Slip and Fall Lawyer Green Bay, WI

If you’re looking for a slip and fall lawyer in Green Bay, Wisconsin, you can count on Hickey & Turim S.C. to help you navigate your way through your case. 

You may have heard the term before, but do you know what a slip and fall entails? For many of us, a slip and fall seems like a minor – or even silly – accident that barely warrants any consideration or alarm. However, these little slips, trips, and falls can all lead to serious health complications later on. All the more reason to report your injuries as soon as possible.

The Complications of Reporting a Slip and Fall

When you report your injury, you’re taking an important step to cover yourself in case there are any medical issues that may result from your initial accident. However, many people fail to report their slip and falls, despite knowing that their accident could become a big problem in the days, weeks, or even months after their injury.

In some cases, victims of slip and falls may feel too embarrassed to report their accident. Tripping and falling on a loose cable or an icy step isn’t something people want to go around talking about, and in most cases people are perfectly happy to carry on like nothing happened. 

In other cases, victims may feel intimidated. If their slip and fall happened in their workplace, they might worry about whether or not their colleagues will make fun of them. They might also fear retaliation from their bosses or managers. It may be easier to ignore your injuries, but it won’t be easier if you get an x-ray the next month and discover a fracture.

Whether you feel embarrassed or intimidated, you should understand that anything that causes you to feel uncertainty about your accident is completely unacceptable: You deserve to be compensated for your injuries, and you should reach out to a slip and fall lawyer in Green Bay, WI if you feel pressured to ignore your slip and fall.

How Can a Lawyer Help Me?

If you decided to report your slip and fall, you did the right thing. There is a window of time in which you can report your accident and still receive compensation, and the sooner you report your injury the better. However, if you feel your employer (or the property manager of the business in which you suffered your injury) isn’t paying any attention to your case, you should contact a slip and fall lawyer immediately.

When you suffer an injury at work or on someone else’s property – whether commercial or private – you were hurt because of another party’s negligence. Whether it was a manager, a business owner, or a neighbor, they all had a responsibility to keep their guests safe, and if you hurt yourself on their watch, you shouldn’t be forced to pay for your damages out of your own pocket.

The right lawyer can help you build a detailed case history and hold those who were responsible for your injury accountable. They can also go to bat for you against stingy insurance companies that either refuse to provide the necessary funds for a full recovery, or aren’t paying you on time.

Don’t feel intimidated or embarrassed to get the compensation you deserve for a slip and fall injury. Reach out to Hickey & Turim S.C. today, and see how an experienced slip and fall lawyer in Green Bay, WI can help you get closure, compensation, and justice.

If you have recently been injured as a result of an accident involving a fall, connect with our Green Bay, WI slip and fall lawyer team today to explore your legal options. If you were engaging in work-related activities when your fall occurred, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits as a result of the harm you have suffered. Regardless of whether you were “on the job” or not when your fall occurred, you may be in a position to file a personal injury case. Once the reputable team at Hickey & Turim S.C. learns about your unique circumstances, we can advise you about which legal options apply to your situation.

Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and fall accidents happen frequently. According to the National Floor Safety Institute, falls comprise  8 million emergency room visits, representing the leading cause of visits at 21.3%. Slips and falls account for more than 1 million visits, or 12% of total falls.

What’s the difference between the different types of falls?

• A  trip and fall is where there’s an object where you’re trying to walk, and you trip over it. This may happen frequently in department stores, grocery stores or big box stores. 
• A slip and fall is where you slip or slide on a slick or wet surface. 
• A fall from a height is when you’re up on a ladder, standing on a chair or working on a scaffolding and you fall off.
• A fall encompasses all the different types of falls.

Here are some of the leading causes of slip and fall injuries.

Hazardous Areas

There are several types of hazardous conditions that could cause an accident:

• Wet floors — Floors get slippery when they’re wet.. Wet floor signs help but there’s not always a sign indicating a slippery wet floor.
• Uneven surfaces — Parking lots with potholes, floors with loose boards, concrete with large cracks and rugs can all cause a slip and fall.
• Unfastened cables or cords — If cables and cords aren’t taped down properly, they can easily lead to a slip and fall accident.
• Cluttered walkways — Stores may have overstock that they put out, putting it on the floor in the general area where it belongs. They also often have display racks of products in the aisles. 

Your slip and fall lawyer in Green Bay, WI, from Hickey & Turim SC can help determine the actual cause of your slip and fall.

Bad Weather

Bad weather doesn’t just make driving hazardous, it creates hazards for pedestrians, too. If you’re walking in the rain or a snowfall, you need to be extra careful not to slip and fall. Your slip and fall lawyer in Green Bay, WI from Hickey & Turim SC can help you pinpoint what the weather was doing at the time of your accident.

Building Conditions or Structure

If the building is unsafe, it’s easy to have a slip and fall accident. Unsafe conditions could include inadequate lighting or damaged support or handrails. Inadequate lighting can cause falls because it’s harder to see the floor. Damaged hand rails can cause a slip and fall accident if they’re too unstable to be leaned on as you’re walking down a ramp or flight of stairs that has a handrail. Your slip and fall lawyer in Green Bay, WI can help you determine if issues with the building caused your slip and fall.

Slip and Fall Lawyer – Green Bay, WI

Our firm handles both workers’ compensation and personal injury cases involving fall-related injuries and we handle both types of cases on a regular basis. Workers’ compensation benefits are granted on a no-fault basis, which means that if you’re eligible for coverage and were working when you got hurt, you are almost certainly entitled to these benefits at this time. Working with our firm will help to ensure that you are paid promptly and that your claim is valued fairly.

If another’s negligence, recklessness, or intentionally dangerous conduct contributed to the reason why you were injured, you may be able to file a personal injury claim. This is true – even if you were working at the time of your injury – provided that you’re not eligible for workers’ compensation benefits AND attempting to sue your employer for damages.

What Else Should I Know About Filing a Slip and Fall Case?

When you connect with our Green Bay, WI slip and fall lawyer team, we’ll evaluate the potential strengths and weaknesses of your case. It’s important to understand that chances are very good that you will never have to set foot inside a courtroom. Workers’ compensation claims are generally handled outside of court and approximately nine out of every 10 personal injury cases settle during negotiations. This means that only one out of every 10 personal injury plaintiffs must take their cases all the way to trial in order to have a shot at recovering significant compensation. Therefore, if you’re hesitating to schedule a consultation with our team because you’re wary of the stress associated with the process of going to trial, know that chances are good that your case will be resolved successfully before you ever have to worry about that possibility.

Frequently Asked Questions About Slip and Fall Cases

Can You Sue the City If You Fall on a Broken City Sidewalk?

Cities have a responsibility to maintain streets and sidewalks in good repair. If a city has negligently allowed sidewalks to fall into disrepair, a slip and fall lawyer in Green Bay, WI may be able to help you pursue a case against the city if you fall because of this negligence. 

Is a Store Liable for Injuries Suffered by a Customer Who Slips and Falls in the Store?

Store owners have a legal obligation to keep floors in reasonably safe conditions for customers. If an attorney at Hickey & Turim S.C can prove that a store owner or employee failed to take reasonable actions to maintain safety in the store and that failure resulted in your injury, then the store may be liable for your damages. 

When Should Property Owners Be Aware of Dangerous Conditions on Their Property?

For a slip and fall lawyer in Green Bay, WI to prove a property owner is liable for a dangerous condition on a property, the owner must have known about the condition and failed to take appropriate actions to remedy it. The law considers that property owners should know about dangerous conditions on their property when the conditions have existed for long enough that a reasonably diligent property owner would have discovered the conditions under similar circumstances.

What Is Negligence?

Negligence is usually a requirement for a Hickey & Turim S.C attorney to prove a party is legally liable for another person’s slip-and-fall injury. Negligence is when a person has a duty to another party and their action or failure to act breached that duty. 

Who Is Liable If I Fall at a Friend’s Apartment?

The owner of a rental property is usually responsible for maintaining the property. However, the renter can be liable in situations where the renter caused a hazardous condition. 

Where Do Most Slip and Fall Accidents Happen?

A slip and fall accident can happen anywhere, but the most common locations for these accidents are on snow and ice, sidewalks, in homes or rental properties, workplaces and retail stores, supermarkets or businesses.

Can I Get Workers’ Compensation Benefits for a Slip and Fall Injury?

If you slip and fall at work while you are doing something work-related, a slip and fall lawyer in Green Bay, WI may be able to collect workers’ compensation benefits for you.

Why You Need a Slip and Fall Lawyer

You May Have Long-Term Effects

Sometimes, a slip and fall is just an embarrassing mishap. However, sometimes a fall can have more serious consequences, and they may not all be obvious at the time of the injury. Depending on the extent of your injuries, you may experience long-term effects such as chronic pain or loss of mobility. This can greatly affect your quality of life and lead to ongoing medical costs. A slip and fall lawyer in Green Bay, WI, can review your case and help determine how much compensation you are entitled to for your slip and fall injury.

You May Lose Income

For some people, being unable to work due to an injury can be financially devastating. If a slip and fall injury causes you to miss work, you may find yourself struggling to pay daily living expenses for yourself and your family, let alone your medical bills. If you have experienced a slip and fall injury and are unable to work, it is time to contact Hickey & Turim, S.C., and speak with a slip and fall lawyer in Green Bay, WI. Your lawyer can help you receive compensation from those responsible for your injury and reduce the financial burden on you and your family.

You May Be Blamed for the Fall

The party responsible for your slip and fall incident may attempt to avoid responsibility by claiming that you were to blame for the fall. However, property owners have certain responsibilities to ensure that their properties are safe. Because it can be difficult to prove negligence on your own, you should have a lawyer who is experienced in personal injury law review the facts and evidence in your case. An attorney at Hickey & Turim, S.C. can review the evidence and may be able to prove that your injury was the result of the other party’s negligence.

You May Be Offered an Unfair Settlement

Even when the property owner acknowledges responsibility for a slip and fall, this does not mean you will receive the compensation you deserve. You may be offered a settlement that is considerably less than you are entitled to. If the property owner is someone you have a connection to, such as your employer or a personal acquaintance, you may feel pressured to accept the settlement to avoid further conflict. It is important to consult a slip and fall lawyer in Green Bay, WI, before accepting any settlement. Your lawyer may be able to negotiate a better settlement for you.

Legal Assistance Is Available

If you have not yet scheduled a risk-free consultation with the knowledgeable legal team at Hickey & Turim S.C., please do so now. Exploring your legal options will help to ensure that you aren’t left wondering “What if?” for years to come. You may be entitled to far more compensation than you might be initially led to believe. Connect with our Green Bay, WI slip and fall lawyer team today to learn more; we look forward to speaking with you.