Slip and Fall on Ice – can I sue?

Ice is the bane of many people’s existence, especially if they’ve ever slipped on it. Sometimes ice just happens, and you have to be careful. But sometimes ice is present because of someone else’s neglect, and you can get reimbursed for your medical costs and pain and suffering if you can prove liability. However, proving liability in weather-related slip-and-fall cases can be tricky, and you need a Madison WI lawyer to help you put together a case.

Warnings and Willful Neglect

In general, a person can be liable if he or she did not take steps to prevent accidents or limit the risk of accidents, if he or she reasonably knew about the risk of an accident, and if that person was supposed to be responsible for caring for the area in which you had an accident. For example, if you visit a friend at an apartment complex and slip on the icy walkway outside his or her unit, your friend might not be liable if the complex management, not your friend, were responsible for placing sand over the ice.

However, someone who is responsible for an area and who does not exercise reasonable caution and care in keeping the area safe could be liable. If your city requires homeowners to place sand on icy sidewalks outside homes, and your neighbor refuses to do so but doesn’t warn others in the neighborhood, that neighbor could be liable for injuries.

Your Role

There’s also the issue of how much you could do to avoid the situation. Your neighbor may neglect to remove the ice or place sand or salt on the icy sidewalk, and you knowingly walk on the sidewalk without taking any precautions, your behavior may also contribute to your injury.

Unfortunately, slip-and-fall accidents often have too many contributing factors to fit neatly into yes-or-no categories. You need the help of a lawyer who can look at all the surrounding circumstances. Contact Eisenberg Law Offices to speak with a lawyer skilled in handling slip-and-fall cases.