Slip & Fall Accidents Attorney in Flowood, Mississippi

Slip and fall accidents generally result in serious injuries – including fractures, sprains, spine injury, traumatic brain injury, and emotional trauma. Under Mississippi laws, property owners, landlords, and store managers owe a duty to ensure that their premises are kept in a reasonably safe condition. If you were hurt in a slip and fall accident on someone else's property, you are eligible to seek damages by holding the property owner or business owner liable.

Attorney Ronald E. Stutzman, Jr. has the experience and resources to help assist, support, and guide slip and fall accident victims in their premises liability claims. As a skilled Mississippi personal injury attorney, Ronald E. Stutzman, Jr. can help seek fair compensation to cover medical bills, lost wages, and any additional pain and suffering.

The Stutzman Law Firm, PLLC proudly represents clients across Flowood, Clinton, Richland, Pearl, and Rankin County, Mississippi.

Common Slip & Fall Accidents

Slip & fall is a term used for personal injury cases whereby a person slips and sustains an injury on another person's property due to the dangerous, unsafe, or defective condition of the property. By filing a premises liability claim or lawsuit, a victim can seek compensation for personal injuries and damages sustained as a result of the property/business owner's negligence to keep the property in a reasonably safe and danger-free condition.

For instance, if a property owner fails to warn permitted guests about a broken porch or staircase, a person may fall and sustain an injury. The victim has grounds to bring a personal injury action against the property owner if the damaged area was unmarked. Some other examples of unreasonable safety hazards that may lead to slip and fall injuries include:

• Uncleaned spills and leaks on hard surfaces

• Tattered rugs and carpets

• Broken floorboard

• Lack of lighting in stairwells

• Hard floors that are waxed

• Hard surfaces with condensation

A knowledgeable personal injury attorney can review your unique condition, help determine liability, and enlighten you about your options to file an injury claim.

Determining Liability

Different parties or entities will be held liable for your slip and fall injuries, depending on the surrounding circumstances. These include:

• Property Owner/Homeowner: The property owner or homeowner may be held liable for slip and fall accidents that occur on their property.

• Business Owner: A business owner or store manager may be held responsible if the slippery or dangerous conditions on the business's premises or store caused the slip and fall injuries.

• Government Entity: The government entity or municipal agency responsible for maintaining the property will be held accountable if the slip and fall accident occurred on public property.

• Your Carelessness: If your lack of attention or oversight contributed to your slip and fall injuries, the Mississippi court shifts the majority of the blame onto your carelessness or negligence. In a situation like this, you will find it quite difficult to recover damages.

Proving Fault

Mississippi is an “at-fault” insurance state. At-fault means that the party responsible for your slip and fall injuries will be held financially liable for injuries, damages, and other losses suffered. To recover damages, you must prove fault by showing the following elements:

• The property owner is under an obligation to keep their property in a reasonably safe condition.

• The property owner caused – knew about or must have known about – the condition that led to the fall.

• The property owner should have known it was dangerous by "reasonable" person standards.

• The property owner didn't fix or fail to warn you about the condition.

• The property owner's negligence — failure to repair it or warn you — caused the slip and fall accident.

• You sustained injury, harm, or damages due to the property owner's negligence.

An experienced attorney can help prove fault and determine the amount of financial compensation you may recover.

Pure Comparative Negligence

Additionally, Mississippi follows the "pure comparative negligence" principle. Under the system, you may still seek damages for your injuries and losses, even if you were partially responsible for the accident. However, the amount of compensation you will recover is reduced by the fault degree.

For instance, if the judge awarded $20,000 against the at-fault party but found that you were 10% liable for your injuries, the total damages are reduced by $2,000. Therefore, you may only recover $18,000. Under Mississippi's pure comparative negligence rule, you will still be allowed to pursue damages even if you were up to 99% responsible for the accident or injury.

Statute of Limitations

Under Mississippi law (Mississippi Code Section 15-1-49), a person injured in a slip and fall accident will have up to three years from the date of the accident or injury to commence a personal injury action against the liable party for a remedy for any form of injury or harm suffered from the accident.

Turn to an Experienced
Personal Injury Attorney for Help

Proving negligence and determining who to hold liable for your injuries after a slip and fall accident can involve a lot of complexities. You need evidence to show that the property or business owner knew of the property's unsafe or dangerous conditions, and their negligence — failure to repair it or warn you —contributed to your accident or injuries. An experienced personal injury attorney has the experience to help with fair financial compensation for your injuries.

Attorney Ronald E. Stutzman, Jr. has devoted his career to providing knowledgeable legal services and compassionate representation to victims of slip and fall accidents in their injury claims.