Slip and Fall Lawyer

Slips or trips and falls on the job occur frequently in the U.S. Unfortunately, not all workers have been properly made aware of what their rights are in these situations. If you have been injured in a work-related fall, it is important that you connect with an attorney who handles such cases as soon as you can. Depending on the unique circumstances that led to your fall, you may be entitled to one or more kinds of compensation at this time.

Workers’ Compensation

If you are either properly classified as an employee (part-time or full-time) or are improperly classified as an independent contractor, chances are good that you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if you are injured or made ill on the job. As workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, you are likely entitled to these benefits—even if you were totally to blame for the circumstances that led to your injury—as long as you weren’t drunk, high, picking a fight, or purposefully trying to get hurt when you went down.

If it is possible that you are entitled to these benefits, you’ll want to act quickly to connect with an attorney. As an experienced slip and fall lawyer – including those who practice at Wieand Law Firm, LLC – can confirm, workers’ compensation claims are among the most time-sensitive legal matters in the U.S. If you do not take specific actions within a number of days of your fall, you may be barred from seeking your rightful compensation.

Premises Liability Lawsuits

If someone or some business/legal entity other than your employer may either be totally or partially to blame for your fall, you may have grounds upon which to file a personal injury lawsuit. For example, if you slipped and fell after someone intentionally pushed you, you may be able to hold that individual responsible for their harmful actions. (You won’t be able to sue your employer directly if you are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits because of a loophole in the system that protects companies from liability in the event of work-related injury.)

If you slipped or tripped and fell as a result of a dangerous condition on property not formally owned by your employer, you may be able to file a premises liability lawsuit. Although the nuances of this area of law vary by state, most of the time victims can hold property owners or managers responsible if they either knew or should have known about a dangerous condition on their property, had time to fix the dangerous condition, and failed to remedy the situation.