Slips and falls are common accidents that can happen to anyone. You’ll find plenty of things to slip or trip on everywhere you go.
And with so many ways to fall – slipping on a slick surface, tripping over objects, dropping from an unsecured ladder, etc. – it’s no wonder the National Flooring Safety Institute reported that falls are the leading cause of hospital emergency visits, with more than eight million Americans visiting each year.
If you slip or trip on someone’s property, you can file a lawsuit against the property owner to recover compensation for your injuries. But how injured do you have to be to file a lawsuit? When should you file a lawsuit?
Is the severity of your injury a factor?
There isn’t a defined threshold for how severe your injuries need to be before you can file a slip-and-fall lawsuit. You can sue the premises owner for compensation whether you slipped and it led to broken bones, or you fell from a great height and your injuries left you paralyzed from the waist down.
However, a time limit exists for filing a lawsuit for slip and fall injuries. And your injuries could affect your ability to sue in time.
Timeframe of a slip-and-fall lawsuit
New Mexico has a statute of limitations that limits individuals from filing their lawsuits too late. It means that the state has a limit of three years from when the injury incident occurred for you to sue. Three years may sound like more than enough time, but if your injuries following the fall are severe and require extensive medical treatment, you might take a couple of years to recover before you can file a complaint if someone else (like a family member or friend) can’t.
Working with a lawyer
No matter how grievous your fall injuries are – or if you think your injuries aren’t enough to warrant a claim – you should consider seeking the advice of a lawyer experienced in slip and fall cases. A lawyer should be able to explain to you how the slip-and-fall lawsuit process works and help settle your claims.