As there are staircases in almost every building, they are used by people every day. In doing so, they usually are not considering what would happen if they were to be involved in an accident while going up or down the stairs. However, these accidents can happen very suddenly and impact a person in very serious ways. This can be physically, emotionally, and financially. When dealing with these situations, it is important to contact an experienced New York personal injury attorney for help with your case.
Causes of Staircase Accidents
There are many cases in which people become injured in a staircase at their own fault. This is usually due to carelessness if they are in a rush and are not cautious when using the stairs. However, accidents can also happen if the property owner is negligent in caring for the stairs to ensure they are safe to use. This may be the case if there is insufficient lighting, broken railings, damaged steps, and more.
Recovering Financial Compensation After a Staircase Accident
People who are injured in a stairwell due to the negligence of a property owner may want to hold them liable by pursuing legal action. When this happens, it is important to know that they are required to prove negligence in order to be successful. This includes showing that the property owner knew, or should have reasonably known about the hazard in the staircase that caused the accident and failed to fix it. They must also show that this directly resulted in their injuries. This can be done with evidence such as pictures or videos of the hazard, the police report of the incident, medical documentation of the injuries, and any witness statements.
How Long Do I Have to Take Legal Action?
When pursuing legal action against a property owner, it is important to know that the injured party only has a certain amount of time to do so. This is because there is a statute of limitations in place. This is a deadline by which the individual must meet in order to file a personal injury claim. Otherwise, they may lose their opportunity to do so and not be able to recover compensation. In the state of Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations for a personal injury accident is two years from the date of the injury.
Contact our Firm
If you or a loved one has been in a personal injury accident in Pennsylvania, it’s important that you contact an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney to help you with your case and to make sure that you are not taken advantage of. Contact Spear Greenfield to get the right attorney in your corner.
Call or text (215) 985-2424 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
