Slip and Fall Accidents in Massachusetts
Slip and fall accidents are actually one of the leading causes of injury in the United States. According to 2007 numbers from the National Safety Council, 7.9 million adults were injured in falls that year alone. And each year, many such falls are the result of defective stairs, sidewalks, and walkways.
When victims are injured in slip and fall accidents in Massachusetts that could have been avoided had a property owner taken the time to perform proper maintenance, they have options. For more than 25 years, Worcester premises liability attorney, Peter Ventura, is who victims turn to for legal guidance and representation.
We’ll Figure out if a Property Defect or Hazard is to Blame for Your Injuries
By the time you come in to see us, we understand you’ve been through a lot. You’re likely dealing with pain, ongoing medical care and perhaps even lost time at work. During your initial consultation, we’ll try to get a sense for what caused your fall down accident, and we’ll get to work to figure out if a defective stairway, sidewalk or walkway may have been a factor in causing you to fall.
We’ll investigate the scene of your accident to see if it has some telltale characteristics of defective property, including:
- Stairs – worn or missing tread, uneven or narrow service areas on steps, and uneven riser heights
- Sidewalks – narrow construction, missing curbs or raised surfaces, cracks and depressions; and
- Walkways – surfaces that are uneven, sloping, or laced with cracks, potholes and tree roots.
We Get the Answers You Need to Focus on Recovery
Worcester premises liability attorney, Peter Ventura recognizes that when you make that first call to an attorney, you know that you’ve been hurt, and you know that you need compensation to safeguard your health and quality of life. What isn’t as easy is figuring out how to prove that you are entitled to financial compensation.
Because Peter Ventura practices personal injury law exclusively, he has seen slip and fall accidents in Massachusetts before and knows how to investigate these cases and the questions that must be answered to prove the property owner’s liability.
These questions include:
- Did the property owner cause the defective condition?
- Did the property owner know about the defective condition but fail to address it?
- Was the defective condition present long enough that any reasonable property owner should have done something to correct it?
Worcester personal injury attorney Peter Ventura has represented many individuals who have been injured due to defective stairs, sidewalks, and walkways.
In any case accepted by Attorney Peter Ventura, he will vigorously protect your interests often in the face of difficult opposition from a property owner’s insurance company.
Have you been injured in a slip and fall accident in Worcester, Massachusetts?
A slip and fall injury can happen when you least expect it — in the parking garage, at a restaurant or on the sidewalk. In any case, when you’re dealing with a slip and fall injury, your first concern is getting the medical attention you need. In the days that follow, other questions may surface: How did this happen? What are my legal rights?
In many cases, a property that is in disrepair or has hazardous conditions can be the source of a slip and fall accident in Massachusetts. For 25 years, Worcester-based premises liability lawyer, Peter Ventura, has dealt with fall down accidents like yours and can help you figure out what to do next.
Working with Victims to Figure out What Led to Their Fall Down Accidents
A slip and fall accident sounds simple enough. You slip or trip. You fall. You get hurt. However, the critical legal question is whether the property owner or others did something or failed to do something which caused or contributed to your fall and injury. At the law firm of Peter Ventura, we focus on determining what the property owner’s responsibility is and what your rights are to financial compensation.
When you come in for your free consultation, we’ll discuss what factors may have led to your accident, including:
- defective stairs;
- defective sidewalks;
- absent or defective handrails;
- parking lots;
- ramps;
- snow and ice; and
- negligent property management
Proving a Property Owner’s Negligence on Behalf of Worcester Victims
When it comes to proving a property owner’s fault for a slip and fall accident, premises liability lawyer, Peter Ventura, expects property owners and their insurance companies to challenge anyone’s injury claim. One of the most common defenses is that the property owner didn’t have the opportunity to know about the hazardous condition.
To combat this, we’ll investigate and use every resource at our disposal to establish a valid claim, including:
- State and local building codes;
- Sanitary regulations;
- Workplace safety codes;
- Witness testimony; and
- Surveillance videos.
When you contact our Worcester firm, you’ll find we are responsive, prompt and thorough. Just as important, we’ll present all the legal options available to you, so you can take the course of action that is best for your future. We know you’re in pain, and we can help.
Who Can be Held Liable in Slip and Fall Cases in Massachusetts?
Slip and fall accidents cover virtually any accidents that occur as the result of the negligence of an owner, tenant or property manager at a property. This negligence can include failure to post adequate warning signs during maintenance, cleaning or construction, not properly maintaining the premises or not providing adequate lighting. Slip and fall cases can also result from liquid spills and snow and ice accumulation.
Who Can be Held Liable in a Slip and Fall Case?
Landlord, tenant or property management companies are the ones who are typically held liable in slip and fall accidents after it is established that the accident was the result of their negligence. Slip and fall accidents can occur anywhere from office buildings to stores to restaurants. The owners or managers of a property with snow accumulation can also be held liable for resulting injuries. Previously, Massachusetts law made a distinction between “unnatural” and “natural” snow and ice build-up, and owners were not liable for “natural” build-up. However, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court found in 2010 in Papadopoulos v. Target Corporation that companies must act reasonably in removing snow and ice instead of assessing whether the accumulation is “natural” or not. This duty to keep the property reasonably safe extends to other factors besides just getting rid of snow and ice accumulation.
What Can You Recover in a Slip and Fall Case?
When someone has been injured in a personal injury case, the ultimate goal of the litigation is to make that person whole again as though the injury had never happened – but that might not be possible because of the severity of the damages that are possible in a slip and fall or other premises liability case. Damages from negligence can be extensive and can even include broken bones, head injuries and permanent injuries that impair your ability to work or lead a normal life. If your lawyer is able to establish that the property owner or tenant was negligent, it is possible that you can recover monetary compensation for your medical costs (both past and in the future) as well as compensation for lost income and for your pain and suffering.
We’re Here to Help Victims of Slip and Fall Accidents in Massachusetts
Slip and fall accidents in Massachusetts can happen just about anywhere, from walkways and sidewalks to stairways. Peter Ventura, Attorney at Law, focuses only on personal injury claims and personally handles every case. For 25 years, this former Worcester County assistant district attorney has represented personal injury victims. When you’ve suffered injury from a slip and fall in Massachusetts, contact us for a free consultation.
