A defect in the sidewalk leading up to a business has cracks due to poor workmanship, and an elderly woman trips and breaks her hip. The stairway in an apartment building collapses as a young man is traveling on the stairs, causing a fractured leg, rib and other internal injuries. The ramp leading from a warehouse is not properly covered with slip resistant material, as required by Florida code, and a child slips and falls while leaving the store, injuring her wrist and breaking her ankle.
These examples all show how a construction defect or a failure in keeping a building up to code regulations can directly contribute to serious injuries. Even if the property is not new construction, there may be construction defects in the original workmanship that have created serious problems that are likely to cause injury.
Common injuries from a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident as a result of a construction defect include the following:
- Broken hip
- Fractured tibia, wrist or ankle
- Elbow injury
- Shoulder injury
- Head contusion or concussion
- Spinal cord injury
The recovery after a serious fall injury can be time-consuming and costly. Many victims who are injured in a fall endure months of surgery, rehabilitation and time away from work. A victim may be able to recover compensation from the at-fault party, even the construction company, for lost wages and medical costs incurred as a result of the construction defect or negligent care in maintaining the property.
Florida law recently changed the standard for slip-and-fall and premises liability lawsuits. The new law made it even more important to consult with a Florida slip-and-fall attorney as soon as possible after an accident because the victim now has a greater responsibility to demonstrate that negligence caused the accident. It may also be necessary to recover important evidence from the location of the accident before the conditions of the property are changed to remedy the defect or code deficiency that caused the injury.
