When You May Need a Slip and Fall Attorney
It’s best to contact an expert slip and fall attorney in any situation where you have suffered an injury as a result of a slip and fall accident in a setting like a workplace, public building, or similar areas. Your attorney will be able to investigate the incident, gather evidence, establish who is at fault, and help you obtain justice and compensation to cover the costs of your injury.
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Slip and Fall Lawyers in Portland, Oregon
Slips and falls can happen anywhere. Any time. Any place. From your own home to your local grocery store. Your neighbor’s backyard to the public park down the road. Falls sometimes seem innocuous but can have devastating consequences and leave long-term damage, too. If you’ve had one, speaking with a Portland slip and fall accident lawyer is strongly encouraged.
Our Portland slip-and-fall lawyer team has the experience and expertise needed to handle any type of slip-and-fall case across this great city. Maybe you slipped or tripped at work. Or in a supermarket. Or even at a friend’s house. You’re likely entitled to some compensation, and we’re here to ensure you get it.
Trusted Portland Slip and Fall Lawyers Advocating for You
Always ready to fight for your rights, our Portland slip and fall accident attorney team is knowledgeable, experienced, and expert. We offer leading legal help. We’ll answer your questions, calm your concerns, and guide you through the turbulent and complex waters that often come with slip and fall and other injury cases, leading you to the best possible outcome.
Oregon Slip and Fall Law
The state of Oregon applies a comparative negligence law. With this law, if a person is 51% responsible for the slip and fall accident, you cannot receive any compensation from the building or property owner. It is the duty of the property owner to care for visitors. If, by any chance, their negligence leads to a slip and fall accident, the property owner will be held liable for damages. If you are a slip and fall accident victim in Oregon, you should know that several factors can affect your case. Two of Oregon’s most vital laws regarding slip and fall accidents are comparative negligence and statute of limitations.
- Comparative Negligence: In most Oregon slip and fall accident claims, the comparative negligence law comes into place. As mentioned earlier, Oregon laws state that a claimant can’t recover damages if they are 51% responsible for the slip and fall accident. To put it in perspective, if you are found to be 35% liable for the accident, you can receive 65% of the jury award.
- Statute of Limitations: Oregon, just like all the other states, has a statute of limitations on slip and fall accident claims. This refers to the amount of time within which you should file a lawsuit — if this time elapses, you will not be allowed to file the claim. In Oregon, the statute of limitations on slip and fall accidents is two years. Remember that they start counting from the day of the accident.
What Are the Most Common Slip and Fall Injuries?
- Bruises and Contusions: If you slip and fall, you’ll likely hit the ground (or some other object in the vicinity). The impact bursts blood vessels and damages the body, so fall victims often spot black and blue bruises around their bodies.
- Fractures and Breaks: The impacts of falls can even be nasty enough to split something as strong as bone. It’s not unheard of for those involved to get little hairline fractures or even full-on breaks. Often, the arms and ribs or the hip are affected.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries: Bumped your head in the fall? Then, you might need testing for TBIs. Traumatic brain injuries happen when the brain gets rocked inside the skull because of a heavy hit or knock. They have symptoms like memory loss and cognitive impairments.
- Psychological Trauma: People who have nasty falls and hurt themselves suffer mentally, too. They might be frightened to return to where the fall happened. Or have bad dreams about it. Or replay it in their heads, similar to PTSD symptoms.
- Death: This is a worst-case scenario. But it can happen, and it does happen. Some people who fall—especially those who are old or have pre-existing problems (like brittle bones)—die of injuries sustained. A wrongful death lawyer can support the surviving relatives.
What To Do After a Slip & Fall Accident In Portland
Hiring a Portland slip-and-fall lawyer is a must. But it’s just one bit of the puzzle. Here’s a list of the other critical steps:
- Seek Medical Attention: Get to the hospital after your accident. Or, if it’s not quite that serious, see your doctor. You have to be examined and have any injuries diagnosed (and remember that some injuries aren’t visible or even noticeable at first but hide under the surface, like internal bleeding).
- Report It: Contact your local police department about the accident. This is so that they’ll make an official police report. And that’s invaluable evidence to support your claim later on—your slip and fall lawyer, Portland will appreciate it.
- Gather More Evidence: A police report’s one thing, but there’s more evidence you can get to build your case and prove how the fall was incited. Get photos, videos, documents, and whatever evidence you can (like witness statements, too) to help you and your lawyer in the claim.
- Contact an Attorney: Start the hunt for slip-and-fall lawyers near you. And hire an experienced and proven Portland slip and fall accident attorney to take on your case. That puts you in the prime position to win it and get the maximum amount you’re entitled to.
Who Is Liable for Slip and Fall Accidents & Injuries?
It can be challenging to determine the at-fault party in a slip and fall accident. However, property owners can be held accountable for slip and fall injuries and accidents if you can prove that they:
- Knew about the risky or dangerous condition of their property but didn’t fix it.
- Should have known about the dangerous condition of their property and taken action by fixing it.
- Knowingly or unknowingly created the hazardous condition that resulted in the slip and fall accident.
When determining liability in a slip and fall accident, an Oregon court may consider:
- If the dangerous condition was a known problem for several months.
- The length of time the dangerous condition existed before the accident happened. Did the owner have enough time to fix it?
- Was the accident victim negligent or careless in any way that could have resulted in the accident?
- Did the owner take any appropriate or reasonable action to fix the dangerous condition?
If the court establishes that the landlord, property owner, or manager knew about the dangerous condition and failed to take reasonable action to repair it, they will be held responsible for the slip and fall accident and injuries.
What Is the Process of Filing a Slip and Fall Claim in Portland?
You have decided to seek compensation through legal action and hired an experienced personal injury attorney from Portland Legal Group, what next? Here are the steps taken when filing a slip and fall claim in Portland.
Investigate the Claim
The first step is investigating the claim. This ensures that we obtain all the necessary evidence that can help your case. The investigation will help determine:
- Whether you had permission to access the property or it was trespassing.
- Who was in charge of the property at the time of the slip and fall accident?
- If the property has dangerous conditions.
- If the property owner or manager knew about the dangerous conditions.
- Whether the bad condition resulted in the accident that caused your injuries.
Dealing With the Insurance Company
The next step involves filing a claim through the property owner’s insurance company. As your legal team, we will take care of all the legal processes and communication so that you can focus on recovery.
Filing a Lawsuit
The last step is filing a lawsuit. If our negotiations with the other party fail to reach a reasonable and fair settlement, we can consider filing a slip and fall accident lawsuit. Even though most of the settlements involving such accidents happen outside the courtroom, we are always prepared should the case go to trial.
Choose the Best Slip and Fall Attorneys in Portland
If you want the best chance of success in your slip and fall case, you can’t settle for second best. You need an experienced, expert legal team to help you make the best possible moves and achieve the ideal outcome. Contact our team today to learn more about how we can help you.
FAQs
How Do You Win a Slip and Fall Case?
Your attorney must prove that the landlord, property owner, or manager was negligent and their negligence resulted in the accident that caused your injuries.
Do I Need a Slip and Fall Attorney?
You need a Portland slip and fall attorney if you were involved in a slip and fall accident. Such claims can be complex, and providing negligence requires the help of a professional. With an attorney, you have the best chances of winning.
How Are Slip and Fall Settlements Calculated?
Factors that determine the amount of a slip and fall settlement include:
- Pain and suffering
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Cost of future care