Skip to content 
Wet Floor Accident Lawyer: 4 Steps to Justice
Why You Need a Wet Floor Accident Lawyer After a Slip and Fall
A wet floor accident lawyer helps victims of slip and fall accidents hold negligent property owners accountable and recover compensation for injuries, medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
If you’ve been injured in a wet floor accident, here’s what you need to know:
- You have legal rights – Property owners must maintain safe premises and warn of hazards.
- Evidence disappears quickly – Surveillance footage may be deleted within days.
- You may be entitled to compensation – This includes medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
- Time limits apply – Pennsylvania and New Jersey have a 2-year statute of limitations for most cases.
- Free consultations are available – Most personal injury lawyers evaluate cases at no cost.
Wet and slippery floors cause over 1 million emergency room visits annually in the U.S. These accidents can happen anywhere, from grocery stores to office buildings, and often result in serious injuries like broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord damage.
The financial burden can be overwhelming, with mounting medical bills and lost wages. Insurance companies often try to minimize claims or deny responsibility. You don’t have to face this alone. Property owners have a legal duty to keep their premises safe. When they fail, a wet floor accident lawyer can investigate, gather evidence, and fight for the compensation you deserve.
I’m Jason Fine, a Pennsylvania Super Lawyers nominee with over 25 years of experience. As a wet floor accident lawyer, my team and I have secured significant settlements for clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We are committed to holding negligent parties accountable while you focus on recovery.
Wet floor accident lawyer helpful reading:
- Philadelphia premises liability lawyer
- personal injury attorney Philadelphia
- public property injury attorney
Understanding Your Rights After a Wet Floor Accident
When you slip and fall on a wet floor, you have legal rights. Understanding them is the first step toward recovery and fair compensation.
What is a Wet Floor Accident and Who is Liable?
A wet floor accident occurs when someone slips on a liquid hazard that a property owner had a legal duty to clean up or mark with a warning sign. Common causes include spills, recent mopping, leaks from pipes or equipment, and tracked-in weather.
The legal principle is premises liability. In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, property owners have a “duty of care” to keep their premises reasonably safe for visitors. This requires regular inspections and addressing potential hazards promptly.
The responsible party could be the property owner, manager, tenant, or a cleaning service. Liability often hinges on whether the owner had actual notice (they knew about the spill) or constructive notice (they should have known about it). A spill that just happened is hard to hold against an owner. But a puddle that sat for an hour while employees walked by is a clear sign of negligence. A wet floor accident lawyer works to prove the owner knew or should have known about the danger and failed to protect you.
Common Injuries and Critical First Steps
A slip on a wet floor can cause surprisingly severe injuries. Falls are a leading cause of traumatic brain injuries, and many victims suffer moderate to serious harm. Common injuries include:
- Back injuries, such as herniated discs or spinal cord damage
- Fractures of the wrist, ankle, or hip
- Soft-tissue injuries like sprains and torn ligaments
- Head injuries, from concussions to severe trauma
After a fall, take these critical steps:
- Seek medical attention immediately. Adrenaline can mask pain, and some serious injuries have delayed symptoms. A medical record also links your injuries to the fall.
- Report the accident to the property manager and request a copy of the incident report.
- Document everything. Evidence disappears fast. Take photos and videos of the hazard, the surrounding area, and your injuries. Get contact information from any witnesses. Keep the shoes and clothing you were wearing.
Proving Negligence: The Key to Your Case
To win a slip and fall case, you must prove four elements of negligence: the property owner owed you a duty of care, they breached that duty, the breach caused your accident, and you suffered damages (injuries and financial loss). The key is proving the owner knew or should have known about the hazard and failed to act.
Expect the property owner’s insurance company to fight back. They may use the “open and obvious hazard” defense, arguing you should have seen the wet floor. They might also try to blame you for being distracted or careless.
This is where comparative negligence comes into play. In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, if you are found partially at fault, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found 51% or more at fault, you cannot recover any compensation. A skilled wet floor accident lawyer is crucial for fighting these tactics and minimizing any fault assigned to you.
We prove negligence by gathering evidence like incident reports, surveillance footage, witness statements, and maintenance logs. We build a case showing the owner failed their duty of care, directly causing your fall and injuries.
How a Wet Floor Accident Lawyer Can Win Your Case
When you’re injured from a slip and fall, a wet floor accident lawyer becomes your strongest ally.
The Role of a Wet Floor Accident Lawyer in Your Claim
A wet floor accident lawyer acts as your investigator, strategist, and advocate. At J. Fine Law, we start by conducting a thorough investigation of your fall. This includes reviewing incident reports and securing crucial evidence like surveillance footage before it’s deleted—a common practice by businesses.
We become your voice, handling all communication with the property owner and their insurance company. Insurance adjusters are trained to minimize payouts and may try to get you to say something that harms your claim. With us on your side, you are protected from these tactics.
A key part of our role is proving the full extent of your losses. We work with medical experts to understand your long-term prognosis and calculate all current and future damages, including medical treatments, lost wages, and reduced earning capacity. If the property owner denies responsibility, we use the evidence we’ve gathered to challenge their denial and demonstrate their negligence.
If your accident happened at work, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation. However, if a third party (not your employer) was responsible for the hazard, you could also have a personal injury claim against them. We can help you steer both types of claims to maximize your recovery.
What Compensation Can You Recover?
When someone’s negligence causes your injury, you are entitled to compensation for your losses. This compensation, or damages, falls into several categories.
- Economic damages cover your measurable financial losses. This includes all current and future medical bills, lost wages, and reduced future earning capacity. It also covers out-of-pocket costs like transportation to doctor’s appointments.
- Non-economic damages compensate you for non-financial losses. This includes pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and disfigurement. In some cases, a spouse may claim loss of consortium.
Slip and fall accidents are the primary cause of worker’s compensation claims and a leading reason for missed work, highlighting their serious financial impact.
In rare cases of extreme recklessness, punitive damages may be awarded. These are intended to punish the negligent party and deter similar conduct in the future. Our goal is to secure a comprehensive settlement that covers all your past, present, and future losses.
Why You Need an Experienced Wet Floor Accident Lawyer Now
Time is critical after a slip and fall. Evidence like surveillance footage can be erased within days, and witnesses’ memories fade. More importantly, strict legal deadlines apply.
In both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, you generally have two years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit. If you miss this statute of limitations, you lose your right to seek compensation forever. Cases involving government entities have even shorter deadlines.
Navigating the legal system and negotiating with insurance companies is complex and best left to a professional while you focus on healing. At J. Fine Law, we bring a proven track record to your case, with a 98% success rate and over $50 million recovered for clients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We are known for our rapid attorney response because we know you need answers quickly.
We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your case and explain your legal options. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no legal fees unless we win your case. Don’t let a negligent property owner get away with causing your injuries. Let us be your voice.
Find out more about our premises liability services or contact us today for your free consultation. We’re here to help you get the compensation you deserve and hold negligent parties accountable.