Salt Lake City Slip and Fall Lawyers

Serious Help for the Seriously Injured

From black ice to spilled liquids, slipping hazards are present in and around homes, shops, restaurants, and many other places we go on a daily basis. Anyone who welcomes visitors to their property, be it a homeowner or an entrepreneur, is responsible for ensuring their safety. If you suffered serious injuries in a fall caused by negligent property management, we can help you secure compensation to help with medical bills and other losses.

Filing your slip and fall claim can be a straightforward process when you work with Cutt, Kendell & Olson. With over 20 years of experience on our side, our lawyers work efficiently and effectively on every case we take. Having to handle the ins and outs of a lawsuit is the last thing you need when you’re already dealing with a serious injury. Our team is here to support you, so you can focus on healing.

Think you have a slip and fall case? Call our Salt Lake City trial attorneys at (801) 901-3470 to schedule a free consultation.

Liability in Slip and Falls

The issue at the heart of slip and falls is negligent property management. When a property owner or landlord fails to keep their land free of hazards, they become liable when visitors are injured by these risks. Because many individuals and companies rent space, you may need the help of an experienced attorney to determine who is to blame in your case.

You may end up filing a premises liability claim against:

• The landlord that owns an apartment
• A homeowner
• The owner of a local shopping mart
• A corporation that rents space to individuals and companies
• A company in a rented space that has assumed property management duties for the duration of its lease

Sometimes, liability may depend on the specifics of your accident. For example, if you fell on the stairs outside of a friend’s apartment because they were icy, you would likely be bringing a claim against the landlord. If you went out on your friend’s balcony and slipped in a puddle of water there, your friend (and their renter’s insurance) would be responsible for your claim. Though the balcony may be owned by someone else, the renter—your friend, in this case—would be responsible for keeping it safe, because a landlord could not be expected to know of dangerous conditions.

When You Can Bring a Slip and Fall Claim

An important detail—and defense—in slip and fall claims has to do with the timing of the accident. Especially if the hazard is temporary, like a spilled drink in the aisle of a supermarket, you must prove the property owner knew or reasonably should have known about the hazard. If only a few seconds pass between the creation of the hazard and the accident, the property owner is not liable, because there would have been no way for them to remedy the situation. Evidence in the form of surveillance video and witness testimony can create a timeline we can use to argue a property owner was negligent in either detecting or handling dangers.

Your right to file a slip and fall claim also depends on which category your visit falls. Under Utah law, you can be considered a(n):

• Invitee
• Licensee
• Trespasser

Invitees are, as the name suggests, anyone who was invited to enter someone’s premises. If you are transacting business or conducting other affairs that benefit the property owner, you are an invitee. Licensees, on the other hand, are only on someone’s property with their implied permission. Someone like a mail carrier would fall under this category. Finally, trespassers are individuals who are not welcome on or who are expressly forbidden from entering a property.

Of these three categories, invitees have the widest legal protections in premises liability cases. Licensees are close behind. Trespassers, on the other hand, rarely have the right to file these claims because the law offers few protections when it comes to unsafe premises.

Our Trial Lawyers Fight Until the End

A fall may sound minor, but these accidents can cause broken bones, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and other life-changing harms. If your fall has impaired your ability to participate in life as you once did, you should speak to an attorney about your right to file an injury claim.

At Cutt, Kendell & Olson, we can help with the most serious and complex slip and fall cases. Our team carefully manages its workload, taking on only a few clients at once so we can give your claim the dedication and resources it needs. This also allows us to prepare individualized strategies and fight hard to maximize your compensation. When an accident disrupts your life, you do have options—and our team is here to help you find them.

Call us at (801) 901-3470 to schedule a free consultation with one of our slip and fall attorneys. We’ve won over $600 million for clients in Salt Lake City and beyond.