If you have ever been injured while walking indoors or outside, you may experience debilitating injuries. A slip and fall can happen in a grocery store, shopping mall, restaurant, public garage, sidewalk, or even on your neighbor’s front steps. Slips, trips, and falls are a leading cause of injury for adults 65 years of age and over in the United States. When a property owner or landlord does not take appropriate steps to protect others from harm, legal repercussions may be available.
Handling an insurance claim can be tiresome, making you question if you should pay for your expenses out of pocket and move on. This is never in your best interest when another party is responsible for your pain. If you have been affected by a slip and fall in the Keystone State, the slip and fall accident lawyers at HGSK Injury Lawyers are here to assist you.
Causes of Slips, Trips, and Falls in Reading, PA
A slip, trip, and fall can be caused by any of the following:
- Broken or cracked sidewalks
- Potholes
- Uneven flooring
- Puckering in carpets
- Loose rugs or mats
- Wet or sticky floors
- Icy sidewalks or steps
- Poor lighting
When is a Property Owner or Landlord Responsible?
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania allows injured parties to recover damages in certain situations. These situations include if the landlord or property owner knew of the dangerous condition and failed to remediate it, or if the landlord or property owner caused the hazard. Recovery depends on you gathering the necessary information to demonstrate the owner’s liability. Evidence may include video surveillance, photographs, and eyewitness testimony.
However, the state of Pennsylvania will only permit you to bring your case to court within two years of the incident. This limitation period applies to all personal injury cases within the state. If you fail to bring your case to court within that time frame, you risk being barred from recovery. However, there are circumstances that may “toll” the statute of limitations, giving you more time to file a claim. Even if you believe you missed the statutory deadline, you should speak with our Reading slip and fall accident lawyers to make sure you have exhausted all your legal options.
What Damages Can I Claim in a Slip and Fall Case?
In a slip and fall case, you may be eligible to recoup economic damages. These are direct financial losses you sustained because of your injury. Some common economic damages in a slip and fall case may include:
- Lost wages
- Ambulatory services
- Emergency room care
- Surgeries and treatments
- Prescription costs
- Mobility aids
- Home modifications
In contrast, your attorney may also seek non-economic damages on your behalf. Non-economic damages are intangible losses that impact your quality of life but have no inherent financial value. In a slip and fall case, non-economic damages may include:
- Pain and suffering
- Infliction of emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Humiliation
- Damage to reputation
- Diminished quality of life
- Scarring and/or disfigurement
You may not realize that some of these losses have impacted you or your loved ones. Although there is no price tag on non-economic damages, you deserve compensation for these losses that impact your mental and emotional health. Given the extent to which non-economic damages affect someone’s contentment, these damages often exceed economic losses.
Our firm uses the multiplier method to calculate non-economic damages. The multiplier method is based on your pain severity scale (1.5 to 5, with 5 being the most severe). From there, we multiply this figure by the amount of economic damages to quantify your total non-economic damages. Knowing which non-economic damages apply can be difficult and is best left to an experienced professional.
Reach Out to Our Reading Slip and Fall Accident Lawyers
The physical and emotional pain that a person can experience following a slip and fall can prevent them from pursuing all that life has to offer. That is why our Reading slip and fall accident lawyers are committed to helping individuals recover maximum compensation for their suffering. We pride ourselves on assisting individuals in a fast-paced society, securing $1.35 million in one of our recent slip and fall suits. If you have experienced injuries following a slip, trip, or fall, our legal team would like to speak with you. To schedule a consultation, contact HGSK Injury Lawyers today online or by phone at (267) 551-8782.