While climate change has shifted the way North American winters feel – sometimes providing weeks that feel more like spring than winter – we mustn’t let our guard down too much in these short, anomalous bursts. We’re still in for several more weeks of slippery, freezing cold weather, and because of all the warm weather, we may experience rain followed by freezing temperatures (as we’ve seen here in Toronto a couple of times this winter). Rainstorms followed by plummeting temperatures make the roads and sidewalks into a total nightmare that can threaten your physical health. If you find yourself badly hurt because a property owner didn’t take care to shovel or salt their walk, hire our slip and fall lawyers to work for you and claim your compensation!
You may experience some pangs of guilt if you decide to claim compensation in the wake of a slip and fall, but you shouldn’t. Ontario’s Occupier’s Liability Act is very clearly worded to indicate that if a public property is not well maintained and leads to injuries, the injured party is well within their rights to claim compensation for trauma and rehabilitation. We’ve dealt with hundreds of slip and fall cases in the past and we can tell you: it’s usually pretty clear in these cases that the landlord or property manager in question was not taking the proper measures to safely clear the walk.
Typical examples of liable parties are:
- Property Manager
- A Private Homeowner
- Mall Manager
- Hotel Manager
- Apartment Owner
A huge part of these people’s jobs and responsibilities revolve around providing a comfortable and safe environment for tenants and visitors. If you are hurt on the property of a retail outlet because it wasn’t properly salted, it is particularly objectionable; customer experience certainly extends to the parking lot and the walkway out front. To neglect shoveling and salting is very poor customer service and dangerous, to boot! Another examples of negligent behaviour is the failure to indicate or dry up after an area has been mopped. The able-bodied often tend to forget that children, the elderly and folks suffering from physical maladies may be shopping and can slip much easier than some of us since their balance is compromised. The experts at Goodman Elbassiouni LLP have years of experience and indispensable, useful legal resources that can help you claim your compensation when you are affronted by a slip and fall due to poor property maintenance.
Lawyers at Goodman Elbassiouni LLP operate on a contingency basis, so we never get paid until you do. Thus, even if you’ve just had an accident and you’re unsure of how to proceed, you can book a free consultation with us and speak to a lawyer or paralegal who is versed in the protocol and the facts. Just remember, the sooner you file your claim with the OLA (Occupier’s Liability Act), the better your chances will be. Furthermore, getting the details down and talking to your doctor while the injury is still new is always in your best interest, since you will be able to provide the most vivid, compelling argument. Although you have up to two years to file after a slip and fall, the longer you wait the more complicated the process may become.
