Do You Need to Hire the Best Trip, Slip & Fall Lawyer in PA When You’ve Fallen Because of Badly Maintained Premises?

Should you hire a lawyer after you were injured in a fall on someone’s or a business’ property? Our slip & fall lawyers in Lancaster are top premises liability attorneys in Pennsylvania, experience critical for fighting for injured people’s rights after a slip and fall accident injury claims your health and financial security. Are you looking for highly credentialed, experienced, compassionate slip and fall lawyers in Central PA with successful records of settlements and verdicts in Lancaster County? You do not need a Philadelphia slip and fall lawyer to fight for you when our compassionate, aggressive winning team right here in Lancaster County PA can get you the compensation results you need.

Listen to what the accident attorneys at RG Injury Law clients share about their experiences with Rankin & Gregory Lancaster slip and fall injury attorneys who fight for maximum compensation for their clients’ slip & fall injuries. (We have a 99% case compensation success rate.)

Falls are one of the leading causes of unintentional injuries in the United States, accounting for approximately 8.9 million visits to the emergency department annually. In 2019 alone, there were 34,000 fall-related deaths.

Most people have a friend or relative who has fallen, or maybe you have slipped and fallen yourself. Falls are the second-leading cause of unintentional death in homes and communities, resulting in more than 25,000 fatalities in 2009. The risk of falling, and fall-related problems, rises with age and is a serious issue in homes and communities. If you need a slip & fall lawyer in Lancaster County, don’t wait to call RG Injury Law.

We do not pressure injured people to pursue a case but talk with you for free to determine if pursuing a slip and fall accident case or lawsuit could benefit you. We work on a contingency basis, so if we do not recover financial compensation for your case, you do not pay us any fee.

If you have been injured in a fall at the fault of another, we encourage you to protect your future financial well-being as you heal from your slip & fall injuries.

Common reasons for falls include:

• Ice that is not removed or salted within a reasonable period of time
• Sidewalks: poorly maintained and uneven sidewalks
• Uneven surfaces
• Holes in the ground
• Walking surfaces containing spills
• Slippery floors with dangerous, slippery surfaces (tile, ceramic, manufactured wood, wood)
• Dangerous floors due to a slippery or sticky substance on floor
• Floors with impediments like bumps, damaged carpet, other materials that cause you to trip
• Stairs: steps that are uneven, without a hand railing, too steep, unstable, too slippery, or in disrepair
• Improper snow and ice removal
• Negligently designed floor surfaces
• Areas prone to wetness or spills
• Unguarded heights
• Unstable work surfaces
• Ladders
• No handrails or inadequate handrails
• No warnings or inadequate warnings
• No “wet floor” signs
• poor lighting near common walkways or stairs
• Items left on floor that pose a trip danger
• Faulty furniture collapse
• Nursing home or care facility neglect or abuse

Why do you need to hire an experienced slip and fall lawyer at a highly-rated 5 star personal injury law firm?

Slip and fall injury cases can be tough  to win. These cases are often a double-edged sword. If the defect of the problem was so bad, then the insurance companies will argue that you should have seen the problem because it was so obvious. On the other hand, if the defect or problem could not be seen by the injured person, then they will argue that the defect was trivial. The most important requirement of any slip and fall case is an attorney who is willing to fight with the insurance company. The insurance companies do not usually settle slip and fall cases without a fight.

Frankly, most personal injury attorneys in southcentral Pennsylvania are not willing to fight for slip & fall settlements and verdicts. Before you trust your case to an attorney, ask them how many cases they have tried and when was the last time they tried a case. You would be shocked at the answers, assuming they tell you the truth. Most trip and fall personal injury attorneys in Lancaster, York, Dauphin, Lebanon, and Chester counties have not set foot in a courtroom in the past year, let alone actually brought a case to trial.

Unfortunately, for the clients of these attorneys, the insurance industry tracks attorneys and knows which attorneys are willing to fight. 

Chad Rankin and Bill Gregory are willing to fight for you and your loved ones after you suffer injuries or wrongful death as the result of a fall. The insurance companies know that the attorneys at RG Injury Law are willing to put in the effort and spend the money to take cases to trial, if necessary. Because of our willingness to fight for you, we find that almost all of our clients get settlement offers that they want to accept before we even need to go to trial.

Should you hire an attorney after a slip and fall? Here’s how to hire the best lawyer in Lancaster for slip and fall accident injuries.

If a property owner breached the duty of care they owed you or was negligent in a way that caused you to fall and get hurt, you should email or call one of our Lancaster slip & fall lawyers to discuss your premises liability slip & fall case. (717.656.5000)

Here are the steps you should take right away after a fall that caused injuries.

1. Get medical help.
2. Call 911 if your injuries are serious.
   If you will need to file an injury claim or lawsuit, a medical responder or police report may become important evidence in your slip and fall injury case in PA. If you’ve called an ambulance or the police, they will document details about the time and location of your fall, the hazards that caused your fall injuries, and the type of injuries that are recognized on scene. Other injures can present later, but can be helpful to have an account of the initial injuries from first responders as evidence in your case.
3. Record information about the injuries you experienced right away. Other injuries often present later after your adrenaline subsides and inflammation increases.
4. Write down the exact time and location of your fall.
5. Gather evidence from the location at the time of your fall.  That way you have evidence to show in case the property owners repair or remove the issues that caused your fall, making it more difficult for you to prove they were negligent.
   1. Write down, voice record, or video tape all that you remember.
   2. Describe the property and the cause of your fall.
   3. Take photos and videos of the location and what caused your fall.
6. Get any witness statements and write down their names, addresses, and phone numbers.
7. You may want to save your unwashed clothing and the shoes that you were wearing at the time of your fall in case they could become important evidence. Talk with RG Injury Law about this when you call.
8. Do NOT give a statement to the property owner until you talk with your injury attorney. If you are pressured to do so, say you need to call back and call  RG Injury Law to learn how to report your accident to the property owner, business owner, property manager, facility director, or landlord (whoever is there on the premises or location to take the report). Record the time and date of your call and be sure to get the owner’s or owner’s representative’s name and phone number. Request a copy of their written report that lists the details that you reported about your fall. You can talk with our attorneys right away about how to do this so that it can become valuable evidence for your case.
9. Call RG Injury Law BEFORE speaking with the insurance company. We charge no fee to talk about your potential case.
10. Document your injuries at the time of the fall and those you experienced as time went on. (We help our clients get their medical records.)
11. We’ll discuss and document how these injuries have impacted your physical and mental abilities, life, work, relationships, and quality of life.
12. Do not post anything on social media about your fall or health that can be misconstrued or used against you by the insurance company.
13. If you are talking to other personal injury law firms about taking your case, have them show you data about how long it takes them to finish a slip-and-fall case and information about the amount of fall-related settlements. If you are out of work and missing income while your medical bills are piling up, you want to be sure to choose slip & fall attorneys who move your case quickly to its maximum settlement or verdict.  You’ve suffered enough! RG Injury Law puts you first and moves your case as fast as possible.

Who is responsible for my fall?

The answer to this question requires the ability to identify, at a minimum, the owner of the property, the lessor or tenant, and/or the person or business responsible for maintaining the property. RG Injury Law is experienced in identifying all the responsible parties, even if they try to hide through some sham company. We do the work to find out who is truly responsible.

In most cases, the landlord is responsible for any defect or problem with the property. There are exceptions to this general rule. For instance, there are many cases that allow an out of possession landlord to avoid liability for defects in property controlled exclusively by a tenant. The landlord will often contract its responsibility to take care of the property to someone else. That someone else is often a property management company, tenant, or contractor. We will find out who holds responsibility for your injuries and hold them accountable.

Who will pay my medical bills that are the result of my fall on someone else’s property?

The responsible party will ultimately have to pay for your fall-related medical expenses. Some businesses have a medical pay provision, and this type of coverage can start immediately. However, most medical expense payments made by the responsible party will happen when the case settles or is won.

Medical providers often do not want to wait for the case to settle before they are paid for the medical treatment and evaluation that they provide to you. If you have medical coverage through a private health insurance policy, Medicare, or Medicaid (DPW), then your fall related expenses should be submitted to them.

If your medical expenses are paid by a health insurance policy, Medicare, or Medicaid (DPW), then they will want to be repaid when you win or settle your case. The attorneys at RG Injury Law know whether they can get their money back and how much they could possibly get back. We will also negotiate with these entities to help maximize our clients’ financial recoveries.

Who will pay for my lost wages after a fall that prevents my ability to work and earn income?

The responsible party will ultimately have to pay for your lost wages. However, this payment comes when the case is won or settled. Unfortunately, many people cannot wait for the case to settle before they need income to pay their bills. Unless you have a personal disability policy, such as Aflac, you will need an attorney who will move your case quickly. The attorneys are RG Injury Law move slip & fall injury cases quickly and for full value for your injuries. Chad Rankin and Bill Gregory both have a reputation for getting fair settlements fast.

If an attorney at another law firm is interested in taking your case, ask them how long, on average, it takes them to finish a case.

Am I entitled to pain and suffering?

In addition to the economic damages such as lost wages and medical expenses, you are also entitled to pain and suffering under Pennsylvania law when the negligence of another causes you harm or injury. The value of your pain is suffering is determined by the nature of your injuries, the treatment required, how long the injury lasted, any permanent effects from the injury, and the effect the injury has had on your life.

Here are some shocking statistics about the number of falls in the US, including the fact that accidental injuries have become the number 3 cause of death for the first time in U.S. history.

Falls at work

Most recent traumatic injury data show: 18% of the 1,176,340 nonfatal work injuries resulting in days away from work in 2020 were related to slips, trips, and falls.  According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employer-Related Workplace Injuries and Illnesses News Release, as of November 2020, 2.8 of every 100 workers were injured at their workplace.

Per the US Bureau of Labor statistics, falls, slips, and trips were the most frequent type of fatal event in the construction industry, representing 37.9 percent of all fatalities (418 of 1,102). This was a 22.9-percent increase in fatal falls, slips, and trips over 2018. Most fatal falls, slips, and trips are from falls to a lower level.

Falls of older adults

Falls of older adults comprise a disproportionate number of injuries related to falls. These injuries for older adults may be caused by hazards or neglect rather than age-related issues. Rankin & Gregory helps clients who have suffered falls in nursing homes and care facilities.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 50-75% of nursing home residents fall each year. This is twice the rate at which other older adults fall when living outside of nursing homes.

Nursing Home Abuse Shares Facts about falling gathered from the CDC:

• About 1,800 people living in nursing homes die from falls each year
• Residents often fall more than once, averaging about 2.6 falls per person per year
• About 35% of nursing home fall injuries occur in patients who cannot walk
• 10-20% of nursing home falls result in serious injury
• Only 5% of adults over the age of 65 live in nursing homes — but nursing home residents in this age group account for 20% of all deaths from falls

Falls in older adults and seniors living independently and in nursing care facilities:

“… Older adult falls result in over three million emergency department (ED) visits annually (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] 2013). Injuries from falls include bruises and scrapes and more serious injuries such as traumatic brain injuries and hip fractures (Bentler et al., 2009, Haddad et al., 2020, Peterson et al., 2019). Falls that do not result in physical injury can result in psychological effects, such as fear of falling, and may produce prolonged disability, loss of independence, and declining mental and physical health (Scheffer et al., 2008, Schoene et al., 2019).”

If you or a loved one in their senior years had a fall on someone else’s property that caused injuries, please take a moment to call our injury lawyers who win fair settlements for fall injuries to make sure you’ve protected your rights.

 

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Sources:
Briana L. Moreland, Elizabeth R. Burns, Yara K. Haddad,
Differences in fall-related emergency departments visits with and without an Injury, 2018,
Journal of Safety Research, 2022, ISSN 0022-4375,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2022.07.002.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022437522000901)

More fall statistics

ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL

• Over 9 million disabling slip/fall injuries occur per year
• 25 thousand injuries per day/175,000 per week
• Resulting in 95 million lost work days
• Expenses from these injuries amount to 3.5 million per hour every day of the year
• This is a one hundred billion dollar problem each year
• The average cost per slip/fall accident was $20,228.00

IN A SURVEY TAKEN BY THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

• Slip/Fall accidents are the most common work-related injury
• 35% of all work-related accidents are classified as falls
• Slip/Fall injuries represent over 65% of all work days lost
• The average work days an employee is off the job is 38 days per accident

THE NATIONAL FLOOR SAFETY INSTITUTE FOUND

• Each year, more than 3 million food service employees and 1 million guests are injured as a result of a slip and fall accident. It is estimated that the food service industry spends more than $2 billion each year for such injuries and this figure is rising by 10% every year.

Statistics courtesy of https://www.floortesting.com/stats.html

It’s #NationalFallPrevention Awareness Week⚠️
Learn how you can prevent falls at work, home, outdoors or in a care facility. If you’ve been injured in a fall when it wasn’t your fault, please☎️ 717.656.5000 & talk with our experienced PA lawyers. ⚖️https://t.co/JAKlXK49oa #fall

— Rankin & Gregory, LLC ~ RG Injury Law (@RGInjuryLaw) September 23, 2021

Many clients once thought they needed to hire slip and fall lawyers in Philadelphia to get the highest settlement for a slip and fall accident. Our Lancaster slip and fall lawyers are experienced and have a record or winning maximum settlements and verdicts. Our Lancaster lawyers fight fiercely for every client like you to win MAXIMUM car accident settlements in Pennsylvania after you’ve suffered injuries in a vehicle accident. You get the hometown attention and compassion from our law firm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Attorney Chad Rankin serves clients from offices in Lancaster County throughout Pennsylvania including Central PA, Southcentral PA, Berks, Dauphin, Lebanon, Montgomery, Chester, and York Counties; Adamstown, Akron, Annville, Bainbridge, Bareville, Berks County, Bird-In-Hand, Blue Bell, Brownstown, Camp Hill, Christiana, Cleona, Coatesville, Columbia PA, Conestoga, Dauphin County, Denver, Donegal, Earl, East Petersburg, Elizabethtown, Ephrata, Etown, Exton, Fruitville, Gap, Harrisburg, Hempfield, Hershey, Holtwood, Intercourse, King of Prussia, Kinzers, Kissel Hill, Lampeter, Lancaster, Landisville, Leacock, Leola, Lititz, Malvern, Manheim, Manor, Marietta PA, Middletown, Millersville, (Mt Gretna) Mount Gretna, (Mt Joy) Mount Joy, Mountville, Narvon, Neffsville, New Holland, New Providence, Paradise, Philadelphia, Penn Manor, Pequea, Reamstown, Refton, Reading, Rheems, Rohrerstown, Ronks, Quarryville, Salunga, Silver Spring, Stevens, Strasburg, Terre Hill, Warwick Township, West Chester, Willow Street, Wrightsville, Wyomissing, and Southern York, PA. RG Injury Law also fights for victims of accidents on other people’s properties in the counties of Lebanon, Philadelphia, Chester, York, Dauphin, Berks, and Montgomery.

We encourage people who have been injured by falling to reach out to our slip & fall law firm in Lancaster, Rohrerstown, Columbia, and Leola PA and talk with our personal injury attorneys at no cost. We never pressure people to become clients, treat you with respect and compassion, and charge nothing to consult with our experienced attorneys. You’ll get our full attention and quick response throughout your case and pay no fee unless we recover money for you. Call Chad Rankin or Bill Gregory at 717.656.5000 as soon as possible after your injury occurs to ensure the highest compensation possible.