According to the National Safety Council, about 8.5 million Americans go to the emergency room for fall-related injuries in a single year.
These painful injuries may lead to high medical bills and other financial problems, such as lost wages if you are unable to work. Luckily, there may be monetary relief for many sufferers if the fall resulted from third-party negligence.
Here, we’ll discuss when a Queens slip-and-fall attorney can help you recover damages and get you the compensation you need for slip-and-fall expenses. Read on to learn the benefits of hiring a personal injury lawyer in Queens after a fall.
Your Fall Has Caused Financial Hardship
If you have recently sustained fall-related injuries in New York, financial hardship is a likely outcome. Those who needed immediate medical attention may contend with high ER bills.
The average person pays $2,715 after a single emergency room visit, so you are far from alone if this caused you economic strain. Even if you resolve the injury quickly and require no further therapy, this hefty bill is likely to cause undue hardship. You deserve compensation.
However, for most people, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cost. Many people face several other expenses after a slip-and-fall injury, including:
- Medical bills for both immediate and future treatment
- Physical therapy expenses
- Psychological trauma therapy expenses
- Lost wages because of an inability to work with the injury
- Temporary or permanent disability
- Necessary home renovations in cases of permanent disability
- Transportation to medical appointments
Some other non-economic costs of a fall might include:
- Pain and suffering due to injury
- A lower quality of life
- Emotional distress
These are just some of the types of damages victims can recover after filing valid slip and fall claims. Regardless of your expenses, a Queens slip and fall attorney may be able to help you recover compensation for those costs.
A lawyer can tell you how much money you may be able to get and what types of damages you should look into recovering.
Someone’s Negligence Led to Your Injuries
The main goal in a personal injury case is to prove that your injuries were caused by third-party negligence.
Negligence happens when a person or business entity fails to exercise caution that could prevent others from getting injured.
In these situations, that person or entity – the third party that could have prevented your injury – needs to have some duty of care to you. This duty means that they had an obligation to take certain actions to stop people from getting injured. When these actions are not taken despite normal expectations of reasonable individuals, the third party has committed negligence.
For example, suppose that you were injured in a restaurant because the floor was wet. The business should have erected a caution sign to inform customers of the wet floor. If they did not, they were negligent and can be held legally responsible for your injuries.
If you were injured at work after falling on broken machinery, your workplace neglected its duty of care to employees. They should have replaced or repaired the machinery after a routine inspection. If they failed to inspect the property or ignored a faulty report, they are responsible for your fall.
Another instance of neglect would be a child slipping and falling on playground equipment while playing on someone else’s property.
The homeowner had the duty to put a fence around their yard, and if they did not, they may be negligent. If the child was an invited guest, they had the duty to supervise them appropriately. If they did not, they may be held financially responsible for the injuries.
You Fell on Someone Else’s Property
Injury on another person’s property is a common thread in many slip-and-fall cases. However, the owner may be at fault even if you do not initially think that they did something wrong. This is because they have the obligation to inspect and care for their property.
You may have a valid case if you were hurt inside or outside of another person’s:
- Home
- Office building
- Industrial building
- School
- Hotel or Airbnb
- Laboratory
- Park/playground
Regardless of the circumstances of your injury, you should contact an accident lawyer in Queens if your fall took place on someone else’s property. They can assess your case through an unbiased and knowledgeable lens to identify whether or not negligence was present.
Without a comprehensive legal understanding and experience, you may not know the ins and outs of negligence and what constitutes it. Leaving that assessment to the professionals means that you may have a valid claim even if you do not think you do.
You Suspect You Have a Case
You should also talk with an attorney if you think you might have a case but are not sure. Negligence comes in several forms, including:
- A failure to adhere to duty
- A breach of responsibility
- Active causation of the injury
Identifying what your case falls under can be challenging. Luckily, legal professionals can comb through your account of what happened with a more critical eye. They will tell you where the third party may have failed to protect you and examine the possibilities more thoroughly.
It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to getting legal assistance, especially since not all recoverable damages are immediately obvious in every case. Since top Queens slip and fall lawyers offer free consultations and case assessments, it costs you nothing to learn about the money you may be able to get.
You Have Legal Questions About Your Situation
Regardless of your case and how sure you are that you have a valid claim, you likely have questions about your current situation. Asking an attorney about things you’re unsure of means:
- Creating realistic expectations
- Understanding different avenues for compensation
- Accurate estimates for damages you can recover
- A comprehensive understanding of legal processes
- Peace of mind due to greater knowledge
Some questions to ask at your consultation include:
- In your expert opinion, do I have a valid case?
- What types of damages might I recover during this lawsuit?
- How much money do you think I can recover in estimated damages?
- What are the chances that this case will have a successful outcome?
- What is the timeframe for this case? How long will it likely take to resolve?
- What will my responsibilities be during this case?
- How will we communicate during the case timeline?
- How much experience do you have in personal injury law?
- Have you handled slip-and-fall cases before?
- What is your success rate with slip and fall claims?
- What is your fee structure like?
- Who will be responsible for paying case-related expenses?
- Can you provide references and/or testimonials from past clients?
Some people worry that even a free consultation will lead to unnecessary expenses, but this is not the case. Personal injury attorneys, including slip-and-fall lawyers, don’t take any money from you up front.
This is because the best personal injury lawyers in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx operate on contingency fees.
This means that Aminov Law Group doesn’t take any fees unless you win and will instead take a percentage of your winnings after successfully securing compensation for you. Usually, we take about 33% of your winnings, but the precise figure will depend on your specific case and financial situation.
You Need to Contact Insurance Companies
Many people try to call and talk with their own insurance companies before deciding to open a slip and fall lawsuit.
Unfortunately, doing this can actually harm your chances of maximizing compensation. Insurance companies that want to save money may dupe you into saying things you don’t mean over the phone.
Even a simple “I’m okay” can be detrimental to your case. You’re likely to get your claim denied due to simple inexperience in negotiating favorable outcomes.
Attorneys providing quality legal representation will call your own insurance company for you. They’ll discuss your specific situation with insurance agents and avoid saying the wrong things.
This will increase your chances of an accepted claim. It also may mean that you get more money from the insurance company to cover your medical bills and physical therapy expenses.
You Need Help Navigating Legal Processes
In many cases, your own insurance will not pay for all the ramifications of a slip and fall injury. Even if you manage to get some money from your health insurance for medical bills, it’s unlikely to cover all your damages.
You also will not be compensated via your medical insurance for the physical or psychological suffering you experience.
Specialized personal injury lawyers will negotiate with the at-fault party’s insurance to get compensation from the responsible third parties.
Gathering Evidence
After assessing your claim and discussing possible compensation with you, attorneys will help you put together a case. They will gather evidence like:
- Photos of the accident site
- Photos of your injuries
- Security camera footage of the accident
- Information about property inspections and repairs
- Accident reports that you previously filed
- Information about standard operating procedures that a property owner did not follow
- Eyewitness accounts of the incident
- Written accounts of injuries
Accident reconstruction may also help attorneys prove that you slipped and fell because of poorly-maintained surroundings or inadequate safety measures.
This evidence will help your attorney show that:
- The property owner created the hazard or allowed the hazard to exist
- The owner should have known that the hazard was there
- The owner had opportunities to fix the hazard, but did not do so
- The hazard that the owner neglected caused your injuries (directly or indirectly)
This proves that the third party is at fault. Your lawyer will use this compiled evidence to prove negligence to their insurance company. This is the first step in negotiating compensation for you.
Negotiating Compensation
At this point, your attorney will tell you the details of your case. You will understand what damages you may receive and how much you will get.
The exact sum and types of damages are highly variable based on the specifics of your case, so it will be a ballpark estimate. However, slip-and-fall lawyers who have assessed your individual case will have a more accurate idea of what you can recover than a general online examination of all slip-and-fall claims.
Once you have all the available information, your Queens slip and fall attorney will help you negotiate compensation with the at-fault party’s insurance company. They may also go head-to-head with the defendant’s legal representatives.
Insurance companies want to offer the least amount of money possible in response to claims. An attorney will advocate on your behalf and negotiate to get the best possible settlement. Because top Queens attorneys are familiar with insurance companies and local agents, they have the experience needed not to fall for common traps and pitfalls during this process.
Once they come to a good settlement, they will inform you that it’s a good time to settle. This will ensure that you get as much compensation as possible, so you don’t need to worry about being cheated out of the damages you’re owed.
Get the Slip and Fall Compensation You Deserve
Now that you know when to call a Queens slip and fall attorney, it’s time to find legal assistance that can help you recover the damages you deserve.
At Aminov Law Group, our team is committed to serving diverse clients across all five boroughs of New York City. Our boutique law firm specializes in personal injury law and can help you gather evidence and meet all case-related deadlines to maximize your chances of receiving fair compensation.
Our experienced professionals have worked tirelessly to uphold our five-star ratings. Moreover, our head attorney, Mariya Aminov, has a comprehensive understanding of New York Law due to her Queens College education and accreditation by the State Bar of New York and the American Bar Association.
Contact us online to schedule a free consultation and discuss the ins and outs of your slip and fall case. You can also give us a call at (929) 207-5809 to discuss your claim over the phone.