What Does a Slip and Fall Lawyer Do?

If you suffered a slip and fall incident in Chicago, such as falling down a flight of stairs in a Wicker Park grocery store, you need high-quality legal representation. However, you may wonder, “What does a slip and fall lawyer do?” Our team assists you with every aspect of a personal injury lawsuit so that you can secure fair compensation from the liable party. Contact us today for a free consultation. 

Understanding Slip and Fall Cases

Slip and fall accidents typically involve falling short distances, such as a broken staircase, icy sidewalk, or a wet floor. However, they can result in serious injuries like broken bones, concussions, and spinal cord damage.

A slip and fall accident lawyer will help you negotiate with the relevant insurance company for a fair settlement by identifying the cause of the accident, determining liability, evaluating your damages, and negotiating a settlement. 

Investigating the Cause of the Slip and Fall Accident

One key component of “what does a slip and fall lawyer do” is investigating how the accident occurred and gathering evidence of liability. We will collect evidence like surveillance footage of the accident, maintenance records, weather conditions, and witness statements. It’s essential to gather this as soon as possible after the slip and fall accident, as key evidence may disappear. 

Establishing the Property Owners’ Liability

The Illinois Premises Liability Act allows slip and fall accident victims to hold property owners or managers accountable for injuries (740 ILCS 130/2). This requires demonstrating that the property manager or owner did not take reasonable care to prevent harm. 

For example, failing to clean up spills in a Little Italy restaurant would be considered a lack of reasonable care. We’ll demonstrate through the evidence we have collected.

Proving Damages

Using settlement calculators, our slip and fall lawyers will evaluate both economic and non-economic damages. Professionals must tally this, as we are familiar with what damages you can claim.

Damages you may claim include:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Out-of-pocket medical expenses
• Future medical care
• Loss of future income
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Disability or disfigurement
• Loss of enjoyment of life

Communicating with Insurance Companies

Insurance companies will do everything possible to prevent you from securing fair compensation, such as quickly providing a lowball offer or delaying their investigation. Our slip and fall lawyers will handle all communications on your behalf and aggressively negotiate for maximum compensation.

Filing a Lawsuit

We will file a slip and fall lawsuit with the Circuit Court of Cook County if negotiation fails. This involves filing a complaint with the court, then sharing information with the other parties, a process called discovery. 

Our attorneys will also take depositions from witnesses, which are recorded statements that can provide further context. Lastly, we’ll prepare everything for trial, including developing strong legal arguments. 

For example, we can use case law like Murphy-Hylton v. Lieberman Management Services to show that owners can be held liable for accidents on their property if maintenance defects led to an unnatural accumulation of ice that is not protected by the Illinois Snow and Ice Removal Act (745 ILCS 75/2). 

Slip and fall lawyers can also rely on local statutes and ordinances that are specific to the given city. In Chicago, owners are required to clear sidewalks (4-4-310 & 10-8-180), but this is not true in other Cook County cities. Recognizing these nuances can ensure that you have solid legal precedent and are more likely to win. 

Negotiating a Settlement

Many settlements are negotiated out of court, and working with slip and fall lawyers gives you the best chance at maximum compensation. We’ll use case value assessments and our familiarity with insurance policies to push for a higher settlement. 

Court Representation

If negotiations fail, we will proceed with a lawsuit. Our trial-tested attorneys will present your case before a judge and jury, but this is not about simply stating the facts: we will create an immersive experience for the court that provides all necessary information about the slip and fall accident.

Having litigated over 5,000 successful cases, we are highly familiar with what tactics work best in court. Consulting with expert witnesses, developing visual exhibits of the incident, and walking jurors through an accident reconstruction all offer greater context and strengthen our legal arguments. 

Helping You Meet Deadlines and Legal Requirements

In Illinois, there is a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury cases (735 ILCS 5/13-202). If you miss this, you will not be able to secure any compensation, even if you have a valid claim. 

However, the statute of limitations is not the only deadline you must consider. There are also deadlines for notifying other parties, producing documents, and responding to pre-trial motions. Managing this on your own, especially while recovering from fall injuries, can be challenging. 

Our streamlined legal processes and award-winning team ensure that we can orchestrate every case to meet relevant deadlines. We will identify pertinent deadlines, communicate with third parties, and file the proper paperwork on time so that procedural issues will not prevent you from earning compensation. 

Book a Free Consultation!

With a 98% success rate and a 10/10 AVVO rating, we are the top-rated attorneys in Cook County, having earned over $490 million in settlements and verdicts for injury victims. Our slip and fall lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you owe us nothing unless we earn you compensation. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation about a personal injury lawsuit.