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Bellevue Slip and Fall Lawyer

  1. Our Bellevue Slip and Fall Lawyers Can Handle Your Case While You Recover
  2. Recoverable Damages for Bellevue Slip and Fall Injuries
  3. The Washington Statute of Limitations Deadline Limits Your Filing Time
  4. Slip and Fall Accidents and Liability: Who Can Be Held Responsible?
  5. Proving Negligence and Liability in a Bellevue Slip and Fall Accident
  6. Supporting Evidence Can Help Your Bellevue Slip and Fall Case
  7. Common Injuries Due to Slip and Fall Accidents
  8. Call Herschensohn Law Today After a Slip and Fall Accident in Bellevue, WA

Slip and fall accidents can cause severe injuries that have a lifelong impact. If you or a loved one suffered an injury in one of these accidents on another party’s premises, you might be able to recover compensation for your losses. After the accident, you may have mounting medical bills and income loss as you recover. In many cases, these accidents are preventable due to the negligence of a property owner or business. 

However, if negligence caused your slip and fall, you could file an insurance claim or lawsuit so that you have the money to cover your losses. Call Herschensohn Law today at (206) 588-4344 for a free consultation. You can learn more about how our Bellevue slip and fall lawyers can pursue the compensation you deserve. We can represent you at no upfront cost, and you only pay us if we recover awards for you. 

Our Bellevue Slip and Fall Lawyers Can Handle Your Case While You Recover

When Herschensohn Law represents you, you will have legal advocates who look out for you and protect your rights and interests. We give straightforward legal advice and diligently fight for every penny injured clients deserve. We take the time to explain all your options and your next steps.

We understand it can be challenging to seek compensation when you need time to heal from the accident. That’s where we come in. We can build your case and work to get you the financial recovery you need. When we accept your case, our team will:

  • Talk with you to learn about what happened from your perspective during a free consultation
  • Investigate the accident to determine what happened
  • Collect evidence supporting your case, including witness accounts and surveillance video footage if available
  • Identify all liable parties responsible for the accident
  • Communicate with all parties in your case, including the insurance company
  • Lead negotiation talks for a favorable settlement offer
  • Prepare and file a lawsuit if we cannot settle your case outside of court
  • Represent you at trial if we must go to court to recover your damages
  • Handle all case-related paperwork and deadlines
  • Update you regularly on your case’s status and explain all developments
  • Answer your questions and concerns promptly

We spend time with our clients, ensuring they know what to expect as we work on their cases. Each case is unique, so we will tailor our legal strategy to your situation’s specific facts and circumstances. We will lead your entire case from beginning to end while you focus on getting your life back on track.

Recoverable Damages for Bellevue Slip and Fall Injuries

Injured parties file an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit to secure fair compensation for their injuries and losses. In a lawsuit, losses are referred to as economic and non-economic damages, which RCW § 4.56.350 defines.

According to Washington personal injury law, economic damages are “verifiable monetary losses,” including the following: 

  • Medical expenses
  • Lost income
  • Loss of business prospects
  • Loss of employment opportunities
  • Cost of obtaining substitute domestic services

Non-economic damages are “subjective, non-monetary losses,” including the following: 

  • Pain and suffering
  • Inconvenience
  • Mental anguish
  • Disfigurement or disability
  • Loss of society and companionship
  • Loss of consortium, including the parent-child relationship

Slip and fall victims could also recover damages not listed above. Our Bellevue slip and fall lawyers can identify your losses and assess their worth and your case’s value.

Wrongful Death Actions

If you’ve lost a loved one due to a slip and fall accident on another property, you might be able to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit and recover damages, such as:

  • Funeral, burial, and cremation expenses
  • Loss of financial support
  • Loss of companionship
  • Pre-death emotional distress suffered by the surviving family members 

Per RCW § 4.20.020, personal representatives can file a claim on behalf of a decedent’s surviving beneficiaries, who include the following: 

  • Spouse or state-registered domestic partner
  • Child or children, including stepchildren
  • Parents 
  • Siblings

Wrongful death lawsuits can be complex legal matters. Our Bellevue attorneys can navigate the legal complexities of a wrongful death lawsuit and help eligible beneficiaries recover the compensation to which they are entitled under state law.

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The Washington Statute of Limitations Deadline Limits Your Filing Time

The Washington statute of limitations is three years for personal injury and wrongful death cases, per RCW § 4.16.080. This means parties have three years from when an injury occurred or a loved one dies to file a lawsuit. 

Failure to meet this deadline can result in an inability to receive compensation for related losses. When you work with our legal team, we will handle this deadline for you. However, we encourage you to contact us as soon as you can. The sooner we hear from you, the sooner we can establish a timeline for your case and advise you on the applicable deadline.

Slip and Fall Accidents and Liability: Who Can Be Held Responsible?

In Washington, the property owner is responsible for hazardous conditions on their premises that lead to an accident due to negligence. If a slip and fall accident occurs on public property, the city or local government is usually liable for any losses the injured party suffers. 

In either case, the person or entity that owns the property owes a duty of care to invitees or licensees to repair hazardous conditions or warn them of the danger before it can be remedied. The precise duty of care that applies in these cases depends on the visitor’s status, which includes the following:

  • Invitees: This group includes individuals invited onto a property to do business, such as a grocery store or movie theater. Owners must exercise reasonable care to keep their property safe and protect invitees from criminal actions.
  • Licensees: These include those who visit the premises with the owners’ implied consent, such as a private residence or public pool. Owners or occupiers are responsible for injuries caused by conditions they should have known were hazardous or for failing to post signs warning the licensee of these dangers.
  • Trespassers: Those who enter a premises without consent, such as intruders, are trespassers. Owners do not typically owe these individuals a duty of care (children are an exception), but they cannot intentionally injure them.

Negligence in Slip and Fall Accidents Can Happen in Various Ways

Examples of circumstances resulting from negligence include:

  • Slipping and falling due to a wet or slippery floor in a grocery store.
  • Tripping on cracked or broken concrete on a sidewalk or parking lot.
  • Slipping on ice on a designated walkway with no warning signs are posted.
  • Tripping on debris in a retail store aisle that the owner should have been known about.
  • Falling through boards on a damaged deck that the owners knew was dangerous.

Duty of Care Owed to Children

Owners and occupiers owe other duties to children, even when trespassing. Landowners must ensure their premises are secure and safe, especially if an “attractive nuisance” could tempt children to enter the property. For example, an unused playground in disrepair might be considered an attractive nuisance because children might be compelled to play in or around it. Children who trespass can be hurt in a slip and fall or other accident, and negligent owners can be held legally responsible for any injuries they suffer. 

If your child was injured on another party’s property, you are urged to speak to our Bellevue slip and fall accident lawyers to discuss your legal rights and options.

Proving Negligence and Liability in a Bellevue Slip and Fall Accident

In most slip and fall accidents, you or your attorneys must show the party you believe owes damages was negligent and that their carelessness or recklessness caused or led to the accident and losses. To do this, your case must contain the following four elements:

  1. Duty of care: A duty of care is an obligation to ensure one’s actions or inactions do not harm others. This duty hinges on whether a party acted in accordance with what a reasonable person would do in a similar situation.
  2. Breach of duty: Failing to meet the duty of care is a breach. This means the party violated the legal obligation they owed to the person who suffered injury as a result.
  3. Causation: Causation involves showing the liable party’s breach of duty was the proximate or direct result of a liable party’s actions. 
  4. Damages: The injured person must suffer actual losses or damages because of the liable party’s negligence.

Supporting Evidence Can Help Your Bellevue Slip and Fall Case

Supporting evidence may be essential to proving your case, especially in cases where insurance companies or other liable parties are contesting your claim. Examples include the following:

  • The incident report
  • Pictures or video of the hazard (e.g., potholes, ice, wet surfaces, etc.)
  • Photos of the surrounding area to show the hazard’s location
  • Video or pictures showing a lack of warning signs
  • Pictures of your injuries (e.g., cuts and bruises) that may diminish rapidly
  • Contact details of witnesses who can provide statements
  • Medical records of any serious injuries and costs involved in your care
  • History of prior accidents or complaints from the same hazard

You can collect evidence at the accident scene if you are physically able. However, if not, our attorneys can do this for you. We can identify and assess the financial value of your injuries and losses and pursue that amount from the opposing party’s insurance company. Many personal injury cases are settled through negotiation outside of court, but some could go to trial. Our Bellevue slip and fall lawyers will represent you if we must sue for damages.

“Zach will always take time and give you quality advice that you can trust. Highly recommended!”

- P.R., Katy, WA

Common Injuries Due to Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and fall accidents are everyday occurrences. According to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), of the 8 million individuals who visit an emergency room annually, falls are the leading cause (21.3%). More than 1 million of these are slips and fall accidents, or 12% of all falls. Still, slips, trips, and falls can cause severe injuries with life-altering consequences or even death. Common injuries suffered due to these accidents include:

  • Head and neck injuries 
  • Concussions or severe traumatic brain injuries
  • Back and spinal cord injuries
  • Shoulder dislocations
  • Hip fractures
  • Broken bones
  • Sprains and strains
  • Cuts and lacerations to soft tissues

This list is not exhaustive, as many other mild-to-severe injuries can occur from a fall. Any injury caused by a slip and fall may cause significant losses and warrant fair compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and more.

Call Herschensohn Law Today After a Slip and Fall Accident in Bellevue, WA

If you or a loved one suffered a slip and fall injury that another party’s carelessness caused, they may be liable for covering your financial and personal losses. At Herschensohn Law, our legal team is ready to fight for you so that you can recover and move forward with your life.

Call us today at (206) 588-4344 for a free consultation, where we can evaluate your case, answer your questions, and offer legal advice and guidance on your next steps. 

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When you work with our law office, there are no obligations, hidden fees, or fine print. It’s that simple.

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We’re proud to fight—and win—for injured people in Kent, Washington. View our case results to learn more.