Learn About Your Legal Rights if You Slipped and Fell at Someone’s Home in Florida

If you slipped and fell on someone else’s personal property in Florida, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. All property owners in Florida have a duty to ensure that their premises are reasonably safe for visitors and guests; and, when property owners fail to meet this duty, victims can hire a Florida injury attorney to help them seek just compensation.

Whether you slipped and fell while visiting a friend or family member, or you were injured while making deliveries or working at a customer’s home, you owe it to yourself to speak with a Florida injury attorney about your legal rights. The costs of fall-related injuries can be substantial; and, if you have a premises liability claim, hiring an attorney to help you file a claim will allow you to recover these costs as efficiently as possible.

Filing a Slip and Fall Claim Against a Homeowner’s Insurance Company

In most cases, seeking just compensation for a slip and fall on personal property involves dealing with the homeowner’s insurance company. Most homeowners in Florida have insurance; and, while this insurance covers damage to their homes, it also covers third-party claims for premises-related accidents.

To file a claim under a homeowner’s insurance policy after a slip and fall accident, you must be able to prove that the homeowner failed to meet his or her duty of care. As we mentioned above, all homeowners have a duty to ensure that their premises are reasonably safe for visitors and guests. While homeowners’ duties vary depending on why a visitor or guest is on their property, generally speaking, homeowners must take reasonable measures to prevent falls due to hazards such as:

• Slippery driveways, sidewalks or floors
• Slippery floor coverings
• Slippery pool decks
• Dangerous stairs
• Other slip hazards such as sand, leaves or gravel

If you believe that a personal property owner is responsible for your slip and fall accident for any reason, you should schedule a consultation with a Florida injury attorney. This costs you nothing, and it will allow you to make informed decisions about how to deal with the costs of your injuries.

Who Can File a Claim for a Slip and Fall on Personal Property?

Who can file a claim for a slip and fall on personal property in Florida? While there are a few exceptions, most people will have the right to seek just compensation (by filing a homeowner’s insurance claim) if they slip and fall on personal property. Here are the rules that apply:

• Invited Guests – Personal property owners owe the highest duty to their invited guests. If you were injured in a slip and fall at a meetup, party or other gathering where you were an invited guest, you will want to speak with a Florida injury attorney about asserting your legal rights.
• Delivery Drivers – Delivery drivers can also generally file claims when they slip and fall due to hazards on homeowners’ property. While homeowners don’t necessarily need to address all slip hazards, they must take appropriate steps to remedy hazards of which they are aware.
• Contractors and Subcontractors – If you were injured in a slip and fall while working at someone’s home, you may have a claim in this scenario as well. Here, too, you will want to speak with a Florida injury attorney about your legal rights to ensure that you take appropriate legal action.
• Salespeople – Salespeople have the same rights as contractors and subcontractors when they are invited to someone’s home. However, when salespeople visit homes uninvited, they are not entitled to the same legal protections.
• Trespassers – In Florida, homeowners generally do not owe any duties to trespassers other than to avoid causing “willful or wanton” injury. However, there are exceptions in some cases, such as when a child is enticed by something interesting on a homeowner’s property.

While some slip and fall cases are fairly straightforward, others can be much more complicated. In all cases, however, filing a successful insurance claim can prove challenging. We are here to help; and, if you have any questions about asserting your legal rights after a slip and fall on personal property in Florida, we encourage you to speak with one of our attorneys as soon as possible.

Dealing with Allegations of Partial Fault in a Slip and Fall

One challenge slip and fall accident victims frequently encounter when seeking just compensation is that homeowners’ insurance companies will blame them for their own injuries. If a homeowner’s insurance company blames you for being partially at fault in your slip and fall accident, what does this mean for your legal rights?

First and foremost, you should never assume that you are to blame (or even partially to blame) for your own injuries. Determining what happened and who is to blame requires a legal analysis of all relevant facts and circumstances. Until you hire a Florida injury attorney to analyze your slip and fall, you won’t know whether anything you may have done (or may not have done) played a role in your accident.

Second, even if you were partially at fault in your slip and fall accident on personal property, you may still be entitled to financial compensation. While being partially at fault can reduce the amount you are entitled to recover, it won’t prevent you from recovering just compensation unless you are primarily responsible for your injuries. Again, however, you should not make any assumptions; and, if you are entitled to full compensation, you should work with your attorney to seek the full compensation you deserve.

Discuss Your Slip and Fall Claim with a Florida Injury Attorney for Free

If you were injured in a slip and fall on personal property in Florida, we encourage you to contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation. To discuss your legal rights with an experienced Florida injury attorney, call us at 800-780-8607 or contact us online today.