North Shore Slip and Fall Accident Attorneys

Lawyers in Cook County for Premises Liability Cases

When you enter into or onto another party's property legally, the owner of the property assumes a certain degree of responsibility for keeping you safe. As a guest on the property, you have a legal right to presume that there no dangers or hazards on the premises that could cause you to slip or trip and fall. Recent federal statistics show that trip-and-fall and slip-and-fall accidents lead to more than 1 million emergency room visits in a typical year in the United States. Unfortunately, a significant percentage of those who are injured end up having lingering problems for many years after their accidents.

At Gruzmark Law, Ltd. , our attorneys help victims of slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents throughout Northern Illinois. These types of accidents can cause devastating injuries to victims, making it extremely important to hold negligent property owners accountable for actions or inaction. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries in a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident, talk to an experienced attorney at our firm to get the help you need in obtaining the compensation you deserve.

Common Causes of Slips and Trips in Lake County

Trip-and-fall and slip-and-fall accidents can happen in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons. In some cases, multiple factors combine to create dangerous situations. Some of the most common causes of these types of accident include:

• Wet floors, spilled liquids, and freshly mopped floors
• Uneven carpeting, tiles, floors, concrete, or paved walkways
• Improper and unnatural accumulation of ice or snow
• Inadequate lighting, which can hide slip and trip hazards
• Broken or missing handrails and other items that promote accessibility
• Improperly maintained steps or staircases

Any of these, along with many others, can cause a person to lose his or her balance and fall. Fall-related injuries often include back and spinal cord injuries, head and brain injuries, and broken bones.

Building Case for Compensation

If you or a loved one has been injured in a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident, you may be eligible to seek compensation from the owner of the property where you were hurt. To recover damages, you will need to prove several distinct elements, including:

• The owner owed you a duty of care, which generally means you were allowed to be on the owner's property.
• There was a dangerous condition in or on the property in question.
• The owner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition.
• The owner failed to address the dangerous condition or to warn guests about the dangerous condition.
• You suffered injuries or measurable losses.
• The dangerous condition was the primary cause of your injuries.

For example, consider a scenario in which you are shopping at a local grocery store. The owner of the property has a duty to keep you safe while shopping. As you head down the household chemicals aisle, you slip in a puddle of spilled laundry detergent and fall, breaking your wrist when you hit the floor. Whether or not the store is liable for your injuries will depend on how long the spill was there and if anybody knew about it. If the spill occurred a few hours before you arrived, the store's employees probably should have known about it and taken steps to clean it up. Therefore, there is likely to be liability on the part of the store for your injuries. On the other hand, if a customer a few seconds ahead of you dropped a bottle of detergent, and you came around the corner before anybody even knew there was an issue, the store is less likely to be held accountable.

With so many variables at work, it can be overwhelming to try to handle a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall injury case on your own. The team at Gruzmark Law, Ltd. can help you investigate the details of your accident and put together all of the pieces necessary in building a strong case for compensation.

Schedule a Free Consultation Today

To learn more about recovering compensation for slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall injuries, contact our office. Call 847-729-7660 for a free, no-obligation consultation and case review with an experienced member of our team today. We serve clients in Cook County, Lake County, DuPage County, the North Shore, Glenview, Northbrook, Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Skokie, and the surrounding areas.