The Villages Slip & Fall Lawyer
A quick trip for groceries or socks in The Villages can turn into months of pain and medical bills if you slip and fall while away from your home. This type of injury is usually considered a premises liability claim, which can get complicated in a hurry.
If you or a loved one is injured from slipping or tripping and falling on someone else’s property, call (352) 373-8000 to see how our personal injury lawyers can help you.
The Meldon Law team offers a free and confidential initial consultation to learn more about your case. Should we take on your fight, we’ll treat it like it was our own. Our slip and fall lawyers in The Villages won’t back down.
Losses You Can Recover for a Slip and Fall Injury
If another party’s negligence caused you injury, you deserve compensation. Damages you could recover in a slip and fall include:
- Expenses related to the medical care you receive for your injury, such as surgery, hospital stays, rehab, transport to and from appointments, medication, and medical devices or equipment
- Income lost while you are unable to work, or future earnings if your injury prevents you from returning to work
- Pain and suffering you feel at the time of your injury, during your recovery, and long term
- Mental anguish, depression, or anxiety you may undergo after a fall
- Diminished quality of life
Your losses and how much compensation you may recover are specific to you and the circumstances of your fall. Speak with one of our personal injury lawyers in The Villages to better understand the losses for which you may make a claim.
How Comparative Negligence Affects Your Slip and Fall Case in The Villages
Few personal injury cases are simple. Usually, the injured party believes that the individual or entity responsible for causing their injury should pay for all losses. However, the person or entity believed responsible may not want to accept fault or may believe that the injured party was partially at fault for the injury. This is where a personal injury lawyer can be extremely beneficial.
Can I Recover Compensation if I Contributed to My Accident or Injuries?
Yes. Comparative negligence laws allow injured parties to recover compensation even if they contributed to the accident.
A Recent Law Can Make Recovering Compensation More Difficult
In 2023, Florida passed a law that changed the negligence limit for injury cases. Before this law passed, you could be 99% at fault for your accident or injury and still recover compensation.
We now work with a modified comparative negligence rule to determine whether you can recover compensation for an injury.
As long as you are 50% or less responsible for the accident, you may recover compensation for your losses. However, your percentage of fault will decrease what you can recover. For example, you are found to be 20% responsible for causing your accident. You can recover 80% of your settlement award.
How Our Slip & Fall Attorneys Work for You
If you are injured in a slip or trip and fall on someone else’s property in The Villages, our lawyers will investigate the incident to establish liability. We search for evidence by:
- Reviewing CCTV footage of the area
- Collecting eyewitness statements
- Gathering police and medical reports along with incident reports made by the owner or manager of the property where you fell
- Searching for historical data reflecting prior incidents on the property or under the care of the property owner or manager
A slip and fall claim, often referred to as a premises liability claim, requires us to prove negligence to recover a settlement or judgment on your behalf. To prove negligence, we must show that:
- The owner or manager had a duty of care to keep the property safe for use. This may involve cleaning up spills as soon as the manager becomes aware of them or regularly walking the property to find and remedy hazards.
- The property owner or manager did not keep the property safe (i.e., there was a hazardous condition on the property that the owner did not fix or warn visitors of.
- This action or inaction on the part of the owner or manager caused your accident and injury (e.g., you fell down the stairs and suffered a traumatic brain injury because the property owner did not fix a broken handrail).
- Your injury caused you to suffer losses, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Once the investigation is complete, we compile and file an insurance compensation claim that reflects all of your losses. Our slip and fall lawyer will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf for fair compensation. If the insurance company denies your claim, negotiations fail to produce a fair settlement, or we believe that a lawsuit is the best way to get you the compensation you deserve, we will prepare for trial and represent you in court.
The Meldon Law Team Fights for Our Neighbors in The Villages
We believe in fighting for every penny you deserve, as a recent case result illustrates. We recovered $950,000 for an injury suffered on a golf course. We want to recover what you deserve, too.
At Meldon Law, fighting for your rights isn’t just our job; it’s our calling. Our clients mean everything to us, and we appreciate it when they share their experiences:
“My team with Meldon Law was awesome and were really helpful during a difficult time in my life. They showed how much they cared and took their time to explain the process to me. I’m happy I chose them to help me with my case.” —Orianna
“I go to Meldon Law for any legal advice that may come up. Everyone I have spoken to there has been extremely nice and helpful, and Jessica Thomason particularly has helped me with many questions over the years. I trust Meldon Law and would refer anyone I know that needs legal representation to them.” —Kelley
The Cost of Hiring a Slip & Fall Attorney
At Meldon Law, we offer a free case consultation where we hear your story, ask questions, and provide answers to your most urgent concerns.
We limit the number of cases we take at any one time because we pour our resources, heart, and passion into each one. If you and the attorney you speak with feel that moving forward together is the right action to take, you will pay no fees until and unless we recover a compensation settlement or judgment for you.
How Long You Have to Take Legal Action After a Slip and Fall Accident
Florida allows you to start legal action within two years of your injury. If you do not do so by the end of two years, you probably won’t be allowed to file a lawsuit after that time. This means you will lose your leverage in negotiations and may end up settling for much less than you deserve.
Our slip and fall lawyers can explain how this timeframe may apply to your case during your initial consultation.
Suing the Government for a Slip and Fall
If you slipped and fell on government property due to negligence, you can recover compensation. There are a few extra actions you must take if it is found that a government agency or employee acted negligently and caused your injury. Our team will handle these on your behalf.
How Negligence Can Cause a Slip or Trip and Fall
Any type of negligence can cause a slip and fall; however, common examples include:
- Failing to clean up a spill
- Debris in the aisle of a store
- Torn carpeting
- Uneven flooring or carpeting
- Broken handrails
- Crumbling steps
- Wet or freshly waxed floors with no warning signage
Our team will investigate your fall to determine what caused it.
Our Attorneys Can Help You Recover Compensation for All Types of Slip and Fall Injuries
You can recover compensation for any type of slip and fall accident injury, including (but not limited to):
- Broken hips
- Traumatic brain injury
- Back or neck injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Facial or dental injury
Contact The Villages Slip & Fall Attorneys at Meldon Law Today
An injury takes all of your focus and energy just to get through treatment and recovery. It’s not easy to also shoulder the legal burden of proving negligence and recovering fair compensation as you try to protect yourself and your family against an uncertain future. Fortunately, you don’t have to. Our premises liability attorneys stand ready to fight for the compensation you deserve.
Call Meldon Law at (352) 373-8000 to schedule your free consultation. When you are a client, we don’t stop fighting for you.
