Macon Slip and Fall Lawyer

Injured in a Fall? Get Help from Our Macon Slip and Fall Attorneys.

Property owners and managers are responsible for keeping their property in a safe condition to prevent harm to others. When they fail to do so and you suffer a slip-and-fall accident as a result, serious injuries — from twisted ankles, lacerations, and bruises to broken bones, concussions, paralysis, and even death — may occur. After a fall you may be unable to work, while medical and therapy bills mount up, and your life may be severely affected for the long term.

If you or a loved one has been injured or someone has died as a result of tripping and falling because of someone else’s negligence, or their failure to maintain their property or correct hazards, you may be entitled to compensation through insurance or a lawsuit. However, since Georgia laws regarding slip and fall personal injury are complicated and property owners will often try to put the blame for the accident on you, it can help to have a knowledgeable pedestrian accident lawyer familiar with the system on your side to fight for the compensation you deserve.

The Macon slip and fall injury attorneys at the Mann Law Firm know Georgia courts and the system and how to hold the negligent parties accountable for the damages you received. We take the burden off you by handling all insurance and legal matters so you can focus on your recovery.

There are time limits for filing. According to Georgia statutes section 9-3-33, you generally must bring a case within two years of the time the injury occurred, or the courts may refuse to hear your case. So don’t delay. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss the circumstances of your trip and fall and determine the best way to move forward with your case. You pay nothing unless we win, so call us today at (478) 742-3381 to get started.

Why Choose Us?

We understand that there are hundreds of lawyers in Macon. But, you only get one shot at filing a claim for your slip and fall injury.  You will want to choose a lawyer who knows how to fight for his clients and is there for them whenever they need help.  The Mann Law Firm has those qualities and more.  The are many reasons to choose The Mann Law Firm for your Macon slip and fall lawyer, including the following:

• Attorney David Mann once worked as in house defense counsel for a large insurance company.    Thus, he knows the tricks insurance companies use to settle cases while paying out as little as possible.
• Our firm truly cares about our clients and will always be there to back them up.
• We have secured notable settlements and jury verdicts, many in the seven digits.
• Our clients give us high remarks and great reviews.

How Our Macon Slip and Fall Injury Attorneys Pursue Your Slip-and-Fall Accident Claim

When you call our Macon slip and fall injury attorneys, we get to work immediately, while evidence is fresh and witnesses can be found.

In order to win your slip and fall case, our attorneys will have to prove that someone else was negligent, at fault, and therefore liable for the accident. Slip and fall cases are complicated, because there may be several parties who can be held liable, such as:

• Multiple owners of a business or property
• Property managers, maintenance workers, and the companies they work for
• A municipality if you fell in a public place.

Property and business owners have a duty of care to maintain their property in a manner that is reasonably safe to prevent injuries to others, to give notice or warning of any hazards, and then to repair the defects. If they failed to warn about or fix the condition, and you suffered a slip and fall as a result, they may be held liable. Since all responsible parties may have insurance and assets we can go after, our attorneys must investigate the situation, discover what happened, and find all negligent parties who can be named as defendants in a lawsuit.

At Mann Law Firm, we would thoroughly investigate your slip-and-fall accident, including:

• Examining the accident scene and gathering evidence, such as videos from surveillance cameras
• Taking and collecting photos of the accident scene and injuries you suffered
• Interviewing witnesses, first responders, and those with knowledge of the circumstances surrounding your fall
• Gathering records showing the maintenance of the area of the fall (or a lack thereof)
• Utilizing expert witnesses to testify as to how your injuries negatively impact your life and the effects you will have in the future
• Handling all negotiations with insurance companies for a fair settlement
• Taking your case to trial if necessary.

A lawyer from our firm would also review your medical records, employment records and other documentation that would indicate the extent of your injuries and the impact on your life. A client can assist in this effort by keeping track of these records and, in some cases, keeping a journal that tracks his or her medical treatment and therapy.

Negotiating with the insurance company on your behalf to seek a fair settlement is an important part of your claim. With his past experience as counsel for a major insurance company, Attorney David Mann knows how insurance companies operate and that they try to get you to settle for the lowest amount possible. He uses his background to help the insurance company understand your case for compensation and to counter their common tactics. For instance, insurance companies often invoke the “open and obvious doctrine” in slip-and-fall cases. They may contend that the victim failed to pay attention to where he or she was walking. It is helpful to have an experienced insurance claim attorney representing you who will show that you are not to blame and that you acted just as any other reasonable person would have acted. If no settlement is reached, we will be prepared to take the strongest case possible to court.

Damage Awards Our Slip and Fall Law Firm Can Win For You

There is a wide range of compensation you may receive for your injuries from a slip and fall accident, and awards can range from hundreds to millions of dollars. Known as “damages,” the amount you receive depends on factors such as the specific circumstances of your accident and how the injuries will affect your life.

Factors which may affect a settlement amount include:

• Extent of injuries and whether they will be permanent and require lifelong care
• Lost earnings and whether you will be able to work in the future
• Whether death was involved
• How much insurance coverage is available
• Whether the property was privately or government-owned
• The individual jurisdiction, judge, and jury if there is a trial
• The skill and negotiating power of your attorney.

Georgia slip-and-fall damage awards fall under the following categories:

1. Economic (special) damages for all your damages that have specific dollar amounts, such as:
   • medical and rehabilitation bills
   • lost income from being unable to work
   • property damaged in the fall.
2. Non-economic (general) damages for damages that do not have a specific dollar value, including:
   • pain and suffering
   • loss of consortium and enjoyment of life
   • mental anguish and anxiety.
3. Punitive damages: These may be awarded in rare situations, to punish the at-fault party for conduct considered especially outrageous or egregious and to prevent others from acting similarly.

The Mann Law Firm will fight for a damage award that pays for all expenses and losses from the accident, as well as those you are likely to suffer in the future. We know how to estimate what a fair amount is for non-economic damages and will fight for this as well.

Slip and Fall Attorneys in Macon Must Prove Negligence

To win your case, our slip and fall lawyers must prove that the defendants in the case were negligent and at fault for causing the accident. This involves showing the following elements:

1. The defendant had a duty of care to keep the property in a safe manner.
2. There was a dangerous condition on the property that posed an unreasonable risk of harm.
3. The defendant knew or should have known about the condition.
4. The defendant had time to remedy the condition but failed to do so and failed to properly fix or warn about it.
5. This dangerous condition caused your accident.
6. You suffered damages as a result.

The defendants, their insurance companies, and their attorneys will try to refute these arguments and make it seem as if you were careless and at fault for the accident. They may claim they were never notified of the risk or that they didn’t have enough time or resources to fix it before someone was injured. Our Macon slip and fall lawyers are prepared to combat these arguments by the preponderance of the evidence.

Examples of negligence that leads to slips and falls

As we have seen at Mann Law Firm, the negligence that typically leads to a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall injury is the property owner’s failure to clean up a spill or some other hazard or the failure to perform basic, reasonable repairs that would have eliminated the danger.

Some examples of property owner negligence include:

• Water tracked into the lobby of an office building or store that is not mopped up
• Merchandise stacked where it blocks a portion of a grocery store aisle
• Broken steps or handrails in the stairwell of an apartment complex that are ignored
• Potholes in a parking lot that are left open with no warning of their existence
• Loose and broken paving stones at a local park
• Insufficient lighting in a hallway or common area
• Floors that are broken, cracked, have holes, or are uneven
• Carpet or rugs that are not secured
• Stairs with broken or missing railings
• Cracked sidewalk pavement outside a mall
• Uneven curbs on a city street.

The National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) estimates that slip-and-fall accidents account for more than one million emergency room visits every year. Slip-and-fall accidents also happen to employees at work; according to the NFSI, slips and falls are the nation’s leading cause of workers’ compensation claims and the top cause of lost days from work. Because slip-and-fall accidents can cause serious injuries like broken bones, hip fractures (especially among the elderly) traumatic brain injury (TBI), back injuries and torn ligaments, it is important to seek compensation for the losses you suffer. In most cases, this compensation can be provided by turning to the individual’s homeowner’s insurance or the commercial property owner’s insurance, but our attorneys are fully prepared to take your case to court to get you the compensation you deserve.

Our Macon Slip and Fall Lawyers Answer Your Frequently Asked Questions

We have seen many different types of slip and fall cases over the years, and we know that each case is different in its own way.  However, there are general questions that we get that we wanted to share with you here.

How long do I have to file a slip and fall claim in Georgia?

Two years from the date of the accident. However, we always advise our clients to file a claim as soon as possible after the accident.

Do I need an attorney for my slip and fall case?

Legally, you do not.  However, a talented and knowledgeable slip and fall attorney understands every aspect of these claims and knows how to get you more compensation than you would on your own.

A lawyer working for the insurance company called me.  What should I do?

You should refer them to your attorney. They are trying to get information out of you so that they can settle your claim for less than it is worth.

How long will my case last?

That depends on the complexity of your case and how willing the insurance company is to settle your claim.  Some cases can last just a few months, while some last many years.

Get Help from Our Macon Slip and Fall Attorneys

Slip and fall accidents often occur because a property owner allowed an unsafe condition to exist on their premises. If you have been injured in a slip-and-fall accident, our attorneys can bring a premises liability claim against the negligent property owner, whether that is an individual or a business. A successful case can not only bring compensation, but the satisfaction of knowing you prevented dangerous conditions from continuing and harming others.

If you or a family member has been injured in a slip-and-fall accident anywhere in the Middle Georgia area, an experienced attorney from the Mann Law Firm can help you to seek compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and other losses. To learn more about your legal rights and options if you have been the victim of a slip and fall, call the Mann Law Firm. We have years of experience dealing with cases similar to yours and take a personal interest in every client.

We help injury victims throughout Macon and Middle Georgia. We provide a free initial consultation, so to get started on your case, call us today.

Get Legal Help from a Macon Slip-and-Fall Attorney