Slip and fall describes the type of injury suffered on someone else’s property as a result of a defect, slippery substance or other dangerous condition. These injuries commonly occur at supermarkets and restaurants and are due to food on the floor. They can also occur when inadequate steps are taken to remove ice and snow from sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots.

The general rule of law is that the owner or operator of the premises has a duty to keep the premises in reasonably safe condition or at least warn individuals of dangerous conditions of which the owner or possessor of the land either caused, knew about or should have known about.

No, in Minnesota the duty of reasonable care to keep one’s premises safe is the same for a business owner or a homeowner.

Comparative negligence is the law that governs all negligence accidents in the State of Minnesota. Comparative negligence is typically a fact determination for a jury in which they are asked to compare the fault of the person who is making the claim and the fault for the person who is said to have caused the claim. If the person who is bringing the claim’s negligence is determined to be greater than that of the person who is claimed to have caused the injury, then that person is not entitled to recover.

Most businesses have general liability policies that contain a medical payments provision to cover at least some of your medical bills. Also, homeowner’s policies also carry medical payments provisions, which will pay for some of your medical expenses.  If the limits of those policies are exhausted or they are not available for some reason, then a person can look to their own health insurance policies to cover any medical expenses.

Compensations for slip and fall accidents are similar to all personal injury claims. Recovery may include the payment of medical bills, wage loss, pain and suffering, potential future medical expenses and potential future loss of earnings or earning capacity.

Generally, yes, but to prevail in a claim like this you must establish, among other things, that the landlord was in control of the area, that the landlord knew of the defect or dangerous condition on the property, and that the landlord’s failure to take reasonable care caused the injury.

The answer to this question depends upon the cause of the injury. If the cause of the injury was due to some defect in the design or construction on the real estate, then there is a two-year statute of limitations. If, on the other hand, the injury was caused by negligent maintenance of the premises, then there is a six-year statute of limitations.

There is no requirement that you hire a lawyer to bring premises liability case. In case of minor injuries, you may be better off attempting to settle the case without an attorney. However, it is important to make sure that your injury is minor and completely healed before you attempt to settle any case. In cases involving more serious injuries, it is generally advisable to retain an attorney. In all but the most obvious premises liability cases, the business or homeowner’s insurer will deny responsibility for your claim or significantly under-evaluate your damages and these cases usually have to be litigated.

This is just the very basic information on slip and fall accidents. There is no substitute for speaking with a lawyer from the law firm of Schwebel, Goetz and Sieben.