Slip and fall accidents are a leading cause of accidental injuries. Unfortunately, it is impossible to avoid every slip-and-fall incident, especially when you are on someone else’s negligently maintained property. Property owners and managers in Morgantown must keep their property free of dangerous conditions that expose guests and visitors to potential injuries.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a slip and fall accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your resulting injuries and damages. At the Robinette Legal Group, PLLC, our Morgantown slip and fall accident lawyers represent clients who have been injured in premises liability accidents, including slips, trips, and falls due to dangerous property conditions, especially in retail businesses, restaurants, and hospitals.
Slip and Fall Lawyer – Morgantown West Virginia
- Jeff Robinette is a former insurance defense lawyer. This experience has helped us understand how insurance companies operate and the tactics they use to defend premises liability cases. Our knowledge helps us find weaknesses in the defense while building a strong injury claim.
- We fight for justice for those who have been seriously injured or lost loved ones in an accident caused by someone else. We know that slip and fall injuries can lead to significant disruptions in your life, and we want to help you succeed in your claim so that you and your family can move forward with your lives.
- Our Morgantown slip and fall attorneys will review your slip and fall case for free and handle all the legal work for your injury claim from start to finish. We take injury cases on a contingency fee basis so that you pay nothing until we help you get compensation for your losses.
Common Types Of Slip, Trip, and Fall Injuries in Morgantown
Although people often think of slip and fall cases as frivolous claims, anyone who has been seriously injured in a fall understands that the resulting injuries and damages can be significant. In fact, over 700 people a year die from work-related slip, trip, and fall accidents.
Common slip and fall injuries include:
- bone fractures
- torn muscles and ligaments
- bruises
- soft tissue damage
Slips and falls can also cause more serious injuries in 20-30% of cases, resulting in concussions and other types of brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and fatal injuries.
Here are the current OSHA Guidelines to prevent slips, trips, and falls.
- Identify and evaluate slip, trip, and fall hazards and provide appropriate personal protective equipment (i.e., personal fall protection) under new requirements in Subpart I, “Personal Protective Equipment.”
- Conduct regular and periodic inspections and maintenance of all walking-working surfaces in their workplace.
- Provide training that enables employees to recognize the hazards of falling and the procedures to be followed to minimize these hazards, including the use of personal fall protection, proper ladder climbing techniques, etc.
Morgantown Business owners must do these things to help prevent slips, trips, and falls:
A business owner in Morgantown, West Virginia is responsible for reasonably maintaining their property and sidewalks. The business must provide warnings or barriers to danger and eliminate the dangerous condition if possible. For instance, sidewalks must be maintained and kept free of snow and ice, but it would be unreasonable for a business owner to keep all snow and ice off of walkways and parking lots during a blizzard.
In 2020, the West Virginia Legislature reinstated the “Open and Obvious Doctrine” which protects business owners from liability for injuries caused by dangers that are open, obvious, reasonably apparent or as well known to the person injured as they are to the owner or occupant.
Comparative Negligence in Morgantown Slip and Fall Cases
If your case goes to trial, a jury will be asked to determine if you bear some legal blame for your injuries. If the injured person can be found to be at fault for at least 50% of their fall, then that person may recover nothing for their injuries. Additionally, if the injured person is found to be 25% at fault, the award may be reduced by that percentage.
Some common arguments for assigning fault to the plaintiff are that he or she was in a part of the building where visitors or customers are not allowed, such as the kitchen area of a restaurant. Or, the jury may determine that you were using a phone and were distracted at the time of the accident, or that the area was marked by cords, cones, or signs to provide reasonable notice to visitors.
How Our Morgantown Slip and Fall Lawyer Can Help
As mentioned above, we know common tactics used by defendants and insurance companies in injury claims, which helps us prepare strong injury claims. For example, in slip and fall cases, the defense often blames the injured parties for failing to avoid dangerous conditions that led to their injuries. Our slip and fall attorneys will be prepared to refute any defense allegations that you caused or contributed to your injuries.
We will gather evidence to prove liability and document your losses. We will also interview witnesses and negotiate with defendants to settle your claim. Our Morgantown slip-and-fall lawyers are always prepared to go to trial to maximize your compensation if necessary. We have years of experience representing injured clients, and we do not back down from negligent defendants and their insurance companies.
Morgantown Slip And Fall Accident Attorneys
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, contact a Morgantown personal injury lawyer at the Robinette Legal Group, PLLC. We will discuss the circumstances of your fall and the injuries sustained. Our consultations and case evaluations are always free. If someone else was responsible for your injuries and damages, we will advocate for the justice that you deserve.
Call us at 304-594-1800 or fill out our convenient online contact form.
Client Testimonial:
“Our experiences with Jeff and his firm have always produced the best possible results. His legal expertise and credentials are second to none, and the sensitivity and genuine care for his clients that he exercised are superior to any lawyer with whom I have ever been connected.” Barry K.
Robinette Legal Group, PLLC – Morgantown Office Location
211 Everhart Dr Ste 200,
Morgantown, WV 26508,
United States
Contact Number – (304) 403-7504
Call us today to find out how we can help you.
Crushed Foot Injury
While working in Morgantown, WV for a large national retailer, our client, a young woman in her early twenties, was ordered to use equipment that she was not properly trained to use. In the course of attempting to complete her task, she sustained a severe crush injury to her foot. Due to this incident, our client lost full use of this foot for the rest of her life and was living with chronic, persistent pain.
Our firm was able to obtain a sizable settlement which took care of all her medical bills and future treatment for her foot injury. The settlement was ample enough to allow this young woman to go back to college and retrain for employment which will accommodate her permanent disability.
Crushed Leg Injury
Imagine having your leg crushed so badly in an accident that you have to undergo two surgeries to insert multiple pins and have a rod hammered into the bone just to stabilize the femur. Unfortunately, the first rod inserted into the bone didn’t accomplish the desired effect, so the rod had to be removed and surgically reinserted. Imagine the great pain, the months of therapy and recovery, and the frustration of knowing you can never return to the type of work you have performed for decades.
Jeff Robinette was able to obtain a great enough settlement to pay this man’s medical bills in their entirety and money enough to start a new business so he could work and live a productive life even with his permanent impairment.
Brain Injury
While timbering in WV, a heavy equipment operator sustained a permanent brain injury while performing the duties of his job. What price can you put on the loss of a fully functioning, fully reasoning brain? Jeff Robinette was able to negotiate a settlement that was annuitized to provide for this man for the rest of his life.