Slip and fall accidents are accidents that are caused by slipping, tripping, or stumbling then falling as a result. In the legal world, we tend to define slip and fall accidents as incidents that occur due to the negligence of a property owner. This is a legal area often referred to as premises liability law. Property owners have an obligation to keep their properties safe for visitors and well-maintained. When this duty isn’t met, they can be found negligent and held accountable by law for injuries that occur.
Serious injuries often result from slip and fall accidents including head, neck, and back injuries that may involve severe complications with lasting effects. Serious back injuries may involve injury to the spinal cord. Fractures of the hip, wrist, or ankle are also common, particularly among the elderly who are more vulnerable to breaks and who also have the most difficult time recovering from such an injury.
While property owners have a duty to keep their premises safe, many do not take the time to inspect their property and take care of dangerous conditions until it is too late. When that happens, Biloxi, MS slip and fall lawyer Corban Gunn is here to help injury victims hold the property owner accountable and recover compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering costs, and other legal damages.
Mississippi Premises Liability Law
In the state of Mississippi, when a person is injured because of a dangerous condition on another’s property, the property owner may be liable if the owner created the condition or knew about the condition but failed to place warnings about it or fix it within a reasonable time frame. This time frame will usually be decided upon by the judge or jury.
Property owners are expected to regularly inspect their properties, so even if they claim they did not know about a defect or that something that is broken, it may be argued that they should have known about it. Proving what the owner knew or should have known can be complicated and sometimes requires the help of scientific experts or accident reconstructionist.
To make matters more complex, the duty of a property owner, property manager, or landlord can be different depending on the status of the person who was injured. For instance, different levels of care may apply toward people who are invited onto the property (invitees) such as customers or guests, people on the property for a legitimate business purposes (licensees) such as mail carriers, salespeople, or delivery persons, and people on the property without a legal right to be there (trespassers). Knowing how the law applies depending upon the status of the victim is important to a successful recovery.
Help is Available for All Types of Slip and Fall Accidents
At Corban Gunn, Attorney at Law, we help people injured in all types of slip and fall or trip and fall accidents on all types of property, including:
- Department stores and other retail stores
- Grocery stores
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Casinos
Some of the most common causes of accidents on these premises include:
- Food or drink spills
- Blocked aisles
- Falling objects
- Negligent/inadequate security
- Unmarked steps
- Broken or missing handrails
- Torn carpeting or floor tiles
- Cracked or broken sidewalks
- Leaky roofing or faulty gutters which may cause puddles and/or slippery walkways
- Ice or snow that doesn’t get removed or properly salted after icy weather
- Faulty lighting
- Debris from windstorms, overgrown trees, etc.
An Experienced Mississippi Slip and Fall Attorney for Serious Accidents
If you have been injured because of a dangerous condition on another’s premises that the property owner neglected to repair, contact Corban Gunn, Mississippi slip and fall lawyer, for a free consultation regarding your rights to compensation. From our office in Biloxi, we represent injury victims all along the Gulf Coast and across the entire state.
