St. Louis Slip and Fall Attorneys

Slip and fall accidents may seem somewhat minor, but they can in fact be incredibly dangerous, leading to catastrophic injuries and even death. If you were injured in a slip and fall caused by dangerous conditions on someone else's property, you may have a right to financial compensation. To recover damages, you will typically need to prove that the responsible party either neglected their duty to maintain safe premises or failed to warn of potential hazards in a reasonable manner.

At SWMW Law, we are committed to helping victims hold responsible parties accountable for their actions in personal injury cases of all kinds – because people matter. Our St. Louis slip and fall lawyers care about your story and are ready to put our experience to work for you as we fight on your behalf. We will investigate the circumstances of your slip and fall to determine whether the property owner is liable for your injuries, at which point we will immediately get to work on building a compelling case. Our attorneys have recovered over $750 million combined over the course of our careers, and we are confident we have what it takes to secure the best possible outcome.

You will never pay anything out of pocket and only owe legal fees if we secure a favorable settlement or verdict. Schedule a free initial consultation by calling (855) 744-1922 or contacting us online today!

Understanding Premises Liability in Missouri

In Missouri, premises liability law applies to incidents where someone is injured on another person or entity’s property – including a slip and fall. “Premises liability” is a legal doctrine that holds property owners responsible for any injuries suffered on their property by another individual. The general rule in Missouri is that a property owner owes any person who enters the property a duty of reasonable care to ensure their safety from harm. In other words, a property owner must resolve any safety hazards they become aware of (or reasonably should have been aware of) or sufficiently warn visitors about the hazard.

For example, the property owner of a grocery store must take prompt steps to address spills that could cause a slip and fall. If the property owner became aware of the spill but did nothing to clean it up or warn patrons about it (which they could do by putting up a “wet floor” sign or cones), they may become liable for any resulting injuries. A property owner can in some situations become liable even if they were not directly aware of the hazard: Going back to the grocery store example, if the property owner does not sufficiently staff the store to regularly inspect and clean the premises, it could be argued that they reasonably should have been aware of a spill that went unaddressed for over an hour. 

To determine if liability exists in your slip and fall case, two elements must be established. First, you must demonstrate that the property owner had a duty to protect you from foreseeable risks – whatever caused you to slip and fall. Second, you must show that the property owner’s failure to address or warn you about the cause directly led to your injuries. Our St. Louis slip and fall attorneys can assess your situation and explain whether we believe there is sufficient evidence to prove these elements. 

Further complicating matters, people who visit properties are generally classified into three categories: invitees, licensees, and trespassers. Each category is evaluated differently when it comes to liability for injuries suffered. However, even trespassers may be owed a certain level of care depending on the circumstances. For example, if an injured trespasser can prove that the landowner was aware of an unreasonably dangerous condition on their property and failed to take action or warn against it, they may still recover damages as a result of their injury.