Tampa Slip-and-Fall Lawyer

Suffering from a slip-and-fall accident in Tampa can leave a victim suffering serious injuries and trauma. These injuries may leave you unable to work or care for yourself without help, even as the bills pile up. Whether you slipped on wet flooring in a hotel off West Kennedy Boulevard or tripped over loose wiring at a small business in Wellswood, an experienced and skilled Tampa slip-and-fall lawyer is here to protect your rights to seek due compensation and justice. 

Why Should I Hire Ronald Bone, P.A.?

For over 30 years, Ronald Bone, P.A., has helped clients secure the compensation they are owed after suffering injury due to another party’s negligence, recklessness, or intentional wrongdoing. From our St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay offices, we strive to offer our clients the dedicated and competent legal service and support they deserve at this difficult time.

Over the years, we have secured billions of dollars in compensation for our clients and are now ready to work toward the same outcome for you. While it is true that past results cannot guarantee a future outcome, we are here to do everything in our power to seek the full and fair compensation you deserve. 

Understanding Slip-and-Fall Claims in the Tampa Area

In the United States, 35 percent of all personal injury claims involve slip-and-fall accidents, and nearly 3 million emergency room visits each year are due to falls. If you have suffered injury in a slip-and-fall accident, an experienced attorney can better help you understand your legal rights and options when it comes to recovering compensation. 

You Must Prove That an Owner Knew About the Problem, or Should Have Known

In a slip-and-fall claim, it is essential that you are able to prove that the property owner knew or should have been reasonably aware that their property had a dangerous condition present. In order to demonstrate negligence on the property owner’s part, you will need to show that they had actual or constructive knowledge of the dangerous condition.

Actual knowledge means that the owner of the property owed you a specific duty of care to be aware of the dangerous condition present, and constructive knowledge means that you should have known the condition existed. To prove these two forms of knowledge in your slip-and-fall case, you can utilize certain forms of evidence to show the following:

• The dangerous condition lasted for an amount of time during which the property owner should have been aware of its existence.
• The dangerous condition happened on a regular basis, and the property owner made no meaningful attempt to fix it or post warning signs about the condition.
• The property owner had complete knowledge of the existence of the dangerous condition and made no real attempts to fix it.

Negligence Has Four Elements

In order to secure your claim, you and your attorney will need to prove the four aspects of negligence. These are:

1. Duty of care. The owner owed you a specific duty of care to keep their property free of any dangerous conditions. 
2. Breach of duty. By negligence to properly repair those dangerous conditions, the owner of the property breached this essential duty. 
3. Causation. This breach of duty caused you to suffer an accident and resulting injuries or other damages.
4. Actual damages. As a result of these injuries, you suffered actual damages such as medical bills or lost wages. 

At Ronald Bone, P.A., we are here to review your case and help you prove these four aspects of negligence. 

Causes of Common Slips and Falls Are Generally Purely Negligent

Slip-and-fall accidents can happen virtually on any property. From a large corporation store like Walmart to your apartment complex, when a dangerous condition is present and not addressed, you can suffer. Most often, slip-and-fall accidents take place due to the following conditions present on a property:

• Broken or uneven stairs
• Clutter and debris in walkways
• Loose rugs, mats, or carpeting
• Spills, leaks, or cleaning activities that lead to slick and slippery flooring
• Poor or inadequate lighting
• Uneven, loose, or broken flooring
• Exposed and trailing cables, extension cords, and wires
• Broken or missing guardrails or handrails
• Malfunctioning elevators or escalators

If you have suffered an injury in a slip-and-fall accident in Tampa due to any of these causes, the attorneys at Ronald Bone, P.A., are here to protect your rights to legal compensation. 

Damages You Can Recover in a Slip-and-Fall Case

In Florida, the victims of slip-and-fall accidents due to negligence are legally able to seek compensation for their accident-related damages and injuries. In a single year, the United States has witnessed around $1.2 billion in personal injury costs. These forms of damage can be split into four categories and include:

• Economic damages. These are tangible damages that can be assigned a monetary value. These damages include all current and future related medical care, any necessary rehabilitative care, modifications that are needed to your home or vehicle, and any lost income you have suffered as a result of missing work in order to recover from your injuries. 
• Non-economic damages. These damages are more difficult to assign a specific value to, as they are considered intangible losses. These include physical pain and emotional suffering from your injuries, emotional trauma and humiliation, the diminished quality of life or a loss of the enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium. 
• Punitive damages. This form of damages is rarely awarded, but when it is, it can add a tremendous amount of value to your claim. Punitive damages are usually involved in cases where the actions of the liable party are considered grossly negligent and are ordered to punish the liable party and deter them from taking similar actions in the future. 
• Wrongful death damages. If a loved one has died in a slip-and-fall accident or because of an injury they received in a slip-and-fall accident, depending on your relationship, you may be able to seek wrongful death damages. These damages can help cover any medical bills associated with your loved one’s injury and death, as well as any funeral or burial costs. 

At Ronald Bone, P.A., we are here to review your case and calculate the full amount of compensation you are entitled to seek.

What You Need to Do Following a Slip-and-Fall Accident in Tampa

Following a slip-and-fall accident, there are specific steps you should take in order to protect yourself and your future rights to compensation. These steps include:

• Reporting the accident to a store manager or property owner
• Seeking medical attention even if you do not feel seriously injured
• Taking photos of the dangerous condition that caused your accident and injury
• Taking photos of your injury
• Gathering the contact information of all of the potential eyewitnesses
• Filing an official incident report with the business on whose property your accident happened
• Contacting the attorneys at Ronald Bone, P.A., to start the process of building and filing your official slip-and-fall accident claim

FAQs

Q: ​​Where Do Most Slip-and-Fall Cases Happen in Florida?

A: In Florida, slip-and-fall cases can happen in a multitude of different locations. These locations can include parking garages, transit stations, hospitals, amusement parks, hotels, resorts, and spas, office complexes, nursing homes, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, grocery stores, retail stores, small businesses, apartment buildings, and schools or local colleges. 

Q: What Are the Most Common Injuries in a Slip-and-Fall Accident?

A: In a slip-and-fall accident, the most common injuries can include broken bones and fractures, internal bleeding, organ damage, or nerve damage, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injuries, concussions, muscle strains and sprains, ankle and knee injuries, eye injuries, dental injuries, cuts and bruises, and potential infections, depending on the nature of the accident.

Q: What Evidence Can Help Prove a Slip-and-Fall Case?

A: There are many forms of evidence that can help prove a slip-and-fall case in Tampa. The most common forms of evidence include videos and photos of your injuries and of the accident scene, or the dangerous condition that caused your accident, as well as security footage and the statements made by witnesses to the accident. 

Q: How Can an Attorney Help Me?

A: There are many ways an attorney can assist you in a slip-and-fall accident case. They are there to independently investigate the accident in order to determine cause and liability, draft and file all of the required paperwork, make certain that your claim has been correctly assessed and valued, and work to negotiate a fair settlement. If negotiations are unsuccessful, your attorney can argue for you in court. 

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Hire a Slip-and-Fall Lawyer Serving Tampa Residents

If you, a family member, or someone you love has suffered an injury due to a negligent or reckless property owner or manager, you need to hire a slip-and-fall lawyer as soon as possible. In these cases, it is essential that you work with a skilled attorney who can protect your rights.

When you work with the team at Ronald Bone, P.A., you can gain the confidence that comes from knowing you have the right people in your corner. Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation.