Allentown Slip and Fall Lawyer

One minute, you walk through a supermarket, down an apartment building staircase, or across a parking lot. Next, your feet are out from under you, and you are on the ground in sudden, searing pain.

A fall can happen in an instant, but the consequences—broken bones, a head injury, chronic pain, and stacks of medical bills—can last a lifetime. When a fall happens because a property owner was careless, it is not just an accident but an act of negligence.

Under Pennsylvania law, property owners have a legal duty to keep their premises safe from foreseeable harm. Hold them accountable when they fail and cause you harm.

We fight for people injured by unsafe property conditions at Leonard Hill – Personal Injury and Car Accident Lawyers. A fall is not your fault when someone else’s carelessness is the cause.

We have the experience, resources, and dedication to take on property owners and their insurance companies to demand the justice and compensation you deserve. We chose to be injury lawyers because we believe every person is entitled to fair and reasonable compensation for their injuries. We never represent insurance companies or the corporations that cause harm.

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY

Allentown Slip and Fall Lawyer

One minute, you walk through a supermarket, down an apartment building staircase, or across a parking lot. Next, your feet are out from under you, and you are on the ground in sudden, searing pain.

A fall can happen in an instant, but the consequences—broken bones, a head injury, chronic pain, and stacks of medical bills—can last a lifetime. When a fall happens because a property owner was careless, it is not just an accident but an act of negligence.

Under Pennsylvania law, property owners have a legal duty to keep their premises safe from foreseeable harm. Hold them accountable when they fail and cause you harm.

We fight for people injured by unsafe property conditions at Leonard Hill – Personal Injury and Car Accident Lawyers. A fall is not your fault when someone else’s carelessness is the cause.

We have the experience, resources, and dedication to take on property owners and their insurance companies to demand the justice and compensation you deserve. We chose to be injury lawyers because we believe every person is entitled to fair and reasonable compensation for their injuries. We never represent insurance companies or the corporations that cause harm.

Key Information for Your Allentown Slip and Fall Claim

• Your Rights: Pennsylvania property owners must keep their premises reasonably safe. If their negligence causes your fall, you may seek compensation.
• Your Compensation: You can demand payment for medical bills, lost income, and your pain and suffering
• Your Deadline: You have two years from the date of the fall to file a lawsuit.
• Our Fee: We charge no fees unless we recover money for you. Your consultation is free.

Why Hire Our Experienced Allentown Slip and Fall Attorneys?

After a serious fall, the property owner’s insurance company will immediately begin working to protect its interests, which means paying you as little as possible. You need a team of powerful advocates who are committed to protecting yours.

At Leonard Hill – Personal Injury Lawyers and Car Accident Lawyers, we have a long and proven history of standing up for the injured, and our results show it. We have recovered over $500 million for our clients, securing the resources they need to rebuild their lives.

Our firm, founded by trial attorney Leonard Hill and supported by a dedicated team including David Maselli and Susan B. Ayres, is built on a single promise: to give our clients a powerful voice.

We will help the insurance company, the judge, and the jury understand how you suffered an injury and what this injury has cost you in terms of money, disability, pain, and life changes. We take the time to listen to your story, answer your questions, and tailor our approach to fit your needs.

Our attorneys represent clients throughout the Lehigh Valley. If you suffered an injury in a fall in Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton, we are here to help. We can meet with you to discuss your case at your convenience. We handle every case on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we win your case. Your initial consultation is always free.

Recovering Maximum Compensation for Your Allentown Fall Injuries

The costs associated with a serious fall can be staggering. An emergency room visit, surgery for a broken hip, physical therapy, and weeks or months of lost time from work can create a huge financial hole. You should not have to pay for the consequences of a property owner’s negligence.

Our Allentown slip and fall lawyers fight to recover compensation for all of your losses, including:

• Medical Expenses: This covers everything from your initial ambulance ride and hospital stay to future costs for rehabilitation, medication, and any necessary long-term care.
• Lost Income: We demand repayment for all the income you have lost. At the same time, you cannot work and compensate for any future reduction in earning ability if your injuries prevent you from returning to your old job.
• Pain and Suffering: A fall causes more than just financial harm. We fight for compensation for your physical pain, emotional distress, and the loss of enjoyment of life caused by your injuries.

Where Do Slip and Fall Accidents Happen in Allentown?

A dangerous property condition can exist anywhere, turning a routine errand or a walk through a public space into the site of a life-changing injury. In and around Allentown, we frequently see serious falls occur in:

• Grocery and Big-Box Stores: Retailers like Giant, Wegmans, Walmart, and Target have a high duty of care to keep their aisles free of spills, fallen merchandise, and other hazards.
• Shopping Centers and Malls: The Lehigh Valley Mall and other shopping centers have vast parking lots, long walkways, and numerous staircases, which can lead to falls if improperly maintained.
• Apartment Buildings: Landlords maintain common areas, including stairwells with broken steps or handrails, poorly lit hallways, and icy sidewalks.
• Parking Lots and Garages: Potholes, cracked pavement, inadequate lighting, and poor snow and ice removal can make parking lots extremely dangerous for pedestrians.
• Public Sidewalks: Uneven concrete, deep cracks, and failure to clear ice can lead to serious falls on sidewalks owned and maintained by individuals or government entities.

Falls are a major public health issue, especially for older adults. The National Council on Aging reports that one in four Americans aged 65+ falls each year, and these falls lead to billions of dollars in medical costs annually.

Proving a Property Owner Was Negligent in Pennsylvania

To hold a property owner accountable for a fall, you must prove they were negligent. This requires more than just showing you fell and sustained an injury on their property.

This means demonstrating that they failed to meet their legal duty of care to keep their property in a reasonably safe condition for visitors. Pennsylvania law outlines the duty of care property owners owe to business visitors, which is a high standard.

The key to proving negligence is establishing “notice.” You must show that the property owner:

• Had Actual Notice: They knew about the specific dangerous condition—such as a spill reported to an employee or a broken step known to a landlord—but failed to fix it or warn anyone.
• Had Constructive Notice: They should have known the danger through reasonable inspection and care. A puddle on a floor for hours or a pothole that has existed for months is a hazard the owner should have discovered and addressed.

Our attorneys launch a full investigation to uncover evidence of notice and negligence. Common causes of falls we investigate include:

• Spills, wet floors, or freshly waxed surfaces without warning signs
• Dangerous accumulations of snow and ice
• Broken stairs, loose floorboards, or torn carpeting
• Cracked or uneven pavement on sidewalks or in parking lots
• Poor lighting in stairwells, hallways, or parking garages
• Unsecured rugs or mats that create a tripping hazard

You have a limited time to act. Pennsylvania imposes a strict two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims. Contacting an attorney before this deadline expires is wise to ensure enough time to build a strong case.

Overcoming Common Defenses in Fall Cases

Property owners and insurance companies will use several common defenses to avoid paying for injuries. Our experienced slip and fall attorneys know how to fight back.

The “Hills and Ridges” Doctrine

In winter, property owners in Pennsylvania are often protected from liability for falls on natural snow and ice accumulations by the “hills and ridges” doctrine. However, this protection is not absolute. We can overcome this defense by proving that:

• The snow or ice had accumulated in ridges or elevations of such size and character as to unreasonably obstruct travel.
• The property owner’s careless snow removal efforts made the area more dangerous (for example, by creating a sheet of ice from meltwater).
• The condition was allowed to remain for an unreasonable amount of time.

Suing the Government

You can still sue if you fall on a broken public sidewalk or in a government-owned building. While government entities have some immunity, there are important exceptions.

The law allows claims for dangerous conditions on government-owned real estate, including sidewalks and streets, as outlined in the exceptions to governmental immunity. Similar exceptions apply to state-owned property under the real property exception to sovereign immunity.

Our firm has the experience to navigate these challenging cases. Local laws like the city’s snow and ice removal ordinance in Allentown bind property owners and can help establish negligence.

Hiding Evidence

What happens if a store manager promises to save the surveillance video of your fall, but it later “disappears”?

We see this happen all the time. When a property owner destroys or fails to preserve important evidence, we can ask the court for a “spoliation inference,” which is an instruction to the jury to assume the missing evidence may have been bad for the owner’s case.

Steps to Protect Your Pennsylvania Slip and Fall Claim

The steps you take in the minutes, hours, and days after a fall can greatly impact your ability to recover compensation. If you are physically able, try to do the following:

Follow Your Doctor’s Treatment Plan Diligently

By now, you have likely seen a doctor for your injuries. One of the most important things you can do for your health and legal claim is to follow all medical advice to the letter. Go to every physical therapy session, take all your medications as prescribed, and do not miss any follow-up appointments.

The insurance company will scrutinize your medical records. If they see you skipped appointments or ignored your doctor’s orders, they will argue that you weren’t truly hurt or that you made your injuries worse. Diligently following your treatment plan helps you recover and creates a clear and undeniable record of your injuries and the path to recovery.

Create a Written Record of the Incident

Even if you spoke to a manager at the scene, create your written record of what happened. If you have not already done so, email the property owner, manager, or landlord a formal letter or email. In it, state the exact date, time, and location of your fall, and describe the hazard that caused it (e.g., “the puddle of clear liquid in aisle 5,” or “the broken piece of concrete on the front walkway”).

This creates a paper trail that stops them from claiming they never received notice later. Be factual and stick to the basics. Keep a copy of this correspondence for your records.

Preserve All Physical Evidence

The evidence from the day of the fall is a huge part of your case. If you took photos or videos of the hazardous condition with your phone, ensure they are saved and backed up securely.

In addition, the shoes and clothing you were wearing are critical pieces of evidence. Do not wear them again. Place them in a sealed bag and store them somewhere safe. Your footwear can show whether you had adequate tread, and tears or stains on your clothing can help demonstrate the force and nature of your fall.

Keep a Personal Journal of Your Recovery

The full impact of an injury goes beyond what is in a medical chart. Start a simple daily journal to track your progress. Each day, write a few notes about your physical pain levels. What activities are difficult or impossible to do? Did you struggle to get dressed, drive, or sleep through the night?

Also, note the emotional toll. Are you feeling frustrated, anxious, or depressed? This detailed, personal record can become powerful evidence to demonstrate the true extent of your pain, suffering, and the ways this injury has diminished your quality of life.

Identify and Make a List of Any Witnesses

Think back to the moments immediately after your fall. Did another shopper rush over to help? Did an employee see what happened? Did anyone comment on the dangerous condition, saying something like, “I almost slipped there myself”?

Write down everything you can remember about these individuals. Your attorney can use this to contact potential witnesses whose testimony can be invaluable in proving the property owner knew, or should have known, about the hazard.

Avoid Speaking with the Insurance Adjuster

Within days of your fall, you will likely get a call from an insurance adjuster representing the property owner. Their job is to protect their company’s money, not to look out for your interests. They act friendly but ask leading questions to get you to downplay your injuries or admit partial fault, weakening your claim.

You are not obligated to speak with them. A polite but firm refusal is the best response: “Thank you for calling. I am not prepared to state at this time. My attorney will contact you.” This protects you from their tactics and lets your lawyer handle all communication.

Contact Our Allentown Slip and Fall Lawyers Today

A serious fall can turn your life upside down, but you don’t have to face the consequences alone. The insurance company has a team of professionals working to deny your claim. You deserve a team of experienced trial lawyers fighting for you. Let us take the burden off your shoulders so you can focus on your recovery.

Let us fight the insurance companies for you. Call Leonard Hill – Personal Injury Lawyers and Car Accident Lawyers now at (215) 567-7600 for a free, no-obligation consultation. We are ready to listen, and we are ready to win.

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY

 

Allentown Slip and Fall FAQs

What if the property owner says I was clumsy or not paying attention?

Pennsylvania uses a modified comparative negligence rule. This means that even if you are found to be partially at fault for your fall, you can still recover damages as long as your share of the fault is 50% or less.

The property owner and their insurer will almost always try to shift blame to you to reduce what they have to pay. We work to gather evidence that demonstrates the hazard, not your actions, was the primary cause of your injuries.

Do I have a case if I was trespassing when I fell?

In most situations, property owners do not owe a duty of care to adult trespassers to protect them from dangerous conditions.

However, there are exceptions. A property owner cannot willfully or wantonly injure a trespasser. More importantly, property owners owe a higher duty of care to children, even if they are trespassing, especially when a dangerous condition is likely to attract them (a legal concept known as an attractive nuisance).

How much is my Allentown slip and fall case worth?

The value of your case depends entirely on its specific facts. There is no average settlement amount.

The final compensation depends on the severity of your injuries, the total amount of your medical bills and lost wages, the long-term impact on your life and ability to earn a living, and the strength of the evidence proving the property owner’s negligence.

An attorney can evaluate these factors to estimate a fair value for your claim.

Do I have to go to court to get compensation?

Most personal injury claims, including slip and fall cases, resolve through a negotiated settlement without ever going to trial. We build every case as if it will go to court, which puts us in a strong position to negotiate with the insurance company.

If the insurer refuses to offer a fair settlement that covers your losses, we are always prepared to file a lawsuit and present your case to a jury.