A Simple Accident Can Lead to a Serious Injury

Many of us have been walking in a mall, a grocery store, or even a coffee shop like Starbucks and suffered an embarrassing slip and fall. Unfortunately, there are some of us who don't just endure embarrassment, but sustain a very serious injury from the slip/fall accident.

Falls are one of the leading accidents which result in injury. In fact, falls account for over one million injuries every year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some of the most common types of slip-and-fall injuries include:

• Torn ACL/torn MCL (knee ligaments)
• Lower back injury
• Strained muscle
• Broken bone in your foot, leg, or arm
• Head injury (which could lead to a traumatic brain injury)

If you are on someone else's property and suffer one of these injuries, the landowner or business proprietor (i.e. company) may be held liable for your injury. Take, for example, a slip-and-fall accident at a coffee shop. The company operating the business must act in a reasonable way for the safety of the customers. If you slipped on a wet surface left by employees and there was no sign out indicating the floor was wet, then you should strongly consider filing an injury claim against that business.

Some people may be hesitant to hire an attorney and go through the injury claims process, but consider your health and the potential costs of rehabbing a torn ligament in your knee. If you require surgery, the rehab process can last up to six weeks or longer, according to ACL Solutions. What if you suffer a low back injury? The chronic pain you may endure could last for months, or even years. You should not have to deal with these issues, and be stuck with the bill. At least, you should report the trip or slip-and-fall danger to the manager, as this forces them to record your injury and correct the problem.

If you believe the landowner or company acted negligently and that contributed to your slip-and-fall injury, I strongly advise you to speak with an attorney who specializes in these premises liability cases about your situation. If you'd like to contact our firm, we offer free, new client consultations (that means no cost to you, just a bit of your time).

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and. Check out our slip, trip, and fall case results. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia if you've been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness. 

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008 and have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010, which is an  honor fewer than 5 percent of lawyers receive. Also, attorneys with our firm have been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009.

In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical, respected law firms. Our firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer a free, initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail and we will return your call promptly.