Retail stores and commercial properties have a responsibility under Arizona law to take reasonable steps to prevent accidents and injury.
When slippery floors, foreign objects, falling merchandise or negligent maintenance and security cause an accident, the business or property owner can be held responsible for the damages in a premises liability claim.
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In order to establish premises liability in a slip and fall or other accident, there are three things we must prove:
- An unreasonably dangerous condition existed
- There was actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition before the injury occurred (for example, someone told the store manager the floor was wet and they neglected to clean it up)
- The dangerous condition was the proximate cause of the injury
Proving the store employees or business owners knew of the dangerous condition is the hardest part of most premises liability claims. It takes an experienced lawyer to handle these complex cases with confidence.
Contact the firm today for a free consultation with an accomplished personal injury attorney who has extensive experience in slip and fall accidents and other premises liability cases. We have offices in Phoenix and seven other convenient Arizona locations.
How do you know if you have a case?
If your injury was serious or required surgery and we can establish the store employees or property owners knew or should have known visitors and patrons were at risk, the chances are good that you have a premises liability claim.
Our respected personal injury attorneys have the skill and knowledge to handle premises liability claims involving a wide range of injuries, including:
- Fractured hip, fractured knee or low back injury from a slip and fall caused by a slippery grocery store floor
- Head injury caused by falling merchandise or equipment
- Broken wrist or torn ligaments from a trip and fall caused by negligent sidewalk maintenance on commercial property
- severe or fatal injury due to a fall into an uncovered manhole
Henry G. Hester, the litigation attorney for Phillips and Lyon, has been successful in many high profile cases. Mr. Hester represented Mr. Underwood against the City of Phoenix. The carpet was split in a very high traffic area in the Sky Harbor International Airport gating area. The City of Phoenix chose to not fix the carpet and instead put duct tape over the split periodically until they decided who was responsible for paying for the repair. Thousands of airport passengers walked across the taped carpet every day and within a few days the duct tape would come apart and the loose carpet would be exposed again posing a trip hazard for patrons.
Mr. Underwood and his daughter were walking to their gate and Mr. Underwood caught his toe on the loose carpet and fell. He suffered from ruptured ligaments in his knee. The City of Phoenix denied responsibility so Mr. Hester had no choice but to take the case to trial and represent Mr. Underwood in front of a Maricopa County judge and jury.
The jury decided the City was negligent to put duct tape across the hazardous area when they knew this was a highly traveled area and a reasonable repair was necessary immediately. The jury rendered one of the largest verdicts seen in recent years in a trip and fall case and found the damages suffered by Mr. Underwood were worth $400,000.00.
Contact a Phoenix Slip & Fall Lawyer at the firm today.