Florissant Slip and Fall Lawyer

Florissant Slip and Fall Attorney

When you visit any private property, you have the reasonable expectation for the property to be safe and free from hazards that could potentially cause injury. You likely have the same expectation when you visit any public building or government office. However, slip and fall injuries can occur unexpectedly when property owners are negligent. If you have experienced this type of injury, you need to consult a Florissant slip and fall lawyer.

Legal Representation for Florissant, MO Slip and Fall Injury Claims

The Cagle Law Firm offers responsive and client-focused legal counsel for all types of slip and fall injury claims in the Florissant area. We know the specific premises liability laws in Missouri that are likely to apply to your case, how to prove fault for your injury, and how to help our client secure maximum compensation for their damages. You have a limited time in which to file your case, so it is important to contact us right away after any type of slip and fall injury.

When you choose our firm to represent you, we will carefully review the details of how your accident happened and help you gather any evidence you may need to prove fault for the incident. If a property owner failed to address any foreseeable safety hazard on their property, or if they failed to provide a clear warning of a hazardous condition, they are likely liable for your damages.  However, your case may be more complex than it initially appears.

Your Florissant slip and fall lawyer can help build your case while you focus on your physical recovery and personal obligations. We will gather the foundational evidence needed to prove fault, help you assess the scope of the damages you are able to claim and prepare you for the potentially difficult series of legal proceedings ahead of you. Our goal in every personal injury case is maximum compensation for our client.

Building Your Slip and Fall Injury Claim in Florissant

Under Missouri’s premises liability laws, a property owner has a duty of care to maintain a safe environment so that lawful visitors to their property do not suffer injury.  Property owners have a responsibility to address any safety hazards they notice as soon as possible or at least provide clear warnings of these hazards for potential visitors to avoid while on the property. The distinction between a “lawful” and an “unlawful” visitor is an important one in any slip and fall injury claim or other premises liability case.

A ”lawful” visitor is one who has express or implied permission from a property owner to enter the property. Lawful visitors could include friends, relatives, and personal guests of the property owner, as well as mail carriers, utility workers, and other businesspeople who have implied permission to enter the property for their own purposes. Premises liability laws do not impose any duty of care on a property owner to prevent injuries to trespassers or intruders.

For Missouri’s premises liability statutes to apply to your case, you must prove that you were legally present on the property in question, meaning you had the property owner’s express or implied permission to enter the property. Once you have established that you were legally present, you will then need to prove that your injury resulted from the property owner’s failure to address a specific safety hazard on their property.

Businesses have a greater duty of care as visitors to the business are invitees with an express invitation to come onto the property and conduct business.  Individuals explicitly invited onto the property such as guests, repair personnel or delivery persons are owed the highest duty of care.

A common defense in premises liability is the “open and obvious “doctrine.   In many states, the open and obvious exception is a primary defense by property owners as the hazard was so open and obvious the guest should have seen the hazard.   This doctrine is not absolute and obviously, the argument for which conditions are open and obvious matter.  Also, the severity of the injury matters in any premises liability case.  Your Florissant slip and fall lawyer can address any such variables present in your case.

Recovering Compensation for a Slip and Fall Injury

After establishing liability for your slip and fall injury in Florissant, MO, you can seek compensation for the damages you suffered from the incident. In most personal injury cases, a plaintiff will have grounds to seek compensation for economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages are generally easier to prove and include any direct financial losses they sustained from the incident in question.

The economic damages you may be able to recover due to slip and fall injury claim include your medical expenses and lost income. The most obvious is the amount of medical care you require for your serious injury.  The basis of an injury claim is the medical treatment to reach maximum medical improvement from your injury. If you are unable to work during your recovery, you may also claim repayment of the income you are unable to earn.

Noneconomic damages include physical pain, psychological distress, and trauma you experienced from the incident and the resulting physical harm. Missouri law does not require a plaintiff to use a specific formula to calculate these damages, and the average person is likely to struggle when it comes to assigning monetary value to their intangible damages. Your Florissant slip and fall lawyer will help you determine a reasonable figure to include in your claim.

Bear in mind that there are specific limitations that will apply if you are seeking compensation for a slip and fall injury that happened on any type of public property. You will need to prove that the injury directly resulted from a public employee’s negligence and meet various filing requirements to pursue this type of case.

The Cagle Law Firm is ready to meet with you, listen to your story, and help you determine your most viable path to recovery. We have helped many past clients prove liability for their injuries and recover compensation for their damages in the Florissant area, and we are ready to put this experience to work for you in your impending slip and fall injury case.

FAQs for Slip and Fall Attorneys

Q: How Long Do I Have to File a Slip and Fall Injury Claim in Missouri?

A: The statute of limitations for a slip and fall injury claim in Missouri is typically five years, just as would apply to most other types of personal injury claims filed in the state. However, there are some cases in which different statutes of limitations and other time limits apply. For example, if you intend to file a slip and fall claim against any type of government office, you will have 180 days in which to send them notice of your intent to file a claim.

Q: What Is the Value of My Slip and Fall Claim in Florissant?

A: The potential value of your slip and fall claim in Florissant depends on the scope and severity of the physical injuries you suffered in the incident. If you can prove that another party is directly responsible for causing the injury in question, you can hold them accountable for economic losses you suffered as well as your pain and suffering. Your Florissant personal injury lawyer can provide an estimate of the total compensation you might win if you succeed with your case.

Q: What Happens if I Partially Caused My Slip and Fall?

A: If you partially caused your slip and fall, this could be reflected in your final case award with a diminished recovery. Missouri upholds the pure comparative fault rule, meaning the plaintiff’s share of fault will be expressed as a percentage, and they will lose this percentage of the total compensation won from the defendant to reflect their shared liability. If you have any concerns about bearing fault for your injury, consult an experienced attorney as soon as you can.

Q: Will I Win More Compensation if I Hire a Florissant Slip and Fall Lawyer?

A: You are likely to win more compensation if you hire a Florissant slip and fall lawyer than you could have expected if you tried to handle your case alone. Your attorney will know all the various forms of compensation you can include in your claim, and they will also know how to expedite your proceedings to maximize your compensation. You’re more likely to win your case and maximize your case award with their help.

Q: How Long Will It Take to Resolve My Slip and Fall Claim?

A: Every case and every injury are different.  There are many factors that contribute to the timeline including the facts of the incident including the where, when and how the incident happened. As well, each person’s physical recovery is different.  Serious injury cases are not generally wrapped up quickly as no medical expert can predict exactly how you will heal and if you will have any permanent damage.  Whether it is a settlement negotiation or litigation, you can count on our attorneys to assess the timeline and use it for our client’s advantage.

The team at The Cagle Law Firm is ready to answer your most pressing legal questions in the aftermath of any type of slip and fall injury in Florissant. We have helped many past clients overcome difficult injury claims, and we will put our experience to work for you in your recovery efforts. Contact our team today to schedule a free consultation with a Florissant slip and fall lawyer and learn more about the legal services we provide.