When the average person thinks of an injury-causing accident, they’re more likely to picture a car crash or sporting mishap than a trip and fall on someone else’s poorly maintained property.
Although less spectacular or evocative than other types of accidents, tripping and falling is actually a leading cause of injuries — a fact that makes sense when you think about how often you encounter hazards such as raised sidewalks, uneven walkways, potholes or debris on walking surfaces in daily life.
Despite the apparently innocuous nature of many of these incidents, trips and falls often cause serious injuries, including fractures, ligament or tendon damage, muscle strains, sprains and other trauma, to people out walking, working, shopping or commuting.
Anyone can fall victim to a trip and fall, but seniors are at higher risk for poorer outcomes or hospitalization as a result of these types of accidents.
Whatever your age, the trip and fall lawyers at Edwards Pollard LLP will be here for you if you suffer an injury as a result of negligence, ready to get to work on securing maximum compensation while you concentrate on getting your life back on track.
What to do after a trip and fall
Trip and fall victims tend to be more worried about their pride than their health following a fall, but it’s important not to let embarrassment get the better of you.
Conditions at and around the accident site are often the keys to the success of a claim, and it could help your case if you’re able to take pictures of the scene before any changes occur to the lighting, layout and walking surface in the area.
It will also help your trip and fall lawyer in the construction of your claim if you or anyone with you can create a photographic record of your injuries and collect the contact details of any potential witnesses.
Depending on the severity of your injuries, this may not be realistic, and your priority at all times should be your health and safety. Call for help if you need it and have your injuries assessed by a medical professional as soon as possible.
Filing a claim within the limitation period can be a challenge in any personal injury case, but the urgency is even greater in trip and fall cases because of the high proportion of cases that involve city-owned property. In Ontario, negligence claims against municipalities risk dismissal unless the appropriate authority is properly notified within 10 days of an injury.
That’s why one of your first calls should be to a personal injury lawyer. At Edwards Pollard LLP, our trip and fall lawyers get straight to work on providing clients with a fair assessment of the strength of their case and ensuring that all the key deadlines are met.
What to expect if you file a legal claim
Trips and fall cases are typically launched under the province’s Occupiers’ Liability Act or Ontario’s Municipal Act, which provide mechanisms for injury victims to sue the owners and managers of property for damages when they fail to meet their duties of inspection, maintenance and upkeep.
Although the owners and occupiers of property — including homeowners, businesses and municipalities — all have a duty to ensure that their property is safe for use, the level of care expected of each may differ depending on which category they fall into, making it a challenge to prove liability.
Insurers of municipalities and property owners dedicate significant resources to the defence of these claims, but the trip and fall lawyers at Edwards Pollard LLP will help you level the playing field, building up your case with the help of evidence from specialists and medical experts.
How we can help
With decades of experience behind them, Edwards Pollard LLP trip and fall lawyers have an intimate knowledge of the legislation and the intricacies of a claim made under it.
The legal skill and knowledge of Edwards Pollard LLP trip and fall lawyers is matched only by our dedication to clients, who we support throughout the investigation and prosecution of their claims as if they were members of our own families.
At Edwards Pollard LLP, we build every trip and fall case as if it will go to trial while remaining open to the possibility of a fair and reasonable settlement that will work for our clients.
If you have sustained an injury from a trip and fall, call Edwards Pollard LLP for a free consultation to assess if you have a case at (289) 529-0404.