Property Owners Must Maintain Georgia Sidewalks
When you’re a guest at a store, on property or walking down the sidewalk in Georgia, you have a right to be walking in an area that is properly maintained. If an area of a sidewalk is under construction, you have a right to be notified that there is a reason you shouldn’t walk there. If there is a wet, slippery spot on a grocery store floor, you have a right to be notified.
There are some exceptions to this rule, of course. A property owner must have time to realize that an area where a guest is walking is not properly maintained in order to solve the problem. And it also must be determined whether the guest who is walking assumes some of the risk if a floor or sidewalk is slippery due to the fact that he may have known that he was about to embark on walking onto a potentially dangerous area. An experienced Smyrna injury lawyer knows the intricacies of the slip and fall laws of Georgia and can look into the facts of your specific case.
Proving a slip and fall accident
If you have fallen at a location and are injured, the first thing you should do is seek the medical treatment you need. Depending on the type of fall you have, several possible injuries are possible:
- Head contusions
- Broken arms or legs
- Broken wrists or ankles
- Sprained knees
- Split discs in the back
- Internal injuries
- Hip fractures
Once you have received the medical care you need, it then becomes time to be concerned with documenting any evidence that the fall happened. Gather contact information from any witnesses. Take photos or videos of the conditions of the floor, sidewalk or parking lot at the time of the fall. Talk with the owner of the property, if you know who that is, and tell him that you fell and that his property is dangerous. Obtain contact information for the owner of the property, if possible.
Winning a slip and fall case
Winning a slip and fall case is not easy. A Marietta injury lawyer not only has to prove that the injuries you sustained were from a slip and fall at the location you note. But he also has to prove that you weren’t aware the conditions were such that you would have slipped and fallen and that the owner of the property had sufficient time to maintain the property so such a fall wouldn’t have happened. A qualified Smyrna injury attorney can help you obtain the evidence you need to compile a winning slip and fall case.
