If you slipped and fell outside, are you entitled to financial compensation? If so, how do you file a claim? While you may be entitled to financial compensation in this scenario, asserting your legal rights will require experienced legal representation. As a result, if you have questions about your legal rights, you should speak with an experienced Birmingham slip and fall attorney about your claim as soon as possible.
When You Can File a Claim for an Outdoor Slip and Fall in Alabama
As with any type of slip and fall accident, assessing your legal rights after an outdoor slip and fall in Alabama starts with understanding why the accident happened. To file a claim, you must be able to prove that the accident was someone else’s (i.e., the property owner’s or tenant’s) fault.
In this scenario, fault can take many different forms. However, to seek just compensation, you must be able to prove the specific issue that caused you to slip and fall. With this in mind, some examples of issues that can justify claims for just compensation in outdoor slip and fall cases include things like:
- Inadequate lighting
- Inadequate supervision or security
- Puddles
- Recently cleaned walking surfaces
- Recently resurfaced walking surfaces
- Sand and gravel
- Slippery leaves and other types of debris
- Slippery sidewalks and pavement
- Spills
- Worn cement and other slippery walking surfaces
If you know why you slipped and fell, you should take detailed notes. Write down everything you remember about your outdoor slip and fall accident. Why was the ground slippery? Where exactly did you slip and fall? Did anyone witness the accident? These are all key facts your attorney will want to know.
Along with proof of why the accident happened, you will also need proof of your accident-related injuries. With this in mind, along with taking notes, you should also prioritize getting your injuries diagnosed. If you have medical records that link your injuries to your outdoor slip and fall accident, these medical records will be key evidence in support of your claim for just compensation.
All Types of Businesses and Property Owners Can Be Held Liable for Outdoor Slips and Falls
In Alabama, all types of businesses and property owners can be held liable for outdoor slips and falls. This means that accident victims can pursue claims in cases involving slip and fall accidents at locations including (but not limited to):
- Amusement parks
- Beaches
- Campuses
- Outdoor entertainment venues
- Parking lots
- Parks and other public spaces
- Shopping centers
- Sidewalks
- Sports stadiums
- Swimming pools and water parks
Homeowners can often be held liable for outdoor slip and fall accidents on their property as well. For example, if you slipped and fell at a neighbor’s swimming pool, you may have a claim for just compensation. In cases involving accidents at private residences, seeking just compensation typically involves filing a claim with the homeowner’s insurance company.
With this in mind, no matter where you slipped and fell, if you have reason to believe that a hazardous property condition was to blame, it will be worth talking to a Birmingham slip and fall attorney about your legal rights. It costs nothing to find out if you have a claim—and, if you do, you could be entitled to a significant financial recovery.
Filing a Claim for an Outdoor Slip and Fall Requires Two Key Types of Evidence
As we touched on above, filing a claim for an outdoor slip and fall requires two key types of evidence. The first is evidence of why you slipped and fell. The second is evidence of how much you deserve to recover.
1. Evidence of Why You Slipped and Fell (Evidence of Liability)
To hold the property owner or tenant financially responsible for your outdoor slip and fall accident, you will need evidence of why you slipped and fell. While you may have some evidence in your possession (i.e., photos or videos you took with your phone at the scene of the accident), proving liability will require other evidence as well. Once you hire a Birmingham slip and fall attorney to represent you, your attorney will be able to quickly launch an investigation focused on gathering the evidence needed to prove that the property owner or tenant deserves to be held accountable.
2. Evidence of How Much You Deserve to Recover (Evidence of Damages)
If you have the evidence you need to prove that the property owner or tenant deserves to be held accountable, the question then becomes: How much do you deserve to recover?
Answering this question also requires various forms of evidence that you will need to rely on your Birmingham slip and fall attorney to obtain for you. Here too, while you may have some evidence in your possession (i.e., your medical records and medical bills), you will need additional evidence to prove the total financial and non-financial costs of your injuries.
Hiring an Experienced Birmingham Slip and Fall Attorney is the First Step in the Process
While there are several steps involved in filing a claim for an outdoor slip and fall in Alabama, hiring an experienced attorney is the first step in the process. Although you aren’t legally required to hire an attorney, practically speaking, you will need an experienced attorney on your side. Once you hire an attorney to represent you, your attorney will be able to get to work immediately gathering the evidence needed to prove why the accident happened, and then you will be able to work with your attorney throughout the remainder of the process to seek the full compensation you deserve.
Do You Have a Claim? Find Out from an Experienced Birmingham Slip and Fall Attorney for Free
Were you injured in an outdoor slip and fall accident in Alabama? If so, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your present and future medical bills, pain and suffering, and other financial and non-financial losses. To discuss your legal rights with an experienced Birmingham slip and fall attorney for free, call 205-855-2745 or tell us how we can help online today.