More people get hurt in slip and fall accidents than you think and the injuries can be so bad they change their lives forever. This happens all over Toronto, in places like grocery stores, shopping malls, office buildings and public sidewalks. At Longo Lawyers we know slip and fall cases are hard to win in court because they are so complicated. To get the best results you need to do a lot of research and hire a lawyer who knows what they’re doing.
Property owners and managers are required by law to keep visitors safe but many of them don’t do what they are supposed to do. Wet floors with no warning signs, uneven surfaces, bad lighting and not enough maintenance make things dangerous and can lead to terrible accidents. When property owners don’t take care of their property innocent visitors can get hurt and lose a lot of money.
People are often surprised by how bad slip and fall injuries can be because they think these accidents only cause small bumps and bruises. But falling can break bones, hurt your head, damage your spinal cord and hurt soft tissue, all of which need a lot of medical care. Elderly people and those who already have health problems are at a higher risk of having serious complications from fall related injuries.
To prove liability in slip and fall cases you have to show that the owners of the property knew or should have known about the dangerous conditions and didn’t do anything about them. This means getting things like maintenance logs, incident reports, security camera footage and witness statements. We move quickly to protect this important evidence before it disappears or is no longer available for our clients’ cases.
Occupiers’ liability is the law that governs slip and fall claims in Ontario. It sets different standards of care for property owners and visitors based on their relationship. Under the law invitees, like customers in stores, get the most protection while trespassers get the least. Knowing these differences helps us make stronger cases and guess what defences the other side might use.
Insurance companies that work for property owners often use harsh methods to deny or downplay slip and fall claims. They might say the victim hurt themselves by being careless or that there were no dangerous conditions at the time of the accident. These businesses also often say any dangerous conditions were clear and obvious, trying to put the blame on the people who were hurt.Medical records are key in slip and fall cases because they show how the accident caused the injuries. We make sure our clients get the right medical care and that all of their injuries and treatments are fully documented by healthcare providers. This paperwork is crucial when trying to settle a case or present it in court.
The costs of slip and fall injuries go beyond just medical bills. They also include ongoing treatment costs, lost wages and a lower ability to earn money. Many victims need long term care, follow up surgeries and physical therapy which can add up to a lot of money over time. We calculate these costs so that settlement talks take into account both current and future losses.
Because of the weather in Toronto which changes with the seasons and makes surfaces slippery, slip and fall victims have a harder time there. Sidewalks, parking lots and building entrances are slippery for people to walk on when there is ice, snow or rain. Property owners need to do what they can to deal with these weather related dangers but many don’t take the right safety precautions.
When looking into slip and fall cases we often talk to safety experts and engineers who can look at dangerous situations and give their professional opinion on how to keep property safe. These experts help figure out if property owners did what they were supposed to do by law or if they didn’t keep the property safe enough for visitors.
When clients have more than one injury claim that needs different kinds of legal help, hiring an experienced Slip and Fall Lawyer makes sure all parts of their cases get the attention they need and all possible sources of compensation are thoroughly investigated.
At Longo Lawyers we are still committed to helping slip and fall victims in Toronto get fair compensation and making sure property owners are responsible for keeping everyone safe.