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Bellingham Lawyers for Slip and Falls

Bellingham is a coastal city with a long-time industrial waterfront in Washington. It’s often named on lists of best places for retirees. It also has a recognized music scene and multiple transportation hubs such as bus stations downtown, the Western Washington University campus, and Cordata Station near Bellis Fair Mall. Downtown Bellingham is divided into four areas: City Center South, City Center West, City Center North, and City Center East. These areas are home to retail stores, theaters, entertainment venues, museums, and restaurants. After suffering injuries in a slip and fall accident on another’s property in Washington, you may be able to recover damages. If you or a loved one was injured because of a slippery substance or another hazard on the floor, you should give the experienced Bellingham slip and fall lawyers of Walton Law a call. Our award-winning principal Chris Walton is rated AV-preeminent.

Slip and Fall

Slip and fall accidents sometimes seem minor to those who haven’t experienced them, but they can result in significant injuries, including disability to those who are caught unawares by a slippery or unstable surface on someone else’s property. It’s important to be cognizant of the statute of limitations; in Washington, you have three years after being injured to bring a lawsuit to recover damages. It’s important to talk to an experienced attorney as early as possible, however, because evidence can disappear and witness’ memories may become unreliable with time. If you see any witnesses to your accident after you slip and fall, and you’re able to talk to them, it may be worthwhile to take down their names and phone numbers.

To recover damages, our experienced slip and fall attorneys, based in Bellingham, will need to prove: (1) there was a dangerous property condition on the floor, (2) that the property owner knew or should have known about, (3) that condition caused your injuries, and (4) damages. Whether a property owner knew or should have known about the substance on the floor or other problems with the ground surface depends on the situation; often a property owner should have known of a dangerous condition because it existed for such a long time that inspections must have occurred over the course of the relevant timeframe.

For example, if you slipped on spilled milk on the floor of a grocery store that was there for 8 hours, this would arguably be long enough that a reasonably competent storeowner or its agents would have noticed the spill and cleaned it up. We might be able to establish how long the condition was present through the use of surveillance footage. However, again, it’s imperative to consult counsel as soon as possible after an accident, partly because it is a normal practice for stores to record surveillance footage soon after it was recorded, and it can be helpful for your attorneys to send a spoliation of evidence letter to them, to make sure this doesn’t happen in your case.

Property owners and their insurers have a range of defenses they may try to deploy, making it very important to consult a seasoned Bellingham slip and fall lawyer. For instance, they may argue that the condition was open and obvious. Or they may argue you weren’t paying close enough attention to where you were walking, and were, therefore, comparatively negligent.

Damages

In most cases, when we can establish liability, we can recover compensatory damages, or damages intended to put you back into the position you would have been in had there been no negligence by the defendant. Damages we may be able to recover on your behalf include medical bills, lost wages, lost earning capacity, loss of enjoyment, and pain and suffering.

Consult a Seasoned Washington Slip and Fall Lawyer

If you were injured due to the condition of the floor or ground on someone else’s property, you need a seasoned slip and fall attorney representing you in Bellingham. You should give Chris Walton and Walton Law a call. Our tenacious and compassionate law firm tailors its representation to ensure thoughtful, personalized service to each and every client. We understand you might not be able to meet with us during normal business hours, so we offer both evening and weekend appointments. Call us at (866) 338-7079 or online to schedule a free consultation.