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Gary W. Starnes Attorney at Law
736 Georgia Avenue
Suite 404 Dome Bldg.
Chattanooga, TN 37402
Phone (800)281-2403
Fax (423) 266-7193
Email: gstarnes@volstate.net
Slip and Fall Attorney
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Questions about Slip and Fall Accidents
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I fell and hurt myself, can I file a lawsuit?
Maybe. A slip and fall lawsuit depends on many factors. First, was your fall due to a hazard on someone else's property? Second, was the hazard known to the property owner or should it have been known to the property owner? Third, did you suffer real, documented injury? If all three of these are true, you may be able to file a premises liability lawsuit. Please contact slip and fall attorney, Gary Starnes for a free case evaluation.
When should I contact a lawyer about my injury?
If you have suffered a serious injury as a result of a slip and fall accident, you should contact an injury lawyer as soon as possible for advice on how to properly document your injury and protect your rights.
What constitutes a "hazard"?
A hazard is anything that constitutes an obvious safety problem, such as damaged stairs with missing or broken handrails, uneven floors, debris strewn or piled in walkways, and icy, wet, or slippery surfaces. It is any preventable or correctable condition that may reasonably cause a person to fall and suffer an injury.
When can we say a property owner "should have known" about a hazard?
Whenever a business owner invites you to a property for the purposes of business, they have a responsibility to exercise due diligence to ensure their property is safe. This means they should identify any long-term or chronic problems, like broken, crumbling concrete or a gutter or an ice machine that drips. A property owner is responsible for posting a warning for dangerous conditions, blocking off dangerous areas, and fixing all hazards on a reasonable time frame. If you suffer a fall as a result of a hazard, it can be important to have a witness who can testify to the length of time the hazard was present.
Is a business owner responsible for the conduct of his or her employees?
In most cases, yes. A business owner is responsible for training employees to conduct their duties in a responsible manner that prevents, rather than causes hazards. Thus, an employee who leaves tools or merchandise in the aisles, or fails to clean up spills, is not responsible just as an individual, but also as an employee of the business.
If I am an employee injured on the job, can I file a slip and fall lawsuit?
That depends. If you are injured in a slip-and-fall accident on your employer's property, then your case will be handled as a workers' compensation case. However, if the injury occurred on the property of another business, then you may be able to file a slip and fall lawsuit in addition to your workers' compensation claim.
What damages can I recover as a result of my slip and fall lawsuit?
Every case is different, and it is impossible to predict what damages you may recover, but damages we have been able to recover for previous clients include:
- Past and future medical bills
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering as well as other noneconomic damages
To learn more about what damages you may be able to recover in your case, please call or email Gary Starnes, Attorney at Law in Chattanooga, Tennessee for a free slip and fall accidents consultation.