Who is Responsible for Florida Slip and Fall Damages? Depends On Who You Are

A Florida slip and fall accident often results in more than just embarrassment. It can lead to painful and serious injuries that take weeks, even months to recover from. People who have been injured in slip and falls have been known to suffer from broken bones, concussions, head injuries and severe sprains.

When a slip and fall or trip and fall is the result of negligence, you may be able to pursue compensation. In Florida, property owners can be held liable for damages that resulted from a fall accident on their premises. One of the key factors in this type of Florida personal injury case, is determining who you were at the time of the incident.

Florida law requires that business owners “maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition for the safety of business invitees on the premises, which includes reasonable efforts to keep the premises free from transitory foreign objects or substances that might foreseeably give rise to loss, injury or damage.” One of the things that you have to prove is that the person in control of the property owed you a duty. You would therefore need to answer the question of what type of visitor you were when the event took place.

There are three types of visitors: invitees, licensees and trespassers, and the liability of the property owner depends on which one you were. For example, you would be an invitee if you were a customer at a retail store. You would be a licensee if you were on the property for a reason besides commercial or business purposes, such as a social visit. If you did not have express or implied invitation or permission to be on the property, then you would be considered a trespasser.

To find out your rights following a Florida fall accident, contact an experienced Palm Beach injury attorney at Fetterman & Associates – The Law Team at (866) 865-1244 for a free legal consultation.