All property owners have a duty to maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition. Unfortunately, many businesses and individuals do not keep their premises safe. If you have fallen and been injured on somebody else's property, you may recover reasonable compensation in a premises liability lawsuit for your pain and suffering, mental anguish, lost capacity for the enjoyment of life, as well as medical bills and lost wages.

Contact the slip and fall attorneys at our Panama City personal injury firm for an evaluation of your case.

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A property owner is not automatically responsible for an accident simply because it happened. In a premises liability lawsuit in Panama City, the injured person must first demonstrate the existence of a dangerous condition on the property. Next, they must prove that the dangerous condition was either created by the property owner or his/her employees, was recognized by the property owner or his/her employees, or should have been recognized by the property owner or his/her employees. If the property owner should have known about the dangerous condition, according to premises liability statutes in Panama City they can be held liable for injuries caused by that condition.

In past premises liability cases, the slip and fall attorneys at our Panama City firm have successfully faced large insurance companies and businesses on behalf of clients injured by unsafe property conditions. Opposing counsel, property owners and their insurance companies will commonly argue 1) that there was no dangerous condition 2) if there was a dangerous condition, the owner did not create the condition 3) the owner did not have the opportunity to learn about the "alleged" dangerous condition, or 4) the plaintiff was negligent and only has himself or herself to blame.

Any responsibility that a plaintiff has for their fall is known as "comparative negligence." In a premises liability lawsuit, if a jury believes that there is shared negligence between the plaintiff and the property owner, they are required to apportion the responsibility between them by assigning percentages that total 100 percent (i.e. 70 percent fault on property owner, 30 percent on plaintiff). The damages recorded by a plaintiff are reduced by the percentage of their own fault (i.e. plaintiff's damages are $100,000, but he is 30 percent comparatively negligent - plaintiff recovers $70,000.00 from the negligent property owner).

For more information about comparative negligence in premises liability lawsuits, contact the slip and fall attorneys at our Panama City personal injury law firm.

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If you have fallen and have been injured on someone else's property, it is important to gather names, addresses, and telephone numbers of any eyewitnesses. You or someone you know should report the incident to the property owner or manager before leaving. Immediately seek medical treatment for all injuries and follow all doctors' recommendations for treatment. An experienced premises liability attorney from our Panama City law firm can then advise you about your legal rights.

After the incident, photographs of the dangerous condition that caused the fall can be very important for your premises liability claim. Stained, soiled, torn clothing worn at the time of the fall is important evidence, as is the footwear worn at the time of the fall. They should be set aside and not worn anymore. Try to obtain a copy of any incident report written by the business where you fell, although you probably will not get this. Under Florida law, these businesses are allowed to do internal incident reports and do not have to provide copies to either the injured person or to our premises liability attorneys. Within days after the accident, the business or their insurance company might ask for a recorded statement. Anyone seeking a statement from you then is only looking after the interests of the property owner, not you. We advise you to contact our slip and fall attorneys in Panama City before speaking with the property owner’s legal representatives.

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Premises liability cases in Panama City and across Florida are strongly contested by property owners, their insurance companies, and their defense attorneys. In the vast majority of slip and fall cases, they will offer either little or nothing to settle a claim made by an individual not represented by counsel. Usually, it is only after a premises liability lawsuit has been filed, significant discovery has been conducted, and a trial date is on the horizon, that a defendant is likely to make reasonable settlement offers. When defendants are unreasonable, the slip and fall attorneys at our Panama City law firm are prepared to fully advocate our clients' claims at trial.

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