What starts as a normal day can change fast in the moment a slip-and-fall happens. The majority of falls are minor and may be a little embarrassing at most. Still, some of our 50,000 East Hartford neighbors are injured by slipping and falling each year. As falls tend to be a main cause of injury in senior residents, the number of slip and fall injuries are likely to rise as the population continues to age.
If you suffered a personal injury by falling in East Hartford, you may be eligible to receive compensation from the at-fault party. Whether your injury happened on the main street, in one of our many community trails and parks, or at a private residence or business, contact Gould Injury Law for a free consultation with one of our lawyers. Our team members can provide you with the information you need to decide how to proceed.
After an East Hartford slip-and-fall accident, you need to get help fast. Gould Injury Law is there to fight for you so you get the compensation you deserve. Call 1-888-WIN-FAST to learn more about your legal rights today.
What is Involved in an East Hartford, CT Slip and Fall Claim
Premises liability law is in place to protect visitors. By means of a slip and fall claim, which is under the sphere of premises liability law, injured property visitors can be compensated for their losses caused by the negligence of property owners or other responsible individuals. Like other personal injury claims, there are two main components: a liable party and resulting damages.
If a worker is injured in a slip-and-fall on the job, this would likely fall under workers’ compensation rather than or as well as premises liability. If you or a loved one were injured at work, one of the workers’ compensation attorneys at Gould Injury Law can provide you with more information on how to move forward with a workers’ compensation claim after a workplace accident.
Liable party
East Hartford residents rightly expect that property owners and managers do what is necessary to keep their properties safe and free from dangerous conditions that could cause an accident. This includes removing or fixing any potential hazards as fast as possible.
This responsibility, or “duty of care,” means that property owners and managers could be held legally responsible if an invited guest of the property suffers a personal injury as a result of hazards like:
- Slippery surfaces
- Trip hazards
- Uneven flooring
- Inadequate lighting
- Inadequate safety features
During the winter months, when temperatures tend to hover around freezing in Connecticut, snow and ice can develop fast. A regular occurrence on our roads and walkways, slippery conditions can lead to a number of injuries and accidents. This poses an extra challenge for property owners and can make a slip-and-fall case trickier.
Each community may have its own snow and ice removal regulations. For example, in East Hartford, property owners must remove snow and sleet within 8 daylight hours of it falling, or 8 hours since sunrise. As for ice, the regulations become a bit more vague. Ice should be removed immediately, except when weather conditions make ice removal impractical.
Concerning slip-and-falls involving ice or snow, consulting with an experienced attorney can be especially helpful in determining the specific regulations at play. If you aren’t sure whether you have a case or not, the team at Gould Injury Law is always available to take your call, and our attorneys can come meet with you for a consultation if you prefer.
Another thing to consider is that Connecticut state law does not give many rights to trespassers – in other words, those who were not invited onto the property by the owner. But there may be rare cases when a trespasser can file a slip and fall claim – when the property owner had tried to harm him or her, for example.
A consultation with one of our East Hartford slip and fall attorneys who are experienced with the local law can help you understand your rights after suffering a slip-and-fall.
Injury or damages
Of course, in order to file a claim and receive compensation, you must also prove that you suffered damages related to the East Hartford, CT, slip-and-fall accident.
These damages can range from relatively minor to more serious injuries and can include property loss or damage as a result of the accident, such as:
- Broken bones
- Sprains and strains
- Head injuries
- Back injuries
- Lacerations and bruises
These losses cause financial loss. For example, there may be medical expenses, lost wages after time off work, or the cost of replacing the broken items. Often, insurance companies will try to pressure the victim into accepting a low settlement. Or they may look for ways to minimize the damages to deny the claim. An East Hartford attorney with our law firm can fight for you to receive fair compensation as fast as possible.
One thing that impacts potential compensation in Connecticut is the comparative negligence law. Under comparative negligence, you can only recover damages if you are under 50 percent at fault, and the percentage of compensation you can receive is reduced by your percentage of fault. So if you were found 20 percent at fault for the accident, you could receive 80 percent of the compensation.
Neighboring Massachusetts and New York have different rules about how fault affects compensation. So if your slip-and-fall happened in another state, make sure to confirm your legal needs with an attorney knowledgeable in local personal injury laws.
Our East Hartford, CT Slip and Fall Attorneys Are Here to Help
If you have suffered injuries in a slip-and-fall accident in East Hartford, you can turn to the law firm of Gould Injury Law for fast and essential help. We understand that you need help as fast as possible so you can work on your recovery and continue to move forward.
With legal counsel at your side, you have a fighting chance against insurance companies. Instead of fighting the insurance company on your own to get what you deserve, your attorney will handle the legal matters for you, leaving you to focus on your recovery and your family.
When you work with one of our East Hartford, CT, attorneys, you can have the confidence that comes from knowing your case is in good hands. Our law firm has been serving Connecticut injury victims for over 20 years. See the difference an experienced and fast East Hartford attorney can make – call Gould Injury Law today at 1-888-WIN-FAST for a free consultation.
