careful people can misjudge where they are stepping.

Black Ice

Beware the dreaded black ice. In winter months, clear layers of ice often lurk on walking and driving surfaces. The ice itself is not black, but the term is commonly used because transparent layers of ice often form on pavement and other black surfaces.

Black ice is specifically dangerous because people frequently do not notice it until they are already slipping. Property owners are expected to plan ahead for black ice, including by placing mats, shoveling frequently and taking other steps to address  icy walkways.

Slips and Falls at Work

Slips and falls can cause serious injuries on the job, whether you work in an office or on a construction site. When these accidents happen, they often make it harder for people who are injured to immediately return to work.

Fortunately, employees in Georgia who are injured in slip and fall accidents generally are covered by the state’s workers’ compensation system. The vast majority of employers in the state are required to pay into the system so that benefits are available for employees injured in accidents at work.

Medical care and compensation for missed pay are the two primary benefits. The total amount that an injured worker can obtain depends on the situation, including the extent of the injury and the impact on the person’s ability to return to the job or other suitable employment.

Nursing Home Accidents

Older people are acutely at risk when slips and falls happen. That is because they may be less able to react or brace themselves when they lose their footing and they are more prone to physical trauma when they fall.

Nursing homes and senior living facilities often pose slip and fall risks, not to mention a wide range of other potential hazards. Poor planning, design and construction may be to blame, as well as shoddy maintenance and upkeep. There is also increased danger at facilities that are overcrowded and understaffed or where employees are not properly trained and supervised.

What if the Accident Was My Fault?

Georgia operates under a modified comparative liability standard in slip and fall and other accident cases. This allows a person who is partly to blame for a slip and fall or other accident to still seek some compensation from other responsible parties

People who are injured in slips and falls in Georgia can seek compensation for the injuries, so long as they are less than 50% at fault. Their awards will be reduced, however, based on the proportionate fault.

Merritt & Merritt Law Firm Helps People Get Back on Their Feet

At Merritt & Merritt Law Firm, our Macon slip and fall accident lawyers are dedicated to helping people and families who have been injured. We fight diligently to protect and defend our clients rights.

Our goal is to help you move on with your life after an accident by getting the full compensation available under the law. Call our team at 478-845-6464 for a free, no-risk consultation.