PREMISES LIABILITY LAWYERS

Were You Hurt in a Slip, Trip or Fall Accident?

Business owners and property managers are required to keep their properties well-maintained and safe for use. When the owner of a property fails to conduct reasonable inspections of their properties, make necessary repairs or warn visitors about hazardous conditions such as spilled liquids, slick surfaces or blocked aisles, a serious accident can occur in only a moment’s notice. While accidents happen fast, the injuries resulting from slip and fall accidents and other premises liability cases can last a lifetime. If you sustained a personal injury in a slip and fall or some other accident involving negligence, contact Farrow & Pulice immediately for a free consultation. Our experienced and aggressive attorneys are ready to fight to protect your rights.

The following are some common injuries, accidents and issues related to premises liability cases in Florida:

• Grocery Store Injuries
• Shopping Mall Injuries
• Stairs or Elevator Injuries
• Apartment Complex Injuries
• Parking Lot Injuries
• Common Reasons for Slip and Fall Accidents
• Attacks and Assaults/Negligent Security
• What to Do if Injured at Someone Else’s Home?

Elements of a Florida Premises Liability Claim

To prevail on your premises liability claim, our attorneys collect vital evidence to prove that:

• The property owner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition.
• The property owner did not fix or warn you about the dangerous condition.
• You were injured and suffered damages because of the dangerous condition.

Who Is Liable For Your Injuries?

Under the doctrine of respondeat superior, a corporation is liable for the actions of its employees. For example, if you sustained a personal injury at a business, such as a grocery store, department store or shopping mall, the corporation is held accountable for the negligence of its managers, sales clerks and other personnel who were tasked with inspecting the premises, cleaning up spills and setting out cones to warn customers of slip and fall hazards.

Grocery Store Injuries

Florida residents and visitors make countless trips to the local grocery store each year, whether it’s Publix, Albertsons, Stop & Shop or Whole Foods Market. Whichever establishment you may prefer, grocery stores and supermarkets can be safe if well-maintained, but items can fall from shelves, creating a slippery surface, possibly causing a slip and fall accident. If heavy merchandise falls from a shelf, a shopper can be struck and injured. A number of different accidents can injure shoppers through no fault of their own.

At Farrow & Pulice, our attorneys understand that grocery store managers and owners are obligated to take steps to keep customers safe from harm. An accident can happen in an instant if employees fail to clean up liquid soap spills and other food items. Unfortunately, grocery store employees may carelessly stack items on a shelf, which can present a significant accident risk. Sometimes accidents happen because of the following negligent factors:

• Slippery floor that was not cleaned properly
• Boxes left in aisles
• Careless stacking of items on shelves
• Failure to post signs warning about wet floor or other potentially hazardous condition
• Unsafe floor mat positioning, or leaving bumps or mounds in a floor map that can cause a trip or fall

An injury at a grocery store can turn life upside down in the blink of an eye. You may be hurt. A loved one may have been injured or killed. But the grocery store owner or management may say they did nothing to cause the accident. They might even say that the injury victim caused his or her own accident. If you or someone you know was seriously injured and believe you have a premises liability case, it’s important to speak with an experienced attorney in Florida.

Shopping Mall Injuries

Hundreds of thousands of shoppers visit DeSoto Square Mall in Bradenton, Ellenton Premium Outlets, Sarasota Pavilion and other shopping centers across the area every year. While most people may not believe they’ll ever be injured while shopping, injuries are common at shopping malls in Florida and throughout the United States every year. To further complicate matters, often, shoppers could have done nothing to prevent their accident from happening.

In cases involving mall injuries, someone may slip, trip or fall on a wet surface. If no one put up proper warning signs, the owner or management may be liable for your injuries. In other types of mall premises liability cases, a visitor may be assaulted in a parking lot, leading to a negligent security claim. The owner or management may be liable for failing to have proper security measures in place or adequate lighting.

Common types of accidents and injuries sustained at shopping malls include:

• Slip and fall accidents
• Head and body injuries from falling objects
• Shopping cart injuries resulting from a cart tipping over
• Overcrowding injuries or trampling injuries
• Parking lot accidents

Insurance company adjusters may dismiss your claim as minor, but our premises liability attorneys take every injury very seriously. We know that a fall that leads to a broken hip or a brain injury can have grave consequences.

At Farrow & Pulice, we understand how difficult life can become after an accident at a shopping mall. Chances are you did nothing wrong. But proving fault can be difficult. Store or property owners may claim they were unaware of dangerous conditions. They may say they inspected their property for dangers our even that you did something to cause your own injuries. An experienced attorney can help prove fault for your injuries and obtain the compensation you deserve after an accident.

Stairs or Elevator Injuries

Stairways, elevators and escalators are a common sight from Southwestern Florida shopping malls to office buildings. You may have used a store’s stairs, escalator or elevator countless times and thought nothing of it – until your accident. While most people may not think twice about using a shopping mall escalator or office stairwell multiple times every week, accidents happen in Florida and across the United States each year. At Farrow & Pulice, our experienced legal team understands that injuries occurring as a result of a defective stairwell or elevator can have serious, potentially fatal consequences.

If you were injured or a loved one was injured or killed while using a stairwell, escalator or elevator, a number of situations may have led to the accident. But some causes of accidents are more common and occur more frequently than others. Common examples of stairway and elevator accidents include the following:

• Clothing being caught in an escalator’s moving stairs
• Slip, trip and fall accidents on broken stairs
• Falls from a height due to loose handrails
• Elevator doors that close on patrons.
• Elevators that get trapped between floors
• Defective alarms on elevators leading to an assault, rape or robbery
• Defective emergency stop mechanisms on escalators

When an accident occurs on an elevator, escalator or stairwell, the owner of the building may be held responsible for creating the dangerous conditions leading up to the accident. If a building owner or property manager is responsible for insufficient safety inspections, poor maintenance or failed to address known safety issues, he or she may be held liable for your medical bills, future medical bills, lost wages from missing work and other damages.

Apartment Complex Injuries

When renting an apartment or house in Florida, it’s reasonably expected that landlords and property owners will perform necessary maintenance, address safety issues and provide tenants with a safe and secure premises. But this isn’t always the case. At Farrow & Pulice, we have experience handling cases involving tenants injured due to an apartment landlord or property owner’s negligence.

Apartment complex injuries may occur for a variety of reasons. In some cases, injured renters may have notified landlords of hazardous conditions inside an apartment complex. In other instances, a hazard is not discovered by tenants until after the injury occurred. We investigate all apartment complex injury cases thoroughly in order to discover the true cause of your accident and what precautions were taken by property owners to prevent accidents.

A list of potential apartment accident injuries is long and distressing, including the following:

• Slips, trips or falls on broken stairways
• Falls from a height due to loose handrails
• Electrocution injuries from defective appliances
• Slip and fall accidents on laundry room floor puddles
• Burn injuries from defective radiators
• Injuries or fatalities from fires in apartment complexes
• Assaults in poorly lit hallways or parking lots
• Robberies or assaults caused by defective locks
• Inadequate security cameras or security guards

Apartment complex injuries can be legally complicated for a number of reasons. That’s because the building owner – whose insurance exists to provide injured tenants with compensation after an accident – may try to say he or she did nothing wrong to cause the accident. Even when clearly at fault, the landlord or building management may even try to say that you caused the accident or created the conditions leading to your accident and injuries.

Parking Lot Injuries

Parking lots in Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice and all over Southwestern Florida can be dangerous places. You could slip and fall on a wet surface or a hazardous object hidden from plain view. You could be assaulted at night – or in broad daylight – due to poor security efforts. You could even be involved in a pedestrian accident due to the careless behavior of a driver behind the wheel of his or her vehicle and find yourself in the hospital with a spinal cord or brain injury.

Property owners have legal obligations to ensure safe access into and out of their parking lots, including clear lines of sight, adequate lighting and other safety measures such as security cameras or even security guards if the area is known for criminal activity. When they fail to do so, they may be held accountable for your accident. In many cases, people sustain injuries in parking lots just walking to a store or while leaving a building and walking to their car.

Parking lot injuries in Florida can occur for a variety of different reasons, including the following:

• Defective sidewalks
• Ineffective signage
• Inadequate lighting
• Lack of security cameras

Parking lot accidents may result in serious consequences for the victim, including severe injuries or in some cases a wrongful death. While you might think your claim is straightforward and the insurance companies will compensate you fairly, you may find insurance companies try to settle your case quickly, before the true long-term cost of your injuries is known. On your own, you may feel overwhelmed. WE can help. No matter the type of injury you’re dealing with, the results-driven legal team at Farrow & Pulice can put experience and resources to work for you. Our attorneys have over 60 years of combined experience protecting the rights of injury victims across Florida.

Common Reasons for Slip and Fall Accidents

Property owners have a responsibility to maintain their premises and keep conditions safe. Unfortunately, people in Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice and Port Charlotte get hurt in slip and fall accidents every day. The experienced legal team at Farrow & Pulice, P.A. works tirelessly to hold property owners, business managers and other parties responsible if they fail to keep their premises safe from harm.

Slip and fall accidents can happen for a wide variety of reasons at grocery stores, shopping malls, department stores, hotels, apartment complexes and other properties across Florida. However, some causes of slip and fall accidents are more common than others. The following are common reasons why slip and fall accidents occur and cause significant injuries:

• Unmarked wet floors or spills
• Negligent care of a sidewalk or publicly owned area, such as a pothole in the ground
• Unsafe or narrow stairways
• Torn carpeting or changes in flooring
• Poor lighting
• Safety code violations

In Florida, slip and fall accident cases can be extremely complex. You may believe your case seems straight forward. You slipped and fell. A property owner may have clearly been negligent. But often, property owners will insist they did nothing wrong. Their insurance companies might try to downplay the extent of your injuries. You may even find that they claim no evidence exists proving that you slipped, tripped or fell.

Farrow & Pulice has a strong track record for obtaining favorable settlements and verdicts for slip and fall accident victims. Building such strong cases often takes a lot of time and effort. We know how to find the right evidence. We can interview witnesses. We have access to police records and top medical experts who can determine the true long-term cost of your injuries. We’re ready to work tirelessly on your behalf.

Attacks and Assaults / Negligent Security

Negligent security is a legal term used to describe when a property owner or manager fails to put into place or enforce basic security measures, such lighting, fencing or security cameras. If you’ve been robbed, assaulted or suffered injuries on somebody else’s property due to a business or property owner’s negligent behavior, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit against that business owner for your injuries.

Going to a restaurant or sporting event should not be a dangerous activity. In Florida, business owners have a legal responsibility to provide customers with a certain level of protection. Other types of businesses – such as bars or nightclubs – have additional responsibilities to patrons. At Farrow & Pulice, we understand that people are often put at risk of attack or assault while attending public events or visiting public places because of negligent security, such as:

• Insufficient security guards on the business premises
• Broken security cameras
• Dark parking lots
• Firearms, knives or other weapons permitted on the property
• Belligerent, unruly patrons allowed to remain at the business
• Over-serving alcoholic beverages to intoxicated bar patrons

You have a right to expect to be kept safe while on the grounds of a business or organization. Businesses or organizations may be liable if you are injured as a result of negligent security. But you may find your accident difficult to prove for many reasons. Property owners may deny responsibility. They may try to hide or destroy evidence demonstrating wrongdoing. In some cases they may even try to say that you caused the accident.

When that happens, you need to take strong legal action against the property owner. A serious crime has been committed. Someone needs to be held accountable. Our legal team works tirelessly to hold negligent property owners accountable and secure the compensation you deserve after your accident.

What to Do If Injured at Someone Else’s Home?

When visiting the home of a family member or friend, the last thing on your mind is that you or a loved one would sustain serious and life-altering injuries. That’s why a residential property accident can be difficult and confusing for accident victims. You may wonder how to obtain the compensation you need for your injuries without filing a complex claim against a family member, friend or neighbor.

At Farrow & Pulice, we understand you may be hesitant to file a claim after being injured at someone else’s home. But you have every right to hold a property owner and his or her insurance company responsible. It’s important to remember that when file a claim, you deal with insurance companies and not directly with a friend or neighbor. Our attorneys know how to apply the appropriate discretion while seeking the compensation you deserve.

What are the most common types of injuries sustained on residential property?

• Staircase injuries caused by defective lighting, broken stairs or defective handrails
• Swimming pool accidents caused by inadequate fencing or slippery surfaces
• Slip, trip and fall accidents due to objects lying around or torn carpeting
• Trampoline or swing set accidents
• Dog bites or animal attacks

Discover the difference our experienced attorneys can make after you’ve been injured at somebody else’s home. Call Farrow & Pulice, P.A. at 866-408-1220 or contact our firm online to schedule your free initial consultation. Our attorneys offer flexible office hours, including on weekends, and can conduct appointments in your home or hospital room if you are unable to travel to one of our office locations.