Arizona Slip, Trip and Fall Attorney

Slip and fall injuries are much more common than most people would think, and despite the negative connotation that is often attached to this sort of legal claim, the fact is that the injuries that result from these occurrences are often extremely serious.  Thousands of people are severly injured or killed every year in slip and fall situations, and if this has happened to you, you’ll need the help of an experienced Phoenix personal injury attorney.

Below you’ll find information regarding relevant statistics regarding slip and fall cases, the different types of scenarios in which slip and fall accidents can occur, a look at the negligence standards that apply to those who possess the property in question and finally how you should proceed if you or someone you love has been injured in an AZ slip and fall accident.

Arizona Slip and Fall Statistics

Below are some of the more telling statistics regarding slip and fall accidents in the United States:

• Over one million people suffer significant injuries from slip and fall accidents in the United States on an annual basis
• Approximately 17,000 people are killed every year as a result of slip and fall incidents
• 25% of serious injuries in the workplace are a result of slip and fall accidents
• Only automobile accidents rank above slip and fall accidents as causes of accidental deaths in the United States
• Slip and fall accidents kill more workers than any other cause of accidental deaths in the workplace
• A slip and fall injury will cost the person who’s injured an average of almost $30,000.00

These statistics are kept by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Safety Council, which is a non-profit organization that’s designed to help promote safety and the prevention of injuries.

Different Types of Slip and Fall Accidents in Arizona

Slipping and falling accidents can occur at any time and in almost any place, but there are situations in which these accidents occur more often than others.  Examples of these contexts include:

• The workplace
• At the business of another
• At a sporting event
• At a concert or musical event
• In a crowded public place
• At home
• At the home of another
• In icy conditions
• At retail outlets

Each of these situations present different types of legal liability questions, and below is a look at a few of the different negligence standards that could apply.

Negligence Standards - Phoenix Slip and Fall

In order to decipher which negligence standard should apply to a slip and fall injury situation, the nature of the person’s presence on the property of someone else needs to be defined.  For instance, if someone is in the workplace and he or she falls and is injured because of the presence of a dangerous condition, then that injured worker could have two legal options.

These options would include filing a worker’s compensation claim, as Arizona law clearly provides benefits to those workers who are injured at the site through no fault of their own.  The other option could be a personal injury legal claim for negligence, which would fall into the different categories of legal statuses that are described below.

If someone is injured on the property of another and is not there as a worksite location, the first question that must be answered is which legal status applies to the injured party.  They are briefly described below:

• Invitee – An invitee is someone who is invited, either expressly or through implied consent, onto the property of another for business purposes.  An invitee is entitled to a high degree of protection from the property’s possessor, and this includes the right to be protected from dangerous conditions and/or to be warned of their presence if they cannot reasonably be repaired.
• Licensee – A licensee is someone who is invited onto the property of another for non-business purposes, and this would include social occasions.  As is the case with the invitee, the licensee is entitled to protection from dangerous conditions or to be warned of them if they exist and cannot reasonably be discovered by the licensee.
• Trespasser – A trespasser is someone who enters the property of another without permission, and as a result is not owed a duty of protection from dangerous conditions.  However, there are exceptions, and they include the fact that the trespasser must not be foreseeable by the property’s possessor and that the property should not contain an attractive nuisance that’s likely to attract trespassers.

Phoenix Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer

As you can see, slip and fall injuries are a serious problem, and pursuing a legal claim for injuries suffered in these situations can be complicated.  As a result, if you or someone you love has been injured in a slip and fall accident, you need to contact the AZ personal injury lawyers at Phillips & Associates today to schedule a free initial consultation.