Slip & Fall Accident Lawyers

Schaumburg Slip & Fall Accident Lawyers

Slip & fall accidents in Illinois are more common than you think, especially during inclement weather in communities like Schaumburg. When you head out on errands, slipping, falling, and receiving a serious injury is never the first thing on your mind. The fact is that it could happen to anyone — but that doesn’t make it your fault.

It’s true: You really aren’t to blame. Even the most cautious person can’t avoid every hazard.

The world is a dangerous place, but it gets even more dangerous when other people don’t live up to their responsibility to keep our communities safe. If you slipped and fell on someone else’s property in Illinois, contact our Schaumburg slip and fall lawyer at 847-434-3555 to Claim Your Justice™.

Slip & Fall Accidents Defined

Slip and fall accidents send an estimated million-plus Americans to emergency rooms each year. Property owners know the risk. They know people are coming to visit their shops, passing through their sidewalks, and so on. If these wealthy, privileged corporations and individuals don’t take adequate precautions, they should pay the price.

That’s why it matters where your injury happens. A slip and fall in your own home likely would not let you sue another party. You are responsible for keeping your own property safe. However, if you slipped and fell at the supermarket because there was olive oil all over the floor, it might be another story.

In this situation, you could have a claim against the supermarket. You were injured on their premises, which leads to the legal term of “premises injuries”. Basically, the company failed to maintain a safe environment for its customers, and that failure probably contributed to causing or increasing the severity of your injuries.

Why Hire SJ Injury Law

These big corporations and their powerful insurance companies are not likely to give you what you deserve right off the bat. You need to Claim Your Justice™ and retain a slip and fall accident attorney in Schaumburg.

Our attorneys have the experience, knowledge, and resources to help you pursue maximum compensation. We build our cases to win at trial, and we’re prepared to take cases as far as they might go. If you want to fight, we’re here to help — whether you’re suing the mom-and-pop store down the street or a major global brand. Contact us now for a no-obligation consultation.

Should I Really Sue for Simple Slip & Fall Accidents?

A slip and fall could seem like an innocent accident. However, before you try to shoulder the entire burden of your losses by yourself, you might want to consider who had a responsibility to keep the area safe.

Before you admit any type of fault — before you apologize verbally or sign anything — think about who is asking you to do it. They might be protecting their business interests. Here are some examples of potentially liable parties:

• Governments: municipal, county, Illinois, or even federal
• Retail or grocery store chains and possibly their employees
• Apartment building owners
• Shop or business owners and possibly their employees
• People who own private property, including private homes in some cases

Especially if you do not like to blame others, you might be surprised at some of the duties that property owners have. Even if it seems extreme, it all boils down to keeping our communities safe.

Our premises injury attorneys help hold wealthy corporations, investors, and property owners accountable when they try to take advantage of their privileges without taking responsibility for their actions. Call us to Claim Your Justice™.

Building a Strong Case

Every situation is different. One of the best things you can do to help your claim is to contact one of our attorneys as soon as you get hurt.

We will assess your situation and, if it looks like we can work together to pursue your claim, we will help you build a solid strategy. If you’re not ready to take that step yet, you might want to keep the following basics in mind for your slip and fall case:

• Your health comes first: Minimizing your losses can be just as important as pursuing compensation for them. One of the best ways to do both is to seek immediate medical attention after a slip and fall.
• Evidence disappears quickly: Unsurprisingly, people clean up quickly after their dangerous facilities cause serious injuries. It might be difficult in some situations to convince the court that a hazard existed without providing proof. Luckily, photos, videos, and other hard documentation can preserve evidence of property owners’ negligence.
• It is not your fault: You’re not the villain here. You did not do anything wrong. It is also not necessarily just an accident. Don’t apologize and don’t sign any disclosures, releases, settlement offers, or other predatory documents. It’s up to the courts to decide who’s to blame for your losses.

Common Places Slip and Fall Accidents Occur

A slip and fall accident can occur anywhere at any time. Here are some of the more common places:

• Retail shops
• Grocery stores and supermarkets
• Theaters
• Shopping malls
• Places of employment
• Hotels and motels
• Parking lots
• Doctors’ offices and hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Restaurants
• Private homes
• Theme parks

No matter where the slip and fall accident occurred, it’s imperative that you report the incident right away to the property owner or responsible business.

Primary Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents

Unless there is an underlying health condition, people don’t just lose their balance and fall down for no reason. Most slip and fall accidents are caused by a safety hazard or a dangerous condition on someone’s property.

If the court decides that a business owner allowed an unreasonable risk to exist, that company could be liable for your injuries. Some common causes of slip and fall accidents where a defendant may be held liable can include:

• Clutter in walkways: Walkways are for walking, not for storage.

• Slippery and/or wet floors: Slick surfaces should be addressed quickly, and correct signage should be provided. Leaks should be fixed, pooling liquids should be removed, and containers should be placed to catch drips.

• Uneven walking surfaces: We don’t get a lot of earthquakes or sinkholes here in Schaumburg, so walking surfaces usually deform over a long period of time — more than long enough for responsible parties to notice and take appropriate action.

• Inadequate lighting: You can’t avoid hazards you can’t see. Businesses and municipalities need to provide light in dangerous areas.

• Damaged floor or stairway: Deliberate damage is no excuse for a hazard, especially if the property owner knows about it.

• Damaged handrails: Railings are there to protect you. Loose, splintered, or otherwise damaged rails often cause or exacerbate accidents.

• Objects fell off shelves: With the amount of surveillance technology in your average store these days, businesses should be able to respond almost instantly to fallen merchandise, especially if it’s wet, sharp, or otherwise intrinsically hazardous.

Injuries Often Seen with Slip & Fall Accidents

Slip and fall injuries often result in devastating losses. There is a surprising amount of force involved in a fall, the difference between a major injury and a slight bruise is often only a few inches.

Many of these injuries result in a wide variety of symptoms. Many are notoriously difficult to diagnose. We help you communicate your needs effectively, find medical providers who understand your position, and convince the insurance companies to give you everything you deserve to recover.

There’s simply no telling what your injuries might be without getting a professional medical opinion. That said, some of the most common problems are:

• Soft tissue injuries: Strains, bruises, cuts, and sprains that affect the skin, muscles, ligaments, and potentially the internal organs.

• Shoulder injuries: A bad fall can dislocate your shoulder or hip.

• Fractures: Broken bones come in all severities, and small fractures can be just as painful as big ones.

• Bulging discs: Disc injuries require months of recuperation, and severe cases might require expensive imaging, physical therapy, and even surgery.

• Traumatic brain injuries: Any time you hit your head, you could potentially get a TBI that results in serious complications.

Although all of these are serious, traumatic brain injury is one of the most insidious types of slip and fall injury. It is also a type of claim that insurance companies often fight.

TBI often occurs when you hit your head on the ground or on a protruding object as you fall. Examples of these types of objects might include bathroom equipment, shelving, office equipment, or stacks of merchandise. The onset of symptoms might be delayed — please seek medical attention even if you think it’s only a slight bump.

Seek Immediate Medical Attention After A Slip & Fall Accident

At SJ Injury Law, we help our personal injury clients get the compensation they deserve. The money is important, but the goal is always to help people heal.

Your recovery and your case are related. One of the most important steps for both is seeking medical attention right after your accident.

Even if you don’t feel like you’re injured after a slip and fall accident — even if you feel fine — please get a medical evaluation. Some injuries can take days to show up. Seeking proper medical care is good for your recovery.

There is also a legal advantage: The documentation from your initial doctor’s visit is almost certain to help your case. You would probably go see one of the following, depending on your situation:

• Primary care physicians
• Chiropractors
• Dentists
• Emergency room doctors

If there’s any question about which board-certified medical providers qualify to provide your care, please contact us immediately. We have an extensive network of healthcare professionals in Schaumburg, Chicagoland, and beyond. In addition to being great doctors, they’re all familiar with the legal requirements of personal injury cases.

Contact Our Schaumburg Slip & Fall Accident Attorney Today

If someone’s negligence caused you to slip and fall, Claim Your Justice™ today. Contact our personal injury law firm at 847-434-3555 to schedule an initial consultation with a Schaumburg slip and fall lawyer. Let us help you fight for the compensation you deserve.