Get To Know Slip And Fall Injury Laws In St. Petersburg
Michael Babboni
Premises Liability
You’re walking through The Sundial in St. Pete, the plan is to have a great day out with the family, when all of the sudden you find yourself on the ground. There was a bit of a drink spilled on the ground, the slickness caught your step in just the right way, and now you feel pain radiating up from your ankle all the way up your leg. What now?It could be The Sundial, it could be the sidewalk leading around your neighborhood, it could be the parking lot at work – slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere and at any time. One second everything is going great, and the next second you’re in pain and wondering what to do next. Knowing a bit about slip and fall laws in St. Petersburg can help you to know what your next steps should be.
What Makes A Slip And Fall Case In Florida?
In order to have a case in St. Petersburg for a slip and fall, your accident has to meet a few criteria. According to Florida Revised Statutes 768.0755, the injured party must be able to prove that a business or property owner has failed to fix the hazardous situation that has lead to your fall, and your accident resulted in monetary damages.
Injured parties can recover monetary and non-monetary damages, like lost work wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering.
Florida is something of a rarity when it comes to slip and fall law. As one of the only states with written slip and fall legislation passed by local lawmakers, and these laws outline exactly what must be proven in order for an injured person to win their personal injury case.
What Must Be Proven?
In order to win a slip and fall case in St. Petersburg you must prove:
• A substance or other hazard directly caused your fall.
• The fall occurred on property belonging to someone else. This may be a business, public property, or private property.
• The property owner had knowledge or should have had knowledge of the hazardous condition. For instance, a substance spilled on the floor of a shop where employees should have noticed and cleaned the substance.
Do Slip And Fall Accidents Have A Statute Of Limitations In Florida?
Not all slip and fall accident injuries show themselves right away. For instance, a person can experience a fall and months or years later really begin feeling the damage of that accident. Spinal cord injuries, for example, can continue to worsen without the sufferer realizing the severity of the damage until serious pain sets in.
Florida does observe a statute of limitations for slip and fall accidents and that limit is 4 years. This means that an injured person may have a case as long as their accident occurred within 4 years of the time of their filing.
What Does Comparative Negligence Mean?
Comparative negligence is the idea that an injured party can share some of the responsibility for a slip and fall accident along with the property owner. For instance, if a person is running through an area where walking is expected, and in the process they trip and fall on a bit of debris on the ground, they may be found partially responsible for their injuries. However, even if a person is found partially at fault for their accident, they will likely still be able to receive a partial settlement.