CHICAGO PREMISES LIABILITY ATTORNEYS
When an actor slips or trips in the movies or on TV, it’s usually to get some laughs. But in real life, slip and falls or trip and falls are anything but funny. These common incidents take the lives of hundreds of Americans every year and injure millions more.
A person hurt in a slip and fall or other injury-causing incident on someone else’s property may be entitled to compensation from the property owner or other person responsible for keeping the property safe under a legal principle called premises liability. But holding property owners accountable can be complicated. If you want to obtain damages for your slip and fall or other injuries, you need an experienced premises liability lawyer.
Chicago slip and fall injury victims can turn to The Romaker Law Firm to get them the help they need to get back on their feet.
Not every slip or trip is somebody else’s fault; we have all lost our footing or balance at some point because we were clumsy, distracted or inattentive to our surroundings. But many such accidents and other incidents are the direct result of the negligence of property owners or others who fail to keep their property in a safe condition. When a homeowner or business owner allows hazardous conditions to remain unaddressed or fails to warn others about potential dangers, this negligence can be the basis of a premises liability lawsuit if injuries and damages result.
The Illinois Premises Liability Act (740 ILCS 130/) provides that the owner or operator of a property owes visitors a duty of “reasonable care under the circumstances regarding the state of the premises or acts done or omitted on them.”
The Act applies to almost any property that people are on with the permission or invitation of the owner. This includes:
- Private homes
- Apartment buildings
- Stores and retail establishments
- Restaurants
- Offices and office buildings
“Reasonable care” means that property owners aren’t expected to guard against every possible danger or condition that could lead to an injury. Instead, it means that owners or property managers need to take steps to fix conditions that they know or should have known are unsafe or present an unreasonable hazard to visitors.
It is important to understand that property owners do not owe trespassers or individuals not authorized to be on a premises the same duty to keep their property safe and free from hazards as they owe other individuals.
Premises liability claims can arise from any number of incidents or hazards on a property. Claims for compensation from property owners can be based on injuries from, among other things:
- Falling objects
- Porch or stair collapses
- Fire or explosion
- Elevator or escalator defects
- Animal bites or attacks
- Exposure to toxic substances
- An assault that occurs because of inadequate security
But injuries or deaths from slips and falls and trips and falls are by far the most frequent basis for premises liability lawsuits.
If you were hurt in a slip and fall or trip and fall accident, you have a lot of company. Globally, falls are the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional injury deaths, according to the World Health Organization, trailing only traffic accidents. These falls kill an estimated 646 000 people around the world every year. Individuals die from falls globally of which over 80% are in low- and middle-income countries.
Here in the U.S, falls are the third-leading cause of injury-related deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- Over 800,000 Americans are admitted to a hospital every year because of a fall injury.
- One out of every five falls causes a severe injury, such as broken bones or a head injury.
- Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
- Every year, three million American seniors receive emergency room treatment for injuries caused by a fall.
Falls not only lead to serious injuries, but they can also be deadly, especially for seniors. The CDC reports that a total of 29,668 Americans over age 65 died as the result of a fall in 2016 alone, a 31% increase from 2007.
Falls can have such serious consequences for seniors because many are frail or have pre-existing vulnerabilities, medical conditions, or disabilities such that even minor falls can lead to further complications. Seniors’ bodies generally do not handle or recover from trauma as effectively as they could when they were younger. Making matters worse, one fall doubles the risk of a second fall.
If you’re on your feet, you can fall; anytime, anywhere. Here in Chicago, uncleared ice and snow cause plenty of slips and falls. But plenty of other conditions can lead to injury and premises liability claims, including:
- Cracked or uneven sidewalks or pavement
- Uneven, defective, or damaged stairs or railings
- Poor or inadequate lighting
- Uncleaned spills at restaurants, grocery stores, or other businesses or spills which were cleaned without sufficiently marking the area as being wet;
- Items, objects, or debris left on the floor or ground which obstruct areas of foot traffic.
The fallout from a slip or trip and fall or any other injury sustained on someone else’s property can be severe and long-lasting – huge medical bills and lost wages; pain, suffering, and the loss of mobility; or the needless death of a loved one.
At The Romaker Law Firm, we believe that these losses shouldn’t be put on the shoulders of innocent victims whose lives are turned upside-down because a property owner did not keep their premises safe as required by law. For over 20 years, we have been standing up for individuals and families in Chicago and surrounding suburbs who are struggling in the aftermath of a serious injury or the loss of a loved one. With compassion and care for every client, we fight tirelessly to get them the compensation they need and deserve.
Providing free consultations in Spanish and English, we welcome the opportunity to help you as we have helped thousands of other injury victims, including those with premises liability claims. Call us at (312)-377-7000 or reach out online today.
Verdict: $120,000.00
Initial Defendant’s Offer: $25,000.00
This case arises from a fall that took place at the front entrance/exit to the defendant’s building in Hinsdale, Illinois. The client sustained a non-displaced fracture of the left fibula and a deranged left knee. The fractured left fibula was casted and healed without complications. Thereafter, the plaintiff underwent arthroscopic surgery in the left knee to correct a medial meniscal tear.