A slip and fall injury can be the single most devastating moment of your life. Injuries can include broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and more. When you slip and fall due to the failure of the property owner to keep the property safe, you may have a compensation claim. A DC slip and fall lawyer can help you pursue a personal injury claim.
Property owners owe a duty to members of the public to reasonably discover and remedy dangerous conditions on their property. If they fail to remove hazards or otherwise warn visitors of the potential dangers, they can be financially responsible for any injuries to others. When you suffer injuries in a slip and fall accident, you may need a personal injury lawyer to hold property owners and other potentially responsible parties accountable. Roger Gelb and his team are ready to help you today.
Our DC slip and fall lawyers handle injury cases affecting over one million people in the United States annually. A slip and fall occurs when a victim slips, trips, or falls on another person’s property due to a dangerous condition. It does not necessarily need to be a wet floor, though that is the most common. It may also be loose carpeting, poor lighting, or a broken stair. Additionally, while a homeowner can be legally liable for your injury, most slip and fall cases are against a restaurant, store, or hotel.
But the law surrounding these claims is not as simple as some motor vehicle accident cases you may observe. This is why many personal injury lawyers shy away from these cases. At Gelb & Gelb, our DC slip and fall lawyers embrace these challenges. We know how to gather the proper evidence, counter defense tactics, and overcome obstacles to build a strong case for our clients.
For the most part, slip and fall injuries mirror those of any other personal injury accident. Below is a list of the most common compensable injuries we handle.
Be aware of your surroundings. While it sounds simple, not all restaurants, bars, and hotels reasonably maintain their premises. While they may be legally liable, it is ultimately on you to protect yourself against the negligence of others. Also, use handrails when on the stairs. Our DC slip and fall lawyers handle cases where staircases are broken, which indicates negligence. Poor lighting can be particularly dangerous. We can also take your case if the fall happens at work. Workplace injuries are unique because they are no-fault accidents. This means you can recover worker’s compensation even if you are at fault for your injury. Call our office today to learn more if you are injured in any of these scenarios.
While not necessary, try to report dangerous conditions to the owner. By doing so, you are putting the owner on notice. This has legal significance. The owner must inspect for hazardous conditions reasonably. This means they do not have a legal duty to detect each dangerous condition as it presents itself immediately. Once an owner is on notice, they have a legal duty to warn patrons reasonably or remedy the condition.
Many negligent acts can lead to an accident, necessitating a DC slip and fall lawyer. Remember that we must be able to prove the owner of the premises either acted negligently or failed to act. Below, we list common causes of slip and fall accidents. However, just because there is a slippery floor does not mean the defendant is liable for your injuries. So, it is always beneficial to consult a Washington, DC, slip and fall lawyer.
Many good DC fall lawyers can take your case. So, what makes Gelb & Gelb the right firm for you?
Look for experience in nearly any business you seek to hire. Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes. Even a newer DC slip and fall lawyer will make mistakes. No one is perfect in the practice of law. It can take years to fully understand the legal process in even one discipline. At Gelb & Gelb, we have been practicing personal injury law for 70 years, handling thousands of personal injuries and slip and fall cases. This key factor helps us stand above the other firms in the area.
Through experience, we handle your case more efficiently. While a newer attorney may need to research relevant laws, we know the law and how it applies to your case. Moreover, we have professional relationships and networks with other legal institutions in DC that can help you in your case if you need it. Whether it is an understanding of how a defense attorney operates or the unique preferences of a particular judge, networking can be valuable.
Second, our DC slip and fall lawyers take a personal approach to each case. We understand the difficulty you are going through when your slip and fall leads to a painful injury. You may no longer be able to work and pay bills. Our decades of experience have seen practically every scenario you may encounter. Given that, we are well-equipped to help you handle each situation. Not only that, but we make it a priority to communicate effectively with our clients. This means a few things. First, our phone lines are available 24/7 to receive your questions. While our attorneys are not on-call 24/7, you will receive a call back right away during most normal hours, seven days a week.
Many matters in a slip-and-fall case are time-sensitive. So, hiring an attorney that responds to your questions or concerns is in your best interest. This gives you peace of mind when you have an important question and can make or break your case. There are deadlines in personal injury cases. Some are as soon as 30 or 60 days after your accident. These cases require not just an attorney with experience but one who will pay particular and personal attention to your case.
When you hire legal representation, you aim to protect your rights and secure maximum and fair compensation for your injuries. Meanwhile, the defendant’s insurance company is interested in paying out as little as it legally requires. This is why aggressive pursuit against the defendant is necessary. This does not mean blind aggression. Instead, initiating negotiations before filing suit on a claim is very important. Doing so can save a plaintiff several months of waiting for trial, court costs, and other legal fees associated with a trial.
Moreover, controlled aggression can benefit a client in court. You have a right to be upset when you are injured due to someone else’s negligence. An aggressive DC slip and fall lawyer will fight for your rights. This can lead to a jury being more sympathetic if they feel the passion of someone battling for you. The courtroom is still a place of professionalism. It takes an attorney with experience to toe the line and win your case.
Whether property owners are liable for slip-and-fall accidents depends partly on whether the injured parties were lawfully present on the property. For people who are legally present on the property, property owners owe a reasonable duty of care to keep them safe from harm. This duty requires them to inspect their property regularly and eliminate potential hazards.
Property owners must also repair any dangerous conditions they know or should know about within a reasonable timeframe. Once they become aware of a hazard, they should warn others of the danger, such as posting a sign or taping off the area with caution tape. This duty to let you know is essential in situations in which property owners cannot immediately fix a dangerous condition on the property.
However, if individuals are not legally on the property, such as trespassers, the property owner’s legal duty of care decreases significantly. In this instance, the property owner is only responsible for refraining from willful or intentional harm to the trespasser. As a good slip and fall lawyer in Washington, D.C., knows, intentionally setting a trap on their property to harm trespassers could subject property owners to liability.
Following a tripping accident, a slip and fall attorney can take various steps to build a compensation claim. These steps often include:
Once legal counsel has gathered adequate evidence of liability, they will put the property owner on formal notice of the claim. This step is particularly crucial in claims against governmental entities, which often are subject to much shorter timeframes than other personal injury claims. This notice triggers the involvement of the insurance companies for all potentially liable parties.
A slip and fall attorney will then present the facts necessary to establish liability on the property owner’s part and the claim’s legal basis. Documentation of expenses related to the injuries sustained in the slip and fall accident is also necessary to establish damages. Based on this information, negotiations may start between the parties to resolve the claim amicably.
There are several mistakes to avoid after a DC slip and fall. In our over 70 years of practicing personal injury law, here are the nine most common mistakes to avoid. If you have made one of these errors, contact a DC slip and fall lawyer immediately.
The statute of limitations for almost any personal injury case in the District is three years. Although, note that there are exceptions that could limit your right to make a claim.
If you are seriously hurt, you must immediately seek medical attention. If you wait a few weeks, this will hurt the value of your claim. This is because a DC slip and fall lawyer must argue your case to a judge or jury. While your case may be legitimate, it will appear that your injury is not as severe as you would lead a jury to believe.
Life sometimes gets in the way. While it is reasonable for this to happen, it also signals to a jury that your injury is not as serious as it may be. This signal can lower the value of your case. If your injuries do not warrant follow-up care, that is fine. However, neglecting to pursue follow-up care because life gets in the way is not.
Take pictures or videos. This evidence is crucial for a slip-and-fall case. As the plaintiff in a fall case, you have the burden of proof. Thus, the more evidence you collect at the accident scene, the more we will have to draw from when resolving your case.
Avoid posting about the accident, injuries, or your activities on social media. Insurers often monitor claimants’ profiles to find evidence that could be used against them.
In a slip and fall case that lacks physical evidence, such as photographs, the case can quickly become a battle of “he said, she said.” This is when unbiased testimony is the most persuasive. Thus, a failure to collect witness information can quickly become a critical mistake to avoid in your DC fall case.
A lost wage claim is an integral part of your case. If you cannot work because of your injury or because you need to go to the doctor, and the root cause is your slip and fall, you may recover lost wages from the defendant. Documenting these figures is vital. Our attorneys will provide you with forms to help organize these hours missed from work. Furthermore, we will organize the medical expenses related to your injuries.
If you do not speak with a skilled DC slip and fall lawyer, you may miss expenses related to your accident, diminishing your case’s value.
Insurance adjusters may try to get statements from you that could harm your case. Avoid discussing details without first consulting an attorney.
Your Washington, DC, slip and fall lawyer will contact the establishment’s owner and send a spoliation of evidence letter. Hopefully, this will preserve any video evidence that may exist. Time is of the essence for this mistake to be avoided.
In the aftermath of a slip and fall accident, you should continue to get the treatment that you need to recover from your injuries to the greatest extent possible. If your injuries have resulted in permanent impairments, you may need to make significant changes to your lifestyle, which can be difficult and time-consuming. While you are working through surgery, rehabilitation, therapy, or whatever steps are necessary to regain your health, your Washington, D.C., slip and fall lawyer can work toward getting the compensation for your injuries that you need.
Medical documentation of your injuries is often vital in reaching an adequate settlement in your case. Evidence of causation is likewise an essential factor. Having a strong legal advocate on your side may make you more likely to achieve an adequate resolution in your case. Call Gelb & Gelb, P.C. to speak with a DC slip and fall lawyer today.
5-Stars
By: Carolyn S.
1634 I Street NW #350
Client Description: I highly recommend Gelb and Gelb law firm. Roger was very personable and worked hard to get me the best settlement possible!
Rating: ★★★★★ 5 / 5 stars
Gelb & Gelb, P.C.
N/a
Copyright © 2025 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.
