Almost everyone has, at one time or another, taken a misstep and fallen to the ground without suffering from anything more serious than a bruised ego. Tripping and falling can, however, result in serious personal injury that might entitle the victim to receive compensation from the owner of the property on which the fall occurs. This was the situation that caused a Pennsylvania man to sue the operators of a casino after he fell while entering their facility.

The individual claimed that he suffered disabling personal injuries due to the failure of the casino owners to maintain the entrance to the building so as to avoid unsafe and hazardous conditions. Merely proving that an accident victim fell and was hurt on someone else’s property is not sufficient to establish negligence on the part of the owner. A person claiming damages for a personal injury caused by a fall must present evidence to prove that the owner of the property was or should have been aware of the hazardous condition and failed to take steps to correct it or to prevent the accident from happening.

In addition to being held liable for dangerous or hazardous conditions of which they are aware, property owners may also be responsible for personal injury caused by conditions of which they should have been aware. For example, victims who suffer a personal injury by slipping on a wet floor or by tripping on torn carpeting or on a broken floor tile might be entitled to compensation if they can show that the condition was present long enough that it should have been discovered and corrected by the owner of the property.

Victims of accidents involving a slip and fall may be entitled to recover medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages from a negligent property owner. A personal injury attorney might be of assistance by providing legal advice and guidance.