A fall can leave you dealing with much more than a sore ankle or a few bruises. You may need medical treatment, miss work, or find that an injury is still affecting you weeks after you expected to be back to normal.
Earley Law Group Injury Lawyers represents people hurt because of unsafe property conditions. A Quincy personal injury lawyer can look at what caused your fall, who was responsible for the property, and whether reasonable steps should have been taken to make the area safer.
If poor maintenance or another dangerous condition caused your injury, a slip and fall accident lawyer in Quincy can help you understand what evidence matters and what losses may form part of your claim. Earley Law Group was founded in 2006, and our lawyers bring 25 years of combined legal experience to personal injury cases.
How Can a Quincy Slip and Fall Lawyer Help?
The first question is not simply whether you fell on someone else’s property. We need to understand why you fell and whether the person responsible for the property failed to use reasonable care.
Earley Law Group can investigate the condition that caused the accident, gather available evidence, and document the injuries and financial losses that followed.
We can also deal with the insurance company and explain what is happening as the claim progresses, so you are not left trying to work everything out yourself.
What Do You Need to Prove After a Slip and Fall?
Property owners and others responsible for premises generally owe lawful visitors a duty to use reasonable care to keep the property reasonably safe.
That does not mean the owner is automatically responsible whenever somebody falls. The circumstances surrounding the hazard matter.
A claim may depend on whether the owner created the condition, knew about it, or reasonably should have discovered it. How long the problem existed and what inspections or maintenance took place can become important.
What Conditions Can Cause Slip and Fall Accidents?
A dangerous condition can appear almost anywhere people walk. Earley Law Group handles claims involving hazards such as:
- Wet or slippery floors
- Untreated snow or ice
- Broken or uneven stairs
- Loose or missing handrails
- Cracked pavement and uneven walkways
- Poorly secured floor mats
- Potholes in parking areas
- Poor lighting around stairs or walking areas
The condition itself is only part of the case. A Quincy fall injury lawyer can also look at who controlled the property and whether there was a reasonable opportunity to deal with the hazard before somebody was hurt.
What Should You Do After a Slip and Fall?
Start with your health. If you are injured, get appropriate medical attention rather than waiting to see whether the pain disappears.
When possible, take photographs of the condition that caused the fall before the scene changes. It can also help to photograph the surrounding area, including lighting, stairs, warning signs, or anything else that affected what you could see.
Report the accident to the property owner or manager and keep any paperwork you receive. If somebody saw what happened, make a note of their name and contact information while you still can.
What Evidence Can Help With a Slip and Fall Claim?
Photos taken shortly after the fall can make a big difference, especially when the condition is temporary.
Security footage may show how the accident happened or how long a spill or obstruction had been there. Maintenance records and cleaning logs can sometimes provide similar information.
Witness accounts, incident reports, medical records, and documentation of lost income can fill in other parts of the story.
A slip and fall accident attorney in Quincy can determine which evidence is likely to matter based on the property and the condition involved.
What if You Were Partly Responsible for Your Fall?
You can still have a claim even if you are found partly responsible.
Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 231, § 85, your negligence does not prevent recovery unless it was greater than the combined negligence of the parties you are seeking damages from.
If you are assigned part of the fault, your compensation is reduced by that percentage.
For example, a dispute may arise over whether you saw a warning sign, were distracted, or could reasonably have avoided the condition. Those issues will be considered alongside what the property owner did or failed to do.
What Compensation Can Be Available After a Fall?
Compensation depends on the injuries and losses caused by the accident.
Medical Treatment and Future Care
A fall may lead to emergency treatment, diagnostic imaging, surgery, medication, physical therapy, or follow-up appointments.
Some injuries require treatment well beyond the first few weeks. When medical evidence shows that further care is reasonably expected, those future expenses may also need to be considered.
Medical records can help show how the injury developed and what treatment was necessary.
Lost Income and Reduced Earning Capacity
Missing work while you recover can result in lost wages.
A more serious injury may affect your ability to return to the same duties or work the same hours. If that change is expected to continue, reduced earning capacity may also form part of the claim.
Employment records and medical evidence can help document those losses.
Pain and Changes to Everyday Life
Not every consequence of a fall has a receipt attached to it.
Depending on the circumstances, compensation may also address physical pain and the way an injury has affected your mobility, independence, hobbies, or everyday routine.
The value of these losses depends on your particular injuries and how long those effects last.
How Long Do You Have to File a Slip and Fall Lawsuit?
Under M.G.L. ch. 260, § 2A, tort actions for personal injuries generally must be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrues.
Waiting can create another problem even when the filing deadline is still some time away. Video can be overwritten, a temporary hazard can disappear, and witnesses may become harder to locate.
What if You Fell on Public Property?
Claims involving a city, town, state agency, or public way can involve additional rules and shorter timelines.
For claims brought under the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act, a written notice of claim (called ‘presentment’) generally must be made to the appropriate executive officer of the public employer within two years of the date the cause of action arose, and any lawsuit must be filed within three years.
Some injuries caused by defects on public roads or in other areas can have an even shorter notice requirement. M.G.L. ch. 84, § 18 generally requires written notice within 30 days for claims covered by that statute.
Because the applicable notice requirement depends on what property was involved and who was responsible for it, a government property fall should be reviewed promptly.
Why Choose Earley Law Group for a Quincy Slip and Fall Claim?
Earley Law Group has represented injured people in Massachusetts since 2006.
Our lawyers bring 25 years of combined legal experience to personal injury cases, and the firm has recovered millions for clients. Past results do not determine the outcome of another claim.
We also focus on white-glove client service. That means keeping you informed, answering your questions, and treating your case as something affecting your life rather than simply another claim number.
Our team can investigate how the fall happened, deal with insurance communications, and document both the immediate and longer-term effects of your injuries.
How Does a Contingency Fee Work?
Earley Law Group handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis.
You do not pay an upfront or hourly legal fee for us to begin working on the claim. Our legal fee is tied to obtaining a financial recovery.
We will explain the fee agreement and how case expenses are handled before representation begins so you understand the arrangement from the start.
Talk to a Slip and Fall Accident Attorney in Quincy
You do not need to know how long the hazard had been there or exactly who was legally responsible before asking for advice.
Earley Law Group can review what happened, look at the available evidence, and explain whether the circumstances may support a premises liability claim.
Contact us for a free consultation with a slip and fall accident lawyer in Quincy. Call Earley Before It’s Too Late!™