Slip and Fall Lawyer in Washington, DC
In Washington, DC, and throughout Northern Virginia, people become injured due to slip and fall accidents which could happen on commercial property or residential property, as well as other recreational and public areas.
A slip and fall accident, by definition, describes when someone falls, trips, or slips and becomes injured. If these injuries happen in the workplace or on another person’s property, a premises liability claim can be filed against the homeowner or business owner.
These accidents are pretty self-explanatory to most people, but some aspects of these accidents are often overlooked or are somewhat unclear. The following information will explain the legal aspects surrounding slip and fall lawsuits in Washington, DC.
Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents in Washington, DC
It's important to understand that while there are a variety of factors that contribute to slips and falls, the validity of these claims can be tough to prove because of the numerous fraudulent claims that have been filed over the years. This factor is combined with the amount of surveillance equipment most DC businesses use around their premises. In order to withstand the litigation process, your claim must be robust and accurate.
Common causes for slips and falls may include:
- Obstructions or debris
- Slippery or wet floor
- Uneven surfaces
- Broken equipment
Filing a Slip and Fall Lawsuit in Washington, DC
If you were injured in a slip and fall accident due to the negligence of a property owner, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit for damages. It can be a difficult task trying to determine whether someone else was responsible for a person’s slip and fall accident. Every situation is unique, and depends on whether or not the property owner allowed the condition to remain unsafe, consequently exposing a person to an unexpected, unavoidable hazard (a form of negligence). The injured party must be able to show that the accident occurred due to a dangerous situation that the property owner was aware of, or should have been aware of.
Additionally, the dangerous conditions on the property must have been an unreasonable risk that any property visitor wouldn’t have expected to encounter under any other circumstances. Property owners are not responsible for injuries a person sustains due to careless or reckless behavior that could have easily been avoided. The victim must be able to prove that the property owner was already aware of the dangerous conditions by providing the following evidence:
- The hazardous condition was created by the property owner.
- The property owner was aware of the dangerous condition, but never fixed it.
- The property owner could have fixed the problem before the accident occurred, because the condition had existed for a significant amount of time.
The explanation above makes it pretty clear: in order to hold a property owner negligently responsible in a Washington, DC slip and fall lawsuit the victim must be able to prove that the accident was conceivable as a result of the defendant creating the dangerous circumstances.
Slip and Fall Cases in DC: Contributory Negligence
The District of Columbia is one of the few jurisdictions that still follows contributory negligence. According to this rule, any negligent acts by the injured victim, such as failing to notice an obvious spilled drink on the floor of a restaurant and then slipping and suffering an injury, can result in no recovery for the damages the victims suffered. Any recovery by the injured victim will be completely barred, even if they are only 1% at-fault for the accident.
Contact Our Slip and Fall Lawyers in Washington, DC
The experienced legal team at Dash Injury Law Firm will help guide you through the complicated legal process of filing a slip and fall lawsuit in Washington, DC.
The sooner you can get a lawyer involved in your case, the faster you can begin to vindicate and preserve your legal rights. Our DC slip and fall lawyers will help you:
- Handle issues with insurance companies,
- Collect important documents and evaluate evidence,
- Speak to witnesses to prepare for litigation,
- Negotiate a fair settlement,
- Litigate the case on your behalf, and
- Providing professional legal advice during a time when you need to focus on recovering from an injury.
Call Dash Injury Law Firm today at 888-(DASH-LAW) or complete an online contact form for a free consultation.
The information contained in these pages should not be taken as a substitute for legal advice and it is in fact not legal advice, especially as to cases which are highly fact-specific.