What Are Florida’s Slip and Fall Laws?
Slip and fall accidents are a leading cause of many personal injury claims. In many cases, they lead to devastating injuries, expensive medical bills, lost wages, and more. As such, understanding what constitutes a ‘slip and fall’ personal injury accident can be the difference between footing the bill yourself and receiving maximum compensation for your injuries.
The good news is that Florida slip and fall laws have specific statutes and legal processes that govern how these cases should be handled. Here, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of proving slip and fall cases in Florida, including how liability is handled, slip and fall legal requirements Florida, and the damages you can potentially recover.
If you’ve suffered serious injuries due to a slip and fall, you’re not alone. Our Florida slip and fall attorneys are here to help every step of the way. Give us a call today to schedule your free initial consultation with an attorney you trust.
Florida Slip and Fall Statute
Whether you’re injured via a slip and fall at a grocery store, on someone’s personal property, or anywhere in between, one thing’s clear: You need to act fast. As of 2023, Florida legislatures amended the state’s slip and fall laws to include a two year statute of limitations (down from four years). Understanding this timeline is absolutely crucial because failure to meet it can (and most likely will) result in an inability to seek damages for your injuries.
Slip and Fall Liability in Florida
These kinds of cases fall under Florida premises liability laws. Essentially, property owners have a legal duty to maintain safe conditions for all visitors who are lawfully on the property. Though, sometimes, this duty of care can even extend to trespassers.
If a property owner fails to provide a safe environment and it leads to an injury, they can be held liable for all damages caused. To establish slip and fall liability in Florida, your personal injury attorney must prove that all of the following statements are true:
- The property owner was aware (or should have been) of the dangerous conditions
- They didn’t take any steps to fix the hazard in a timely fashion
- The hazard resulted in your injury
Proving Slip and Fall in Florida
A successful slip and fall case requires you and your lawyer to provide insurers and the courts (if necessary) with solid evidence that clearly demonstrates negligence on behalf of the property owner or management company.
In most cases, this process involves gathering witness statements, collecting photographs or videos of the accident and the scene, understanding building code requirements, and compiling detailed medical records.
Slip and Fall Legal Requirements in Florida
In some cases, property owners claim that they didn’t know about the hazard, so they didn’t fix it. While this may suffice in certain situations, it’s not a failsafe. Florida premises liability laws dictate that a property owner can be held liable if they:
- Had actual knowledge of the hazard and didn’t make adequate repairs or
- Had “constructive knowledge” of the hazard without making repairs. This means that the dangerous condition lasted long enough that any reasonable person would have known about it.
In many cases, proving that a property owner knew about the danger on their property requires your personal injury attorney to conduct an intensive investigation to uncover the truth.
Types of Slip and Fall Compensation
Those who are victims in Florida slip and fall cases may be entitled to seek various forms of compensation for their injuries. Depending on the facts of your case and seriousness of your injuries, you may be eligible to seek damages for your:
- Medical expenses
- Current and future lost wages
- Non-economic damages for pain and suffering caused by the accident
- Future medical care, including compensation for long-term treatment and rehabilitation
- Property damage
Florida Slip and Fall Cases: Common Examples
A slip and fall case can happen anywhere, anytime, and to anyone. Some of the most common places where they occur include:
- Grocery stores
- Restaurants
- Hotels
- Private residences
- Medical facilities
- Theme parks
- And more
In many cases, Florida slip and fall cases happen due to wet floors, inadequate lighting, faulty staircases, damaged floors, and countless other examples of negligence. Regardless of how it happens, a property owner can be held liable if the accident and subsequent injury are the result of negligence.
Slip and Fall Injury Laws in Florida
Property owners (particularly owners of commercial establishments) are held to high safety standards in Florida. These laws require all property owners to maintain a safe environment on their premises.
In a commercial setting, owners and management companies must conduct regular inspections and quickly address potential hazards (i.e., spills, uneven floors, obstacles, etc.). If they don’t, they could face fines and be liable for any injuries caused by the unattended hazard.
Further, Florida specifically distinguishes between three types of visitors and the ‘duty of care’ owed to them:
- Invitees
- Licensees
- Trespassers
Generally, the level of care a property owner must provide depends on the legal status of the visitor. For example, they owe a greater ‘duty of care’ to invitees (i.e., customers) than they do to trespassers.
Contact Ziegler Diamond Law Today
If you or a loved one has been injured in a slip and fall accident, it’s absolutely crucial to understand your rights under Florida slip and fall laws. At Ziegler Diamond Law, our team of slip and fall attorneys have extensive experience handling these types of cases and are here to help you navigate the ins and outs of the Florida slip and fall compensation process.
Don’t wait until it’s too late to seek the justice and compensation you deserve – Reach out today to schedule your free initial consultation with an attorney you can trust.
