Our office frequently represents clients injured in Michigan slip and fall cases and Michigan trip and fall cases.  These arise out of dangerous conditions either at a business, in a parking lot, on a public sidewalk, and even at a private residence or apartment complex.  Firm attorney Daniel Buckfire was recently interviewed about these cases and you can view an excerpt of the interview by clicking below:

For more information on these cases and your rights if you were injured, visit http://www.buckfirelaw.com/ You can also request our book, “The Ulitimate Guide to Injury Cases in Michigan” for FREE by clicking on the link.  If you would like to discuss your case, call us anytime at (800) 606-1717.

My firm handles a number of personal injury cases that arise from defective sidewalks in the City of Detroit, as well as in other Michigan cities.  The injuries are often quite serious, including fractured hips, broken bones, and brain injuries.  The defects are typically broken concrete sidewalks, large cracks, holes, and raised portions of walkways that prevent significant tripping hazards. 

Under Michigan law, the municipality has a legal duty to make those sidewalks safe and convenient for public travel.  When they are unsafe and a person suffers an injury, they are entitled to money compensation for their injuries.  We also usually obtain reimbursement of medical expenses, prescription expenses, and other allowable damages under Michigan law.  Summer is a great time for taking walks and enjoying the outdoors.  It is important that our cities are safe for taking these walks, especially because so many of our elderly population walk for their daily exercise.  When they fall, their injuries are usually very severe and often life-threatening.  

It is very important for a person injured due to a dangerous sidewalk to take photographs of the condition that caused them to fall.  If the city repairs the condition before pictures are taken, it can be difficult to prove what it looked like at the time of the fall.  It is also essential to contact an experience attorney, like myself, to send a letter to the city describing the incident, the specific location, the names of witnesses, and your injuries.  This notice must be sent within 120 days of the accident or you will be barred forever from filing a case and obtaining a settlement.

Every year at this time I am contacted by clients who have suffered serious injuries due to slip and fall accidents on ice located on steps, sidewalks, and parking lots.  Many times, the hazard cannot be seen because it is “black ice” and other times the hazard is simply unavoidable.  The injuries from these falls are aften very serious, including fractured ankles, broken hips, and even brain injuries.  I had previously represented a family whose father had died after falling and striking his head on a sidewalk.

The laws in Michigan regarding slip and fall on ice cases are constantly changing.  The courts have made it more difficult to pursue these cases, even when the person suffers a very serious injury.  Each case is different and must be evaluated by the facts of the particular case.  Factors to evaluate include the location of the accident, whether it was on public or private property, whether the surface was salted before the accident, the time of day, and the serious nature of the injury. 

It is important for an injured person to report the incident to the business or store if the fall occurred at the entrance way or in the parking lot of a business.  This is necessary to  prove that the incident happened at that location and the time of the incident.  It is also helpful to take photographs, if possible, of the condition to prove that it was hazardous at or around the time of the injury.  Finally, it is also helpful to get the names and phone numbers of any witnesses who could later verify that the incident occurred and to provide evidence regarding that icy nature of the surface where the injury occurred.