Rockford Slip and Fall Lawyer

If you've been injured in a slip and fall accident, it can be hard to figure out what your next steps should be. For example, you may not know if you have a valid claim for an injury lawsuit or how much compensation might be involved.

At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, the personal injury attorneys understand that many people don't want to deal with the stress of filing a personal injury claim or negotiating with insurance companies.

As a result, they will often do everything to avoid paying out fair settlements for claims. However, we can help ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.

The laws surrounding slip and falls are complex, with many variables determining whether a person can make a personal injury claim after falling in public places.

Call our Rockford personal injury lawyers at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form today for immediate legal advice and schedule a free consultation.

Illinois and National Slip and Fall Statistics

According to the National Security Council (NSC), slip and fall accidents are the leading causes of major injuries, permanent disabilities, long-term health complications, wrongful death claims, and expensive medical treatments.

Common reasons why slip and fall accidents happen include:

• Slippery floors caused by liquid spills or leaks 
• Broken staircases 
• Tripping hazards due to fire damage or water leaks 
• Uneven or cracked pavement at building entrances 
• Failure to provide adequate lighting in dark areas, hallways, and stairwells

Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere, at any time. However, to help lower your risk of falling, try to follow these safety tips:

• Try to avoid wearing jewelry or fur coats when walking around outside or inside stores
• Don't wear high heels or trendy shoes for the first time when you go out. You don't want to risk losing your balance and fall
• Walk slowly, especially on slippery floors and uneven surfaces 
• Make sure light bulbs are working adequately in all rooms before entering a dark area
• If you notice any loose carpeting, torn wallpaper, or damaged tiles in the hallway, notify management immediately
• Don't navigate dark areas without a flashlight or handheld light 

Slips and falls can cause minor injuries such as bruises and scrapes to more serious problems like head trauma, fractures, and other painful ailments.

Speak with a Rockford Slip and Fall Accident Attorney

The Rockford slip and fall accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, explore all possible avenues of recovering compensation for those injured due to premises liability or employer negligence that has caused a slip or a fall.

These accidents can occur just about anywhere and change a person's life in a moment, with injuries as minor as sprains, bumps, and bruises and as severe as trauma to the brain, broken bones, and injuries to the back or spine.

Regardless of how you have been injured, we will seek to recover fair compensation so that the financial burden does not stifle your physical recovery.

The Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents in Rockford

While slip and fall accidents are among the most common causes of injury on the job, they are also just as common elsewhere.

Property owners who do not take proper measures to maintain their premises or keep their buildings free of clutter and hazards place their guests in harm's way.

From unmarked dangers to the failure to install safety devices, the most common causes of these types of accidents are here:

• Poor lighting: Whether inside or outside of the building, guests deserve access to enough illumination to alert them to trip and fall hazards. Dimly lit hallways and stairways cause many slip and fall accidents, as are poorly lit parking lots and entrances.
• Balconies are not kept up to code: Balconies need to be equipped with guardrails to ensure that guests do not fall, and these rails need to be maintained so that they do not fail. The balconies themselves also need to support the weight of their occupants, as a collapse can have catastrophic effects.
• Wet floors: Whether they have just been cleaned or have gathered moisture due to guests tracking in ice or snow, slippery floors can be difficult for those who are unsuspecting. These floors need to be marked to warn guests, and carpets should be laid down to provide traction on wintry or rainy days.
• Ice and snow: There is no reason for property owners not to plan for the winters we receive, and they should have access to salt and snow clearing tools to keep walkways clear and parking lots plowed. Failure to do so can result in liability if someone is hurt.
• Defective pavement and sidewalks: Uneven walkways, potholes, and other defects in the pavement and sidewalk can pose significant hazards.
• Workplace hazards: Clutter, moving machinery, wet floors, lack of guardrails, and other hazards abound on the job. It is the responsibility of employers to minimize these risks to protect employees. Failure to do so results in liability.

The Types of Injuries Caused by Rockford Slip and Fall Accidents

Slipping and falling can be devastating, mainly if a fall occurs from a significant height. We find that many of our clients are forced to take time off work to recover, which only adds financial stress that they cannot afford to bear during their recoveries.

Some of the severe injuries we see include the following:

• Injuries to the back or spine: A herniated or ruptured disc can prove to be extremely painful and debilitating, as can rupture vertebrae. Nerve damage can be even more devastating, especially if the spine is severed, rendering the victim paralyzed for life.
• Fractures: Broken bones are prevalent in cases involving slipping and falling. The force of landing on the pavement during any fall can easily result in broken bones, especially when the victim attempts to brace for impact. Many of the fractured wrists we see, for example, occur because the victim's natural reflex was to extend their arms to brace for the fall.
• Traumatic brain injuries: If the victim has suffered trauma to the head or face, they may have a traumatic brain injury. These are silent killers because symptoms may not present themselves for weeks or months following the accident. By then, it is too late to repair the damage, and the victim could suffer from some neurological disorders that impact cognition and motor function.
• Illnesses: Injuries sustained because of slipping and falling can easily lead to the transmission of disease. It only takes a person encountering a tiny amount of blood in public places or blood transfusions to contract diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.
• Death: Some slip/fall accidents can claim the life of the victim. When this is the case, the victim's family can investigate whether the property owner or employer was negligent and liable for the events leading up to their loved one's death.

Rockford Personal Injury Lawyers & Property Owner Negligence

Our Rockford personal injury lawyers have handled many cases where injury victims suffer preventable harm in slipping, tripping, and falling accidents caused by someone else's negligence.

Unfortunately, in many cases, the other party is the property owner who neglected to maintain the premises to ensure everyone's safety.

Property owner negligence is a serious concern that can lead to catastrophic consequences for people just trying to go about their daily lives. When property owners fail to provide reasonable protection for customers and tenants, they risk suffering slip and fall injuries.

Under Illinois law, property owners are required by law to ensure that the premises they own or lease are safe for customers, employees, and tenants. When the premises are not reasonably safe, the owner's responsibility is to take appropriate action to remedy the situation.

Depending on the severity of your injuries or other damages caused by this accident, our Rockford slip and fall lawyers may be able to recover the compensation you need for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and more. So to get started with your free consultation today, give us a call or contact us online.

Slip and Fall Accidents in Nursing Homes

Some personal injury cases involving nursing home residents were the victims of a preventable slip and fall accident due to staffing negligence.

Overworked employees at understaffed facilities can cause catastrophic results when a doctor, nurse, nursing assistant, or other party fails to follow protocols to guarantee everyone's safety.

Like a car accident victim, a victim harmed by falling has a legal remedy to seek and obtain financial compensation from all parties responsible for their damages.

Facility and staff negligence might involve:

• Nurses and nurse's aides failing to follow the facility's protocols for patient security
• Improperly trained staff members handling medications or supplies in an unsafe way
• Negligent doctors prescribe improper medications, no appropriate protocol to prevent medical errors, and fail to report serious injuries
• Registered nurses failing to accurately transcribe a doctor's orders to provide treatment, care, and medication
• Negligent licensed practical nurses who practice without supervision
• Medication errors caused by the mishandling of medications or prescription errors
• Inadequate staffing levels and nursing staff working too many hours in a day lead to slips, falls, and other preventable accidents 
• Broken or malfunctioning call buttons that create dangerous scenarios when a nursing home resident in need of assistance get out of bed unsupervised to use the bathroom or sit in their wheelchair

Slip and Fall Accidents at Work

Workers' compensation laws help protect employees injured on the job against major expenses. For example, when someone is injured at work, the employer's workers' compensation insurance will cover their medical bills and lost wages while recovering from their injuries.

However, these laws do not protect against all types of job-related injuries. As such, any slipping and falling incidents at work may be covered under third-party liability. When this is the case, you can file a personal injury claim to recover the damages you sustained due to your workplace accident.

A slip and fall accident at work could qualify for workers' compensation if:

• You were at work and on the employer's paid time, such as eating lunch or doing work-related paperwork.
• You were injured in an accident, not due to your negligence (such as slipping and falling). Instead, the injury is considered a work-related injury. 

Examples include:

1. Tripping over debris within the workplace that the employer failed to clean up 
2. Slipping and falling on a spill. An employee walks through spilled liquid and slips and falls 
3. Choking when eating at work when the employer did not provide adequate cleanup for food spills

Injuries from slipping, tripping, and falling incidents can be costly, but it's even more expensive when you're hurt on the job. If your injuries are severe, you may need to take time off from work and incur other related expenses.

If your employer has insurance coverage, you can file a claim with them under workers' compensation laws. If not, you will likely have an opportunity for additional recovery against the third-party responsible for causing your workplace accident. If it's determined that one of your co-workers caused your accident, they can be held liable for damages.

Dangerous Occupations Susceptible to Slip and Fall Injuries

There are numerous jobs in various industries that are highly susceptible to slip and fall incidents. Some of these include:

• Bartenders and servers working on slippery floors
• Restaurant employees walking on greasy and oily surfaces
• Construction workers performing duties at great heights
• Jobs using ladders and scaffolds
• Workers going up and downstairs
• Store clerks working in the aisles
• Photographers taking photographs on uneven surfaces
• Photographers or construction workers using ladders to access roofs, etc. 

How Workers Prove a Slip and Fall Accidents was Not Due to Their Negligence

While an injured victim might be entitled to receive financial compensation for worker or property owner negligence, monetary recovery is not automatic. The victim must prove how another party's negligence or intention led to their damages by Illinois law.

Workers must show that other outside forces, not negligence, caused a slip and fall accident. To do that, they must prove that anyone could have slipped and fallen in the same manner under similar circumstances.

For example, if an ice storm made the entire area slippery, it would be difficult for a slip victim to hold another party responsible because everyone was negligent in maintaining safe working conditions.

The four elements of proving a case include:

• Someone or some company had a legal obligation to ensure the victim safety
• That entity or individual breached their duty, leading to slip and fall incidents
• The slip and fall accident involved the injured party, leading to damages that might include property damage, severe injury, or death
• The injured party (plaintiff) has real damages provable in court

You could be entitled to monetary reimbursement if you are injured after someone's negligence or failure to provide adequate warning or safety precautions.

It is only the basics of proving a claim against an employer, third party, or worker who was negligent in causing your workplace accident. There are many nuances within this process.

If you suffered an injury on the job, consulting with experienced Rockford, Illinois, personal injury lawyers could ensure your due damages under the law.

Injured Employees and Workers' Compensation Benefits

In Illinois, nearly every employee Who suffers injuries while working is entitled to receive workers' compensation benefits. However, it is not uncommon for the employee's insurance company to deny benefits even though they are legally obligated to make weekly, biweekly, Or monthly payments.

In cases involving temporary or permanent disability, the injured party might be entitled to receive a lump sum of financial recovery to resolve their personal injury case paid by the defendants' insurance companies.

A competent personal injury attorney working on behalf of the injured victim might file a personal injury lawsuit to obtain more compensation over and above workers' benefits that limit payment to cover all medical bills and lost wages. The additional compensation paid by the defendants' insurance companies might include:

• Payment for non-economic damages, including pain, suffering, mental anguish, and emotional distress
• Compensatory damages when the case is filed against third parties that might also be involved in the slip and fall accident, including medical treatment, physical therapy, and rehabilitation
• Punitive damages if the employer's actions were egregious

Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Surviving family members who lost a loved one in a slip and fall accident can file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking financial compensation for their losses and damages. Typically, qualify members to include surviving spouses, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, siblings, and others.

To file the case, the family members must prove that the loved one died from their injuries at any point after the incident. These points could include the accident scene, the emergency room, while in the hospital, during recovery, or months and years later.

These personal injury cases are often complex and require a significant amount of investigation by a personal injury attorney, who will hire medical experts to testify on behalf of the deceased member's family members.

Distributing Wrongful Death Benefits and Funds

The family must petition for the appointment of administrator or executor with the court to preside the case. The administrator represents all estate heirs and distributes funds, according to the Illinois probate code. In addition, a demand letter must be filed and sent to the company or individual responsible for the death to ensure they receive official notice of a claim.

If you have suffered a serious injury in a workplace accident, you might qualify for workers' compensation benefits and other financial assistance under Illinois law.

The experienced Chicago slip and fall attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC can offer legal counsel, provide proper documentation, and work to ensure you receive the appropriate and fair compensation due under the law.

Our Personal Injury Attorneys Have a Legal Team Behind Us

Our northern Illinois law firm has a team of tenacious liability attorneys, paralegals, investigators, consultants, and medical experts ready to build your case—and win. Our experience with personal injury cases involving all types of accidents ensures favorable results for our clients.

Contact our Winnebago County personal injury lawyers today at (888) 424-5757 to discuss your ongoing medical expenses and receiving financial recovery.

Put Our Rockford Personal Injury Lawyers to Work on Your Slip and Fall Case

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC's personal injury attorneys have a proven track record because we explore every possible route to recovering the fair compensation your case deserves.

We have helped thousands of people injured in premises liability and due to workplace accidents. If you have been injured, our Rockford personal injury attorneys can help you.

Contact us at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form today to arrange a free consultation. Speak with an award-winning Rockford slip and fall accident attorney so that we can let you know more about your legal options.

Suppose our personal injury law firm is unable to secure compensation on your behalf. In that case, our services will be free of charge because we accept all cases on a contingency fee basis.

All confidential or sensitive information you share with your personal injury lawyer remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

Rockford Slip and Fall Lawyer Resources:

• NIH - A systems perspective of slip and fall accidents on icy and snowy surfaces
• NIH - Slip, Trip, and Fall Injuries Among Nursing Care Facility Workers