Arizona Slip and Fall Accidents

A “slip and fall” or “trip and fall” case is a personal injury case in which a victim slips and falls, or trips and falls, and suffers an injury on someone else’s property. Arizona slip and fall cases are also known as “premises liability” cases, because slip and fall accidents usually occur on premises owned or maintained by someone else. The owner or owner or possessor of the property may be held legally responsible for the resulting injuries.

Who is at fault?

Dangerous conditions such as torn carpeting, variations in the floor surface, poor lighting, narrow stairs, wet or moist substances, or other hazards can cause a victim to slip and become injured. Other examples include falls on broken or cracked public sidewalks, or trips or other injury-producing events on unreasonably dangerous stairs or escalators. Still other premises cases involve conditions due to weather, such as rain, ice, snow, or other hidden hazards.

These Arizona slip and fall cases typically present such issues as whether the property owner acted reasonably to prevent a victim from slipping or tripping. They also involve comparative fault issues, such as whether the victim acted in some manner that prevented him or her from not seeing or avoiding the condition that caused the injury.

In most slip and fall cases, the slip and fall victim must prove that the cause of the event was a “dangerous condition” and that the owner or possessor of the property knew of the dangerous condition. The victim must prove that this condition presented an unreasonable risk and was not something he or she could have anticipated under the circumstances.