Hackensack Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer

If you suffered an injury in a slip and fall incident that might have arisen from a negligent party, the experienced slip and fall attorneys at Hackensack, New Jersey are here for you.

At Hackensack, New Jersey, we pride ourselves on fighting for the legal rights of those who are wrongfully injured. Our goal is to achieve the best possible result in every case, even if that means taking your case to trial. Throughout the case process, we provide the highest level of personalized care and attention to each and every client who entrusts us with their legal matter. We stand behind the legal services we provide. In fact, if we don’t recover compensation for your injuries, you owe us nothing for our services.

Our experienced Hackensack slip and fall accident lawyers know how serious slip and fall injuries can be and their significant impact on your life. They will investigate your claim with every available resource to pinpoint what happened and who is liable. Then they will hold the liable party or parties accountable for your damages. Sometimes this means negotiating a reasonable settlement; less often, it requires going to court. Reach out to our personal injury attorneys to get a consultation today.

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Where Do Slip and Fall Accidents Occur?

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in a single recent year, there were 24.8 million physician office visits and 97.9 million emergency room visits for unintentional injuries. These include injuries resulting from slip and fall accidents, of which there were 42,114 deaths. In the previous year, the total medical costs for falls reached over $50 billion.

Sadly, property owners or occupiers may have prevented many of these slip and falls but for their negligence. 

Slips and falls can occur in many places, but some common locations for slip and fall accidents in Hackensack and New York include:

• Retail stores such as ShopRite or Aldi
• Malls such as Westfield Garden State Plaza or The Shops at Riverside
• Restaurants ranging from McDonald’s to The Cheesecake Factory
• Apartment complexes
• Private homes
• Parks such as Johnson or Staib Parks
• Playgrounds
• Theaters including AMC Ridgefield Park 12, Teaneck Cinemas, or IPIC Fort Lee
• Stadiums and other sports arenas, including MetLife Stadium and Hackensack High School Stadium
• Nursing homes
• Hospitals
• Assisted-living facilities

Causes of Hackensack Slip and Fall Accidents

New York sees its fair share of winter weather conditions, and property owners must be ready to act. Building owners or renters, in some cases, their caretakers have a legal responsibility to shovel the sidewalks, plow the parking lot, and salt walkways during this season.

If they fail to do so, slip and fall accidents are more likely. Customers or visitors can fall on wet floors inside the building, on ice or snow in the parking lot, or on the outside walkways. Most slip and fall settlements or court awards result from weather-caused negligence.

Other causes of slip and falls include:

• Freshly mopped or waxed floors
• Spills on floors, such as liquid or food in a grocery store
• Flooding in restrooms
• Leaky appliances like freezers and fridges
• Failure to lay down carpets in entryways to help absorb water tracked in from the weather conditions

Slip and falls can lead to countless injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries (TBI), back injuries, broken bones, spinal cord injuries, as well as many others. Victims often incur steep medical bills and endure pain and suffering. At the same time, they might not go to work. They deserve compensation for suffering these unnecessary consequences due to someone else’s negligence.

Who is Liable for Your Hackensack Slip and Fall?

Liability can be tricky to determine in slip and fall accidents. Generally, under premise liability laws, the injured party must prove at least one of the following to be true.

The owner of the premises or an agent or employee:

• Must have caused the spill or other slippery or dangerous surface
• Must have known of the dangerous surface but failed to take any action, such as cleaning it up or using warning signs
• Should have had knowledge of the hazardous surface because a “reasonable” person in their position should have found it and removed or repaired it

Those injured in a slip and fall also need to prove that their injuries and damages directly stem from their fall.

Depending on the location and circumstances of your accident, parties who you can hold liable for a slip and fall include:

• Commercial property owners
• Homeowners
• Companies that lease their business locations
• Property management companies hired to maintain residential, commercial, and industrial premises
• Builders and construction companies
• Service providers such as cleaning companies and repair companies

What is Your Hackensack Slip and Fall Case Worth?

Meeting with a Hackensack slip and fall accident attorney from Reinartz Law Firm is the best way to get an estimate of what your slip and fall case might be worth. Many factors can influence the value of your claim. Your compensation depends on the damages or losses related to your injuries.

It can also depend on:

• The location of your slip and fall
• The insurance policies covering the premises where you fell
• If more than one party is liable
• The cause of your accident
• The types and severity of your injuries
• The strength of your case—if you can prove negligence and your injuries and damages
• The long-term effects of your injuries, if there are any

How to Prove Negligence to Recover Slip and Fall Compensation

Unfortunately, not everyone who suffers an injury from a slip and fall accident deserves financial recovery. Only injured individuals who can establish that another party was negligent in causing their slip and fall have a right to compensation.

You won’t have a viable claim unless you can prove negligence on the part of the property owner, occupant, or agent.

No matter what type of insurance policy might cover your injuries, you must demonstrate:

• A hazard existed on the property
• The property owner knew or reasonably should have known the hazard was there
• The injured party was on the property legally (they weren’t trespassing)
• The hazard caused the victim’s fall, which led to their injuries
• The victim suffered damages due to their injuries

No insurance policy will cover slip and fall damages if these elements aren’t present. However, you can still use any health insurance coverage you have to pay for your medical bills.

Private Residence Slip and Fall Injuries

Those who fall at a private residence might be eligible to file a claim on the owner’s homeowner’s insurance coverage. Most homeowners are required to maintain this type of insurance coverage.

Homeowners who still have a mortgage must have property insurance under their loan terms. If they own their property outright without a mortgage, they may or may not have this coverage.

Insurance companies are more than happy to collect premiums from customers but paying on claims is another story. Homeowners often face rising premiums or even insurance policy cancellation if someone files a claim. As such, some homeowners are reluctant to tell anyone they have insurance or who their insurance company is to protect their insurance coverage. There isn’t a national registry or public database to determine if someone has an active homeowner’s insurance policy.

To find out if they have this type of policy, your Hackensack slip and fall accident attorney will need to ask them. If the property owner refuses to respond, they might need to use legal action to find out.

Business or Commercial Property Slip and Falls

Most business establishments purchase commercial property insurance coverage. It’s similar to a homeowner’s policy but usually has much higher coverage limits. For example, commercial property insurance policies cover nearly all accidents at a business when negligence was a factor, including slip and fall accidents.

Negligence can play a role if:

• Employees don’t clean spills and drips promptly
• Ice and snow aren’t cleared off parking lots and walkways within a reasonable amount of time, and appropriate salt, sand, or other treatments to prevent falls aren’t applied
• Walkways aren’t kept in good repair or have uneven surfaces, holes, or cracks
• Parking lot surfaces aren’t adequately maintained to avoid potholes and cracks
• There are physical obstacles present such as loose cords
• Other hazards exist, such as sharp edges on racks and shelves or improperly stacked merchandise
• Doors prevent easy customer movement in and out of the business, especially for customers with assistive devices like walkers, wheelchairs, or baby strollers

Liability insurance gives business owners protection from slip and fall claims and lawsuits. However, insurance companies don’t routinely issue a check every time there’s an injury on the premises. Even if a business has premises liability or general liability insurance, the insurer can still deny your claim.

If customers, vendors, contractors, or subcontractors caused your slip and fall accident, there can be more sources of compensation through each third party. However, under some circumstances, the applicable commercial property insurance will also provide coverage.

Government Liability for Slip and Fall Accidents

If your slip and fall incident occurred on government property or involved a government employee, your claim will be against a government entity. However, these types of claims can be extremely challenging, and specific laws apply. If your claim is against a government agency, you must hire a knowledgeable Hackensack slip and fall accident attorney to handle your case.

Injured victims must prove the following:

• The government agency knew or should have reasonably known of a dangerous condition on the premises

or

• A government employee acted negligently, which caused an accident

Hackensack Slip and Fall FAQs

Do You Have Slip and Fall Injuries? Reach out to the Seasoned Hackensack Slip and Fall Lawyers at Reinartz Law Firm Today

Suppose you or a loved one suffered injuries in a slip and fall accident on property belonging to another party. In that case, discussing the incident with a lawyer is well worth your time. You might receive compensation for your damages.

Call the Reinartz Law Firm today at (201) 778-4878 or contact us online for your no-obligation case review with a seasoned Hackensack slip and fall accident attorney. The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can begin protecting your rights and get you the compensation you deserve for your slip and fall accidents.

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