Hillsboro Slip and Fall Lawyer

Oregon property owners owe a duty of care to customers, guests, patrons, and anyone else invited onto the property. ‌This duty of care includes ensuring that the premises are safe and free from hazardous conditions. ‌When danger is known and present or reasonable should have been discovered, the property owner should remove it or post clear and visible signs to inform guests. ‌Failing to do so may‌ ‌result‌ ‌in‌ ‌liability if someone is injured.

If‌ ‌you‌ ‌slipped‌ ‌and‌ ‌fell‌ ‌due‌ ‌to‌ ‌dangerous‌ ‌conditions on someone else’s property, you should contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible, as the owner may be liable if your injuries were caused by‌ ‌negligence. ‌At‌ Harris Velázquez Gibbens,‌ ‌we‌ ‌can‌: ‌

• Review‌ ‌your‌ ‌case‌
• Help‌ ‌you‌ ‌determine‌ ‌whether you have grounds for seeking ‌medical‌ ‌bills,‌ ‌lost wages,‌ ‌pain‌ ‌and‌ ‌suffering,‌ ‌and‌ ‌other‌ ‌losses
• Fight for the settlement or verdict you need to support your recovery

To learn more and get your claim started, schedule a free consultation with a Hillsboro slip and fall lawyer at our personal injury law firm.

How Do Slip & Fall Accidents Happen?

Unfortunately,‌ ‌many property owners do not take the necessary precautions‌ ‌to‌ ‌prevent‌ ‌accidents. Every year, thousands of people suffer painful and long-lasting slip and fall injuries due to:

• Wet‌ ‌surfaces,‌ ‌such‌ ‌as‌ ‌spills, puddled rain, melted  snow, and freshly ‌waxed‌ ‌floors
• Uneven‌ ‌surfaces,‌ ‌such‌ ‌as‌ ‌loose‌ ‌floorboards,‌ ‌torn‌ or bunched-up ‌carpets,‌ ‌and‌ ‌defective‌ ‌sidewalks
• Trip‌ ‌hazards,‌ ‌such‌ ‌as‌ exposed‌ ‌cords/wires, ‌cluttered‌ ‌walkways,‌ ‌fallen‌ ‌merchandise
• Poor‌ ‌lighting,‌ ‌especially in stairwells and‌ ‌hallways

All of these hazards put guests, customers, tenants, and others at serious risk. ‌If‌ ‌you‌ ‌were injured‌ ‌due‌ ‌to‌ ‌dangerous‌ ‌conditions like the above,‌ ‌you‌ ‌may‌ ‌have‌ ‌an injury claim against the owner.

How Do You Prove Negligence in a Slip and Fall Claim?

A successful slip and fall claim requires you to prove that the property owner was liable for your injuries. You can do this by establishing that they:

• Owed you a duty of care, which generally means you were lawfully on the property
• Knew or should have known about the dangerous condition
• Failed to address the hazard in a timely manner or warn guests about it, resulting in your injuries

Additionally, you need to demonstrate that you did not act more negligently than the property owner and that the dangerous condition was not so obvious that you could have ‌reasonably avoided‌ ‌it.

Our‌ ‌Hillsboro slip‌ ‌and‌ ‌fall‌ ‌lawyers‌ ‌can investigate your claim and determine whether the property owner’s negligence caused or contributed to ‌your‌ ‌injuries. ‌Harris Velázquez Gibbens ‌represent‌s ‌individuals injured in accidents caused by dangerous conditions on public and private properties, such as homes, apartment buildings, offices, retail stores, and government sites.

Common Slip and Fall Injuries

According to the National Safety Council, slip and fall accidents resulted in approximately 6.8 million visits to a U.S. emergency room in 2019. ‌Commonly reported injuries include:

• Torn ligaments
• Cuts and bruises
• Broken bones
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injury

In addition, these accidents cause an average of 25,000 deaths per year, making them the second most common cause of unintentional death. If you‌ ‌lose‌ ‌a‌ ‌loved‌ ‌one‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌slip‌ ‌and‌ ‌fall‌ ‌accident,‌ ‌you may be able to file a wrongful claim for the deceased. ‌An experienced wrongful death lawyer in Hillsboro, OR can assist you during this difficult‌ ‌time.

Average Slip and Fall Settlement Amounts in Hillsboro

Each slip and fall case is unique,‌ ‌so‌ ‌there‌ ‌is‌ ‌no‌ ‌standard amount‌ ‌of‌ ‌compensation‌ ‌that‌ ‌is‌ ‌awarded‌ ‌to‌ victims. ‌How much you receive in your settlement will depend on a variety of factors, including the nature and extent of the injuries, your age and health, and how the injuries are expected to impact your life moving forward.

In general, you may be able to claim damages like the following:

• Past, present, and future medical bills
• Lost wages
• Lost or decreased earning ability
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of quality of life
• Loss of consortium (for married victims)

Your final settlement or award may also be affected by Oregon’s comparative negligence law, which states that you cannot recover compensation if your degree of responsibility for a slip and fall accident is 51% or more. If your share of fault is 50% or less, you can still collect damages, but they would be reduced accordingly. 

For example, if you are awarded $25,000 but the court determines you were 40% responsible for your injuries because you didn’t look where you were going, you would only receive $15,000, or 60% of your damages. 

Insurers often try to reduce the compensation they need to pay (or avoid the responsibility entirely) by claiming that the victim’s degree of fault is higher than it really is. A Hillsboro slip and fall lawyer will protect your rights and seek to block any attempts to deny you the compensation you deserve.

What Should I Do After a Slip and Fall Accident? 

In order to receive compensation for injuries sustained in a slip and fall accident, you need to be able to prove what happened, so that the property owner’s liability can be determined. These steps can help you build your premises liability case:

• Take‌ ‌pictures‌ ‌of the accident site. Be sure to include the hazard that caused you to slip, such as an unmopped spill.
• Inform the property owner or manager of the accident. ‌Too often, slip and fall accident victims skip it, which can seriously undermine their case. A report will create the paper trail that your attorney will need to prove that your injuries were caused by the accident.
• Identify any eyewitnesses and collect their contact information.
• Seek medical attention for your injuries. If necessary, call 911 and request an ambulance. If you don’t think you’ve been seriously hurt, get checked by your doctor as soon as possible anyway, as adrenaline and shock can mask the symptoms of potentially serious injuries.
• Contact a Hillsboro slip and fall lawyer. Despite‌ ‌what‌ ‌you‌ ‌may‌ ‌believe after speaking with an‌ ‌adjuster,‌ ‌the insurance‌ ‌company‌ ‌is‌ ‌not‌ ‌your‌ ‌friend. They‌ ‌may even try to use your own statement against you. ‌Get‌ ‌legal representation‌ ‌to‌ ‌ensure‌ ‌your‌ ‌rights‌ ‌are‌ ‌protected.

When Should I Hire a Hillsboro Slip and Fall Lawyer?

Slip‌ ‌and‌ ‌fall‌ ‌cases‌ ‌can be difficult, complicated and involve a variety of legal constraints, including a statute of limitations, which limits the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit, so the sooner you contact an attorney, the better.

Although most slip and fall cases settle out of court, the best way to ensure that you receive the compensation to which you are entitled is to have an experienced slip and fall lawyer on your side. Your lawyer will file your claim within the two-year statute of limitations, deal with the insurer, and aggressively negotiate for the money you need to rebuild your life.

Why Should I Hire Your Law Firm?

At Harris Velázquez Gibbens, our personal injury attorneys have spent years representing clients who have suffered an injury or loss due to someone else’s negligence. ‌We‌ ‌provide individual attention and loyal service to every client and fight aggressively for their right ‌to‌ full and fair ‌compensation. ‌

We always strive for a just outcome, whether we are in settlement negotiations or pursuing a favorable trial verdict. ‌We will handle‌ ‌the‌ ‌legal‌ ‌work‌ ‌while‌ ‌you‌ ‌focus‌ ‌on‌ ‌healing‌ ‌and getting‌ ‌your‌ ‌life‌ ‌back, so please call our Hillsboro office today to learn more about what we can do for you.