Slip/Trip and Fall Accidents

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When you slip and fall on snow and ice, you need an experienced attorney. There are many legal hurdles to overcome on the path to settlement. Issues of notice and reasonable care are often determinative. In PA< the "hills and ridges" doctrine controls snow and ice fall cases. It's not just enough to be an advocate, you also have to understand the law. 

Did you trip and fall on a broken sidewalk? Staircase? Parking lot? Walkway? Hallway? What legal challenges may you face? Issues of notice, the size and nature of the defect, open and obvious, etc. can mean the difference between winning and losing your case. You need an attorney who not only follows the law, but also helps shape the law through appellate work. 

Did you trip and fall on a stairway? Was it designed correctly? It is defective? Was your fall caused by a foreign substance? John Lavelle has handled cases at the trial and appellate level and knows how to use engineers and other experts to determine if a stairway is defective. 

Simple accidents often involve complex law. Sidewalk trip and falls are the best example of this truism. Depending on where you fall, the adjoining property owner or the municipality can be responsible for sidewalks. This complex field of law requires an attorney who knows and shapes the law.