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ChatNavigation a parking lot can feel like stepping into an urban jungle – where tight spaces, unpredictable pedestrians, and drivers of varying skill create a sea of nerve-wracking obstacles to traverse. Once you squeeze into a difficult-to-find spot, you’re often relieved. After all, you’ve made it… or so you think! Very few people anticipate danger lurking in their very parking spot. Unfortunately, our recent parking lot injury client found herself in great pain shortly after exiting her vehicle.
Slip, trip, and falls can happen anywhere where business owners don’t take proper care of their property. Call us today if you or a loved one sustain a slip-and-fall injury in Rhode Island or Massachusetts, where we practice personal injury law!
In today’s blog article, we review our recently settled premises liability case. In this case, our elderly client sustained permanent impairment stemming from her shoulder injuries. We hope that this case review helps you consider your options after you or a loved one’s slip and fall!
Parking Lot Injury Client Ends Up with Shoulder Fracture, Requires Surgery
One morning, our elderly client drove herself to a doctor’s appointment. She parked in a handicapped parking spot, turned off her engine, and exited her vehicle to make her appointment on time.
As she was walking, she suddenly tripped and fell forward, hard. She landed directly on her left shoulder and face felt immediate, severe pain. This is when our client noticed the large cracks in the pavement that caused her fall.
Part of building a strong premises liability case includes proving that the property owner knew about the hazardous condition. In this case, the parking lot owner filled the giant cracks with tar – thereby showing that they knew there was a problem! Given the poor job they did in remedying the condition, our client still fell.
Instead of making it to her doctor’s appointment, EMS transported our client to the hospital. She was ultimately admitted overnight. This would not be the end of our client’s hospital visits.
Doctors ultimately diagnosed our client with a 3-part shoulder and wrist fracture. Ultimately, it was determined that our client needed 3 months of in-home OT and PT care to successfully heal from her injuuries.
Given our client’s history, she was not interested in surgical intervention. Instead, she tried her best to improve her range of motion and regain autonomy once again. After months of undergoing various interventions like PT, OT, and injections to no avail, she had no choice but to opt for surgery.
Even after undergoing shoulder replacement surgery, our client still feels pain and has not regained her full range of motion. This is unfortunately our client’s reality to this day.
How Do I Prove My Premises Liability Case if No One Saw Me Fall?
People fall without witnesses present all the time. Just because there are no witnesses to your slip and fall does not mean you don’t have rights! However, it becomes increasingly important for you to report the accident and take care of yourself immediately.
In our client’s case, she was attending a doctor’s visit alone when she tripped on the uneven parking lot pavement. While 911 was called to the seen, EMS did not see our client fall. However, we were still able to win her a $320,000.00 settlement. How? Our client:
- Immediately reported her injuries and sought medical care.
- Retained legal counsel (us!) to help her with the rest.
Ultimately, to prove a negligent business caused your slip and fall, our firm routinely engages in some or all the following:
- Quickly visit the fall sight to document the hazardous condition.
- Document your injuries.
- Retain expert(s) to recreate or otherwise speak to the dangerous condition.
- Obtain and review records of past maintenance logs or similar reports.
- Obtain and review surveillance footage, receipts, appointments, or other timestamps.
- Review medical records that show consistency with victim’s testimony.
In short, a skilled personal injury law firm, like Bottaro Injury Lawyers, can help you build a strong premises liability case – even if no witnesses were present at the exact time of the accident. However, it is essential that you:
- Call 911 or otherwise seek immediate medical care.
- Observe your surroundings, if possible. What was the hazardous condition? Were there any warning signs or objects around?
In our client’s case, she fell, observed her condition, and immediately sought medical care for her intense pain. This helped us build a strong case on her behalf and ultimately led to the parking lot’s insurance company agreeing to our client’s $320,000.00 payout!
If you sustain a parking lot injury, or any injury because of a slip, trip, and fall, call us immediately to discuss the details of your accident!
It’s Good to Know Mike Bottaro – 24/7 Top-Rated Personal Injury Help
At Bottaro Injury Lawyers, we care for people. Attorney Mike Bottaro and his award-winning legal team handle all types of personal injury cases throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts. We can even help on cases in other states as well. We pride ourselves on our honesty, integrity, and results. Contact us 24/7 in any method you prefer for a fast, free, and confidential consultation about your case. Text or call us at 401-777-7777 or fill out our free and confidential online form. We are here to serve and help you!
