Slip-and-fall accidents are one of the most common causes of accidental injuries and deaths at home and in the workplace throughout the US each year. When these accidents occur on private property, property owners may face liability for the resulting damages. If you recently suffered a slip-and-fall injury on someone else’s property, it’s vital to understand your rights under Connecticut premises liability law and the value of having experienced legal counsel.
Understanding Connecticut Premises Liability Law
The core of Connecticut premises liability law is that a property owner has a legal responsibility to lawful visitors on their property to address foreseeable safety hazards, ensuring their property is as safe as is reasonably possible for lawful guests, visitors, customers, and anyone else with the property owner’s express or implied permission to enter their property.
Under this law, only a person who was lawfully present on the property in question can file a personal injury claim against the property owner for a slip-and-fall accident. If an intruder or trespasser illegally enters private property and suffers such an injury, they would not have grounds for legal recourse against the property owner since they did not have permission to enter the property.
Proving Negligence in a Premises Liability Case
A premises liability case is a type of personal injury case, meaning the injured plaintiff must identify the defendant responsible for causing their injury, prove exactly how the defendant caused the injury, and then prove the full extent of the resulting damages. The plaintiff may also need to show that they did not cause the injury through their own negligence.
Connecticut upholds a modified comparative negligence law, meaning multiple parties could be found liable for a personal injury, and in such a case, each liable party is assigned a fault percentage to reflect how much each party contributed to causing the injury in question. If a plaintiff is found partially liable for their injury, they can still claim damages from the defendant, but only if they are found less at fault than the defendant.
If so, the plaintiff’s fault percentage is taken from their total compensation, and they keep the remainder. If the plaintiff is found more at fault than the defendant, however, the plaintiff is barred from claiming damages. In your premises liability case, you must prove that the property owner’s negligence directly caused your slip-and-fall accident.
When a property owner notices any safety hazard on their property that could foreseeably injure a lawful guest or visitor, they have a duty of care to correct the hazard immediately, post some type of clearly visible warning sign, or provide visitors with verbal warnings about the hazard. Failing these steps, the property owner could face liability for the victim’s injury.
Recovering Compensation for a Slip-and-Fall in Connecticut
If the plaintiff can successfully prove liability for a slip-and-fall, they can claim compensation for the economic and non-economic damages they suffered in the accident. Slip-and-fall accidents are more damaging than many people realize. The National Safety Council reported that more than 8.8 million people were treated in US emergency rooms for fall-related injuries in 2023, and in 2024, falls caused 48,308 deaths nationwide.
You may have grounds to file a personal injury claim and seek compensation for your own injuries, or you may be eligible to file a wrongful death claim if a family member suffered a fatal slip-and-fall accident on someone else’s property. In either case, you need experienced legal counsel on your side to help you build the strongest possible claim and increase your chances of securing appropriate compensation for the losses you suffered.
The team at Williams, Walsh & O’Connor, LLC, can help you understand Connecticut’s premises liability laws and pursue compensation for your recent slip-and-fall accident. We have more than 150 combined years of experience handling personal injury claims throughout Connecticut, and we will leverage this experience in your premises liability claim. Reach out to our firm as soon as possible to learn how we can help build your case.
FAQs
How Do You Prove Negligence in a Premises Liability Case?
To prove negligence in a premises liability case, you need to show that the property owner either knew about the hazard that caused your injury or that they should have known about the hazard with reasonable diligence. Your Connecticut premises liability attorney can gather the evidence you need to prove negligence and help you hold the property owner accountable for your damages, which could include property maintenance records, witness statements, and more.
What Is a Premises Liability Claim Worth in Connecticut?
In Connecticut, the value of a premises liability claim depends on the severity of the plaintiff’s damages. If you can prove a defendant caused your injury, you can seek compensation for the full scope of the economic and non-economic damages you suffered because of their negligence. You could have grounds to claim medical expenses, lost income, lost earning capacity, and compensation for your pain and suffering.
What Are Common Injuries From Slip-and-Fall Accidents?
Some of the most common injuries reported from slip-and-fall accidents include sprains, bone fractures, and more serious injuries like traumatic brain damage, internal organ damage, or spinal cord injuries. If you intend to file a personal injury claim under Connecticut’s premises liability law, you must be ready to prove the full extent of the damages you suffered because of the defendant’s negligence.
Why Should I Hire a Premises Liability Lawyer?
You should hire a premises liability lawyer to have a better chance of reaching a favorable outcome in your case. Proving liability can be challenging, and the defendant may attempt to shift blame to you, claiming you are responsible for your own injury. You may not only need help resolving these disputes, but also with accurately calculating all of your claimable damages. A skilled attorney will know how to secure appropriate compensation for your damages.
The team at Williams, Walsh & O’Connor, LLC can explain Connecticut’s premises liability law as it applies to your slip-and-fall accident claim, and you can trust us to pursue accountability and compensation for your damages. You have a limited time in which to build your case, so contact us today and schedule a free consultation with an experienced Connecticut premises liability attorney.
