Slip and Falls in a Marina

Tips For Slip and Fall Cases In Marinas

As practicing personal injury attorneys, we get a lot of calls from people who hurt themselves falling down; usually, because they lipped or tripped on something they did not see on the ground. When this happens it can lead to a legal claim for injury and damages against the property owner.  As maritime injury specialists, we get called for fall-down injuries that happen in Marinas and on boats, especially fall-down cases on cruise ships.  In those instances, there can be additional considerations that need to be investigated to fully understand the injured person’s rights.  But generally, if a fall-down accident happens on land, for instance, in a marina, they aren’t usually governed by maritime law.  Instead, they are governed by Florida’s State laws.

This post will explain what you need to do if you fall down in a marina.  Boat fall-down cases will be addressed in a separate article.

1. Have either yourself or another take pictures of the substance you slipped and fell on.
2. Look around to see if your fall was documented by a camera on the premises.
3. Try to determine what the substance you slipped on is.
4. Look for tracks going through the substance such as shopping cart tracks or footprints.
5. Fill out an incident report and ask for a copy.
6. Takedown the names of all employees and managers that have knowledge of your fall.
7. Seek medical attention for your injuries.

Florida law is not kind to those who slip and fall in business establishments.  In 2010, Florida enacted Florida Statute 768.0755 – premises liability for transitory foreign substances in a business establishment.  What this statute did was put the onus on the injured party to prove that the business establishment had actual or constructive knowledge of the dangerous condition and should have taken action to remedy it.  Constructive knowledge can be proven by circumstantial evidence showing that:

1. The dangerous condition existed for a length of time that the business establishment should have known of the condition; or
2. The condition occurred with regularity and was foreseeable by the business establishment.

If you feel that you have a claim to compensation due to a slip and fall, use our free online slip and fall case evaluation tool to see what you are eligible to receive. Or contact the LaBovick lawyers for more information or a phone call.

The attorneys at the LaBovick Law Group are dedicated to helping people injured due to the negligence of others.  If you have been injured by slipping and falling due to the negligence of a business establishment, call today for a free consultation and case analysis.