Property owners who ignore wet floors, broken handrails, inadequate lighting, and crumbling walkways are gambling with the safety of every person who walks through their doors or across their premises. When you slip on an unmarked wet floor at a retail store, trip over torn carpeting in an office building, or fall down poorly maintained stairs at an apartment complex, the resulting injuries—shattered wrists, compression fractures, torn rotator cuffs, knee injuries requiring reconstruction—don’t just hurt, they upend your ability to work, care for your family, and live your life normally.
At Mandelbaum Barrett PC, we hold property owners accountable for the slip and fall injuries their negligence causes throughout Edison and the surrounding communities. Our legal team conducts thorough investigations to identify hazardous conditions, prove the property owner failed to address known dangers, and pursue maximum compensation for your medical expenses, lost earnings, and the physical and emotional toll these preventable accidents take on your life.
Premises Liability Law in Edison
Premises liability cases in Edison require proving that property owners knew or should have known about dangerous conditions and failed to take reasonable steps to address them. New Jersey law establishes different standards of care depending on whether the injured person was an invited guest, customer, or trespasser.
Business Customers and Social Guests
Business customers and social guests receive the highest level of protection under New Jersey premises liability law. Property owners must regularly inspect their premises for hazards and either fix dangerous conditions or provide adequate warnings. This duty extends to both indoor and outdoor areas where visitors are expected to go.
Constructive Notice
The legal concept of constructive notice plays a crucial role in slip and fall cases. Even if property owners claim they did not know about a hazardous condition, they can still be held liable if the condition existed long enough that reasonable inspections would have discovered it. For example, a spilled liquid that remains on a store floor for hours suggests inadequate maintenance procedures.
Weather-Related Hazards
Weather-related hazards present unique challenges in Edison premises liability cases. While property owners cannot control natural weather conditions, they must take reasonable steps to address ice, snow, and water accumulation that creates slip hazards for visitors.
What Are Common Slip and Fall Hazards?
There are many hazards that could lead to a slip and fall incident. These include the following:
Wet or Slippery Surfaces
Wet and slippery surfaces cause many serious slip and fall injuries in Edison. These hazards can result from spilled liquids, freshly mopped floors without proper warning signs, leaking pipes, or tracked-in rain and snow. Personal injury cases often involve property owners who failed to address these preventable conditions.
Uneven Walking Surfaces
Uneven walking surfaces create trip hazards that can cause devastating falls. Cracked sidewalks, loose floorboards, torn carpeting, and changes in floor elevation without proper marking frequently lead to serious injuries. Property owners must regularly inspect and maintain walking surfaces to prevent these hazards.
Poor Lighting
Poor lighting makes it difficult for visitors to see potential hazards and navigate safely through a property. Burned-out bulbs, inadequate lighting fixtures, and poorly lit stairways create conditions where slip and fall accidents are more likely to occur.
Stairway Hazards
Stairway hazards deserve special attention because falls on stairs often result in the most severe injuries. Missing or loose handrails, worn step surfaces, inconsistent step heights, and debris on stairs can all contribute to serious falls.
Compensation in Slip and Fall Cases
Medical expenses represent a significant component of slip and fall injury claims. Emergency room treatment, diagnostic imaging, surgeries, hospital stays, and rehabilitation services can generate substantial bills that continue accumulating during recovery.
Lost wages affect many slip and fall victims who cannot work while recovering from their injuries. Compensation may include wages already lost and future earning capacity if injuries cause permanent disabilities that affect employment opportunities.
Pain and suffering damages recognize the physical discomfort and emotional distress caused by slip and fall injuries. New Jersey law allows compensation for both the immediate trauma and ongoing challenges related to recovery and rehabilitation.
Future medical care costs must be calculated when slip and fall injuries cause permanent impairments requiring ongoing treatment. We work with medical professionals to project long-term care needs and associated expenses.
Building Your Slip and Fall Case
Documentation plays a crucial role in successful slip and fall claims. Medical records establishing the extent of your injuries, photographs of the accident scene and hazardous conditions, and witness contact information all strengthen your case significantly.
Incident reports filed with property owners or managers create official documentation of the accident circumstances. While these reports may not admit liability, they provide important details about how and where the accident occurred. Timely legal action is essential because evidence can disappear quickly and witness memories fade over time. New Jersey’s statute of limitations gives slip and fall victims two years to file a lawsuit, but waiting too long can seriously compromise your case.
Contact Our Edison Slip and Fall Attorneys
Slip and fall injuries can disrupt every aspect of your life, from your ability to work and care for your family to your overall quality of life. You should not have to bear the financial burden of someone else’s negligence.
With decades of experience handling personal injury claims, our experienced attorneys include Certified Civil Trial Attorney Andrew Bronsnick and Co-Chair Joseph J. Peters. We understand the complexities of premises liability law and work diligently to hold property owners accountable for maintaining safe conditions. Contact us today at (973) 585-5100 or through our online contact form to discuss your slip and fall case during a free consultation.