Pittsburgh Shopping Mall Slip & Fall Lawyers
Skilled Pittsburgh Personal Injury Lawyers Steadfastly Fight for Clients Injured in Slip and Fall Accidents in Shopping Malls
When spending a day at the shopping mall results in a slip and fall accident that causes an injury, you can easily end up spending significantly more than during the actual shopping trip. Slip and fall accidents in shopping malls cause injuries to thousands every year, and many of the injuries sustained in these falls could have been prevented through simple maintenance by the shopping mall owner. Slip and fall cases are based on a premises liability legal theory, which essentially means that the owner of a business can be held financially responsible when the business’ patrons are injured because of dangerous conditions on the property. At Goodrich & Geist, P.C., our Pittsburgh shopping mall slip & fall lawyers have a combined 50 years’ worth of experience fighting for clients who have been injured in slip and fall accidents in shopping malls and department stores.
We have the knowledge and resources necessary to thoroughly investigate your case to gather the evidence necessary to establish liability and maximize your compensation award. Call today to schedule a free initial consultation to discuss your case.
Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents in Shopping Malls
Shopping mall owners have a legal duty to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition for their customers, and this includes regular inspection and maintenance to determine whether dangerous conditions exist, a duty to warn of those conditions and to make sure any dangers are eliminated as quickly as possible.
Slip and fall accidents can happen because of any number of conditions in the shopping mall, most of which can easily be prevented when store owners properly maintain their properties for customers. Many slip and fall accidents in shopping malls occur because of:
- Walkways that are obstructed by merchandise or other items,
- Slippery floors (whether because of floor cleaners, wax or spilled liquid) that are not properly marked with warning signs,
- Poor lighting conditions,
- Broken stairs or escalators,
- Uneven flooring,
- Missing or broken handrails,
- Potholes in the parking lot,
- Uneven sidewalks or areas around the mall,
- Snowy or icy sidewalks and walkways.
Injuries caused by slip and fall accidents can create long-term medical complications that you may be dealing with for years. Shopping mall slip and fall accidents can lead to:
- Broken bones,
- Broken joints, such as hips, knees, and shoulders,
- Spinal cord injuries,
- Head and neck injuries,
- Dental injuries,
- And more.
Skilled Injury Lawyers at Goodrich & Geist, P.C. Investigate to Protect Your Rights Following a Shopping Mall Slip and Fall Accident
While many slip and fall accidents present a unique set of circumstances that must be evaluated in determining the likelihood of success when pursuing a claim for compensation from a negligent party, in shopping mall slip and fall cases, our lawyers will usually evaluate the following items in negotiating to maximize the available compensation award in your case:
- Any available eyewitness testimony that can corroborate the dangerous conditions of the area where you fell,
- Surveillance videos that can provide concrete evidence as to a lack of warning signs and unsafe conditions,
- The accident scene itself, to determine whether the floor or ground surface created a dangerous situation for shopping mall patrons,
- Any inspection records maintained by the shopping mall owner that can provide evidence as to the owner’s knowledge of the danger or failure to adequately inspect the property for dangers.
Shopping mall slip and fall accident cases can be complicated by the fact that the area where you fell may have been crowded with other shoppers at the time of the accident—sometimes making it difficult to evaluate the conditions based upon video surveillance alone. Quickly obtaining eyewitness testimony and evidence regarding the scene of the accident can be critical in these cases, as shopping mall owners will often take steps to fix or warn of the danger immediately after an accident occurs.
Schedule a Free Initial Consultation if You Have Sustained Injuries in a Shopping Mall Slip and Fall Accident
Call our offices or fill out this online form, to set up a free consultation with our experienced Allegheny County slip and fall accident lawyers today. Our office is conveniently located at 3634 California Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.
Frequently Asked Questions About Shopping Mall Slip & Falls
In some cases, you may still have the right to recover compensation even if you weren’t necessarily paying the closest attention to the conditions around you. You are required to act in a reasonably safe manner so as to prevent accidents and injuries, which involves taking notice of open and obvious dangers within the shopping mall. Store owners, however, have a duty to warn of any known dangers, and they also have a duty to inspect the premises to discover those dangers. If you were injured because of uneven walkways, for example, and the store owner failed to warn you of those dangerous conditions—and reasonably should have known of those conditions through regular inspections—you may still have the right to recover compensation. Our slip and fall accident lawyers can provide more specific guidance based on the facts of your case in a free initial consultation.
The compensation award that we are able to recover will depend upon a number of factors, including the severity of your injury, anticipated future consequences and the nature of the fall itself. Another factor involves evaluating how obvious the danger was at the time of the accident—for example if you fell on a broken escalator and had no way of knowing the danger existed, you will likely recover more compensation than if you tripped over a large piece of merchandise.
