Many Illinois slip and fall accidents occur due to a business owner’s negligence in maintaining their property. Slip and fall accidents often involve a wet or greasy substance on a store or restaurant floor. When a customer or guest slips and falls on a wet surface, the hard fall can result in broken bones, sprains, and lacerations. While some slip and fall accidents on wet floors are mild, others can result in catastrophic injuries or even death. 

If you’ve been involved in a slip and fall accident on a wet floor, you could be entitled to compensation. Whatever the cause of your slip and fall accident, if the property owner’s negligence caused the dangerous condition, you may be entitled to compensation. Under Illinois law, victims of slip and fall accidents are entitled to monetary damages from the negligent property owner. Contact the experienced Illinois slip and fall lawyers at Stein & Shulman, LLC today to schedule a consultation to learn how we can advocate for your right to compensation. 

Common Causes of Slip and Falls on Wet or Slippery Falls

Various factors can cause someone to slip and fall on a wet or slippery floor. Common causes of slip and falls on wet or slippery floors include the following:

  • Liquid spills on sidewalks, staircases, or flat surfaces
  • Rain, ice, or melting snow on a walking surface or staircase
  • Poor lighting making it difficult to see wet surfaces
  • Gas or oil spills 

Property Owners Should Alert Customers to Recently Mopped Floors

Even after an employee cleans a wet or slippery floor, floors can remain slippery and dangerous for customers. It’s important that employees set out caution signs that alert customers to the dangers of floors they recently mopped. The sign should be visible and make it clear that the floor is wet. When stores fail to use wet floor signs, injured customers who slip and fall can hold them accountable for failing to warn them of dangerous conditions.

What to Do After Slipping on a Wet Floor

If you’ve slipped and fallen on a wet surface, the first thing you should focus on is getting medical attention right away. Call 911 and request an ambulance. We also recommend taking pictures of the accident scene if you can do so safely. In many cases, store owners will quickly clean up the spilled liquid soon after the accident, making it difficult for injury victims to prove that they slipped on a wet surface. Take a photo of the liquid itself and the surrounding area. If there were witnesses to the accident, we recommend writing down their contact information.

Injuries Caused by Wet Slip and Fall Injuries in Illinois

Many people assume that slip and fall injuries on wet surfaces are not serious, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Slip and fall accidents are one of the leading causes of visits to emergency rooms in Illinois. While some people recover quickly after a slip and fall accident, others require significant medical treatment, including surgery and rehabilitation to recover from injuries. 

Many factors impact the severity of slip and fall injuries on wet surfaces, such as a person’s age and medical condition. Elderly individuals are more likely to suffer hip fractures and require intensive rehabilitation. Studies have shown that many elderly individuals who slip and fall never recover their full mobility after the accident. In addition to hip fractures, the following types of injuries are common in slip and fall accidents:

  • Lacerations
  • Shoulder dislocation, including torn rotator cuffs
  • Broken kneecaps and sprained knees
  • Torn ACL
  • Broken or sprained ankles
  • Spinal cord damage resulting in partial or complete paralysis
  • Head trauma, including traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
  • Fractured hands, arms, and wrists
  • Severe bruising
  • Back and neck injuries

The Illinois Premises Liability Act 

The Illinois Premises Liability Act sets forth property owners’ duties regarding people who enter their premises. The Act requires property owners to keep their property free from hazards that can cause injuries. When property owners fail to use reasonable care to keep their property safe, their injured guests can hold them accountable by filing a premises liability lawsuit. 

When a visitor or customer becomes injured due to defects or dangers that the property owner knew about or should have known about, they can sue the property owner. As the victim of a slip and fall accident on a wet or slippery floor, you will need to prove that either:

  • The property owner failed to maintain his or her property
  • The property owner created unsafe conditions on the property that caused your injury, or
  • The property owner knew about the dangerous or unsafe hazard but didn’t warn you

Filing a slip-and-fall lawsuit after you become injured on a wet floor can help you and your family significantly. Victims of slip and fall accidents often incur mounting medical bills and may need to take time off of work to recover from their injuries. A successful plaintiff in slip and fall cases is entitled to economic damages for their past and future medical bills and lost income. 

Successful plaintiffs are also entitled to non-economic damages for the pain and suffering they endured due to their injuries. Speaking to a lawyer about your slip-and-fall case is one of the best things you can do to secure your family’s financial future.

Contact an Illinois Wet Slip and Fall Lawyer Today 

If you or your loved one have become injured in a slip and fall accident, you may have a right to compensation for your injuries. The lawyers at Stein & Shulman, LLC have successfully represented many slip and fall victims in Illinois. We work diligently to hold property owners responsible for the injuries caused by their negligence. Our skilled slip and fall lawyers will investigate your case and advocate assertively on your behalf to recover all of the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation.