Houston Slippery Sidewalk Injury Lawyer

When people think of slip and fall accidents that might send someone to the emergency room, they tend to think of someone slipping inside a house or business on a wet floor, such as inside a grocery store after a spill. However, many slip and fall accidents happen outside on sidewalks.

If you fell on a sidewalk, you might be uncertain about who is financially responsible for your accident. You need to understand your legal rights and options. A Houston slippery sidewalk injury lawyer could help you determine if pursuing a legal claim is a viable option.

Types of Injuries that Follow Sidewalk Accidents

All sidewalk accidents are different and can result in a wide range of injuries. Most commonly, people suffer wrist fractures from putting out their hands to try to break their fall or hip fractures from hitting the pavement. Pulled muscles, strains, and soft-tissue injuries are also common, but sidewalk falls can also lead to severe brain injuries, such as concussions and brain bleeds. Sadly, some people die from their injuries, such as when they slip off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic in the road or the brain damage is not treated in time.

A caring legal team could meet with an injured party to learn about their injuries and their potential future prognosis. The lawyers would fight for a settlement that would make a difference in the injured party’s life.

Potential Liable Parties After a Sidewalk Accident

Depending on precisely where the accident occurred and other circumstances, different parties could potentially be liable.

Private Property Owner

The owner of the property could be liable for failing to maintain the sidewalk in front of their home or business. Just as property owners have a legal duty to inspect their buildings for anything that could cause injury to someone, they also have a duty to inspect and maintain the area in front of their homes, including the sidewalks. To be liable for an accident occurring on a sidewalk, the injured party must prove that the property owner knew about or should have known about a defect on the sidewalk that could lead to an accident.

The injured person must also show that the property owner failed to repair the sidewalk defect within a reasonable time period or warn unsuspecting visitors about it. Some of the most common sidewalk hazards are as follows:

• Cracks in the sidewalk
• Uneven walking surface, due to protruding roots
• Uncleared snow or ice on sidewalk
• Rainwater accumulation on sidewalk
• Defective patches in sidewalk
• Debris on the sidewalk
• Protruding pipes

If the premises where the accident occurred was a commercial property, the business owner, caretaker, or manager could also be at fault.

City of Houston

The City of Houston or the contracting company that constructed the sidewalk or performed any repairs could also be at fault. They could be liable for constructing a sidewalk that was inherently unsafe, whether it was uneven or sloped too dangerously, or for failing to post warning signs about unmarked curbs.

A diligent personal injury lawyer could review the evidence of an accident to determine who bears legal liability.

Contact a Houston Slippery Sidewalk Injury Attorney About Your Options

Sidewalk falls can result in severe injuries that can affect how you live your life. Let a dedicated and experienced legal team like Schechter, Shaffer & Harris help you fight for the compensation that you need to recover.

Contact a Houston slippery sidewalk injury lawyer to get started on building your legal claim – our consultations are free.