Slip and fall injuries are an all too common cause of injury. Every year 2.2 million people go to the ER because of slip and fall injuries, and according to the National Safety Council, the nation is owed about $70 billion in associated damages on slip and fall injuries every year. In fact, this kind of injury is the third leading cause of injury of employees and customers every year!
When someone slips and falls in a place of business, there is almost always insurance coverage to cover the injuries and damages. If a lawsuit is successfully brought against such a business, the business’ insurance will have to pay the medical costs and lost wages if it is determined the business was negligent.
Slip and fall injuries can be very serious injuries that require the assistance of a skilled attorney. Someone who has such an injury should use the assistance of an attorney to help them decide if the injury warrants a lawsuit. In preparation to do so, it is important to gather all documents and witness statements that you can, as soon as you can, as memories quickly fade.
The average damages due to a customer from a business is between $40,000 and $60,000 on account of the business’ negligence relative to a premises liability incident. If the injury leads to a fatality, the average damages due is $940,000. However, businesses are slow to pay the damages due to their negligence. Indeed, they usually try to blame the customer for their injuries, regardless of the fact that they broke the law. It is the “you should have seen the danger yourself” defense. Oftentimes, without an attorney, this defense works. This is the reason why a person in Oregon who suffers from a slip and fall injury would benefit from a skilled Oregon attorney.
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Client Story
What Happened
Our client, an experienced electrician, was scheduled to work in a new development. He pulled up to the home where he was to complete the electrical work, collected his tools, and got out of his truck. All in a day’s work, except that when he stepped from the street toward the house he was going to work on, his foot landed on a broken irrigation valve cover. The cover gave way beneath him, and he tripped and fell on the ground, with his foot and lower leg awkwardly stuck in the irrigation valve opening.
When We Were Called
When he filed a personal injury claim to recover his accident-related medical expenses, the insurance company denied him, claiming that the irrigation valve cover broke because he “jumped onto it.” The electrician, quite positive that he had not jumped on that irrigation cover, knew it was time to contact an experienced Oregon personal injury attorney to get help resolving his situation.
How We Were Able to Help
After he hired the Accident Injury law firm of Dwyer Williams Cherkoss, our attorney set out to prove that the general contractor knew the cover was broken, and that it was his negligence, rather than our client’s jumping, that caused the accident. Our attorney took numerous depositions from available witnesses, even contacting additional out-of-state witnesses who were able to testify that they had informed the general contractor that the irrigation valve cover was broken days before the accident happened. With such solid evidence supporting our client’s claim that the irrigation valve cover was indeed broken, the insurance company settled.
If you’re getting the run-around from an insurance company, like our client in this situation, contact one of our expert Personal Injury Attorneys. We will be happy to discuss your Oregon Slip and Fall case with you.