Spokane is a very walkable city, but pedestrians can get hurt when unsafe road surfaces and greenway damage threaten stability. When victims trip on obstacles and get hurt, they can seek help with their medical bills and their lost income while they can’t get around. Governmental departments in charge of maintaining roads and sidewalks could be liable. A property or business owner might also need to support injured victims.
CCD Law offers a free case consultation to any injured pedestrians in the Spokane area. It’s a no-obligation chance to determine who can be held accountable for accidents and how much your injury is worth. We want you to get the support you need to recover and get back to the walks and runs that you love.
Do I Need a Lawyer After Tripping and Falling in Spokane?
If your tumble to the ground leaves you with a serious injury, like a foot fracture or a head injury, and someone’s negligence is to blame, it’s a good idea to allow a skilled Spokane Premises Liabilty Accident Attorney to handle your case.
Serious injuries mean serious medical bills, and that usually prompts insurance adjusters to fight harder against accepting fault. They’ll want to hit you with blame and will definitely hope to discount how badly you’re hurt. It’s all an effort to save money. And when you must file a claim against a government department or a business owner, teams of lawyers can also get involved in the effort to rob you of support.
Your lawyer is a powerful shield against these tactics. CCD Law first makes sure your case is backed by the evidence necessary to keep blame where it belongs. Then we fight to win you the most in support available. That usually means we secure much more for your recovery than you could hope to secure by handling your claim yourself.
Who Can Be Held Liable If I Fall While Walking in Spokane?
When you are walking in public places and along public pathways, many parties may be responsible for providing safe steps for you.
City, county, and state agencies can be responsible for monitoring for and repairing potholes and other pathway damage on sidewalks, on crosswalks, and on trails and greenways. Business parking lots and sidewalks may be the responsibility of the business owners and operators, such as a grocery chain.
In some parts of Spokane, homeowners could be legally responsible for repairing sidewalk damage in front of their homes before a pedestrian gets hurt.
These are just a few of the individuals and entities that may be held financially responsible for a dangerous trip-and-fall or slip-and-fall accident:
- The City of Spokane
- Spokane County
- Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) or the Washington State Parks and Recreation Division
- Road construction companies and building construction companies that block sidewalks
- Property Owners, Homeowners, Business Owners who may be responsible for sidewalk damage
There may be more than one at-fault party that may have to help you pay for recovery. Your CCD Law attorney would file claims with anyone or any agency that was liable for your injuries. Multiple claims filed give you a better chance of securing support to pay all of your medical bills. Anything that isn’t covered becomes a bill you’d have to pay, and that will always be unacceptable to our lawyers.
What Type of Fall Hazards Can The City of Spokane Be Responsible For?
These and other dangers left in public spaces where people are walking can result in accident claims when pedestrians get hurt:
- Potholes that go unrepaired for an unreasonable amount of time on streets and in crosswalks
- Potholes and damaged pavement in the parking lot of a business
- Holes forming on dirt paths and damaged surfaces on pedestrian trails like the Centennial Trail
- Feet getting caught or stuck in gaps in sidewalks and curbs
- Tree roots growing up through sidewalks
- Tripping hazards at Riverfront Park or at state parks like Riverside State Park
- A lack of warning signs around construction areas, damaged pavement, and potholes
Check out our article on downtown Spokane construction dangers for all pedestrians.
Things to Watch Out for When Filing Trip-and-Fall Accident Claims Against the City
When claims must be filed against businesses, construction firms, and property owners, the case would usually be handled as a normal personal injury case. That means victims would have three years to file a claim and seek help with their recoveries. This is a key benefit in many cases, because victims don’t always immediately realize they’ve got grounds for a claim.
However, victims who must hold government departments liable in a lawsuit don’t get the same benefit of years to file. Government agencies enjoy certain protections when it comes to litigation.
In fact, several differences in cases against the government can affect the victim’s ability to win compensation:
- Victims hurt by the City of Spokane’s actions would only be granted a statute of limitations of a few months. File a claim too late, and the City could usually ignore it. The same tight deadline would apply to a case against Spokane County or Washington State.
- Victims are usually forced to notify government agencies of an accident and an intended lawsuit. It’s basically asking permission from the government to sue.
- The paperwork for a case against the government can be extremely complex. If you don’t have legal knowledge, you would likely struggle to fill out forms correctly. Then any mistake made can be used as an excuse by the government to reduce your award or reject your claim.
It’s important to have a skilled legal representative helping you meet all the sneaky deadlines and filing the extensive paperwork on your behalf. It’s the best way to hold a municipal department fully liable for your injury hardships.
Contact a Skilled Spokane Premises Liability Accident Lawyer
Victims of trip-and-fall accidents in public places, such as pothole-filled streets, can seek help with their current medical bills and with any care they may need in the future. They should receive help in replacing the paychecks they lose while missing work hours. The pain victims suffer, and the emotional anguish caused by an injury can also factor into the size of a slip-and-fall settlement check.
Unfortunately, insurers for government agencies and businesses can do everything possible to escape blame. To find out how to protect your case, contact CCD Law and set up a free, no-obligation consultation.
And if you need our help to earn justice, you don’t need any money to hire CCD Law. We don’t get paid unless we win your case. If your case is unsuccessful, we don’t earn anything. If we win, our attorney’s fee comes out of the settlement that an insurance company is forced to pay you.