Hurt in a Slip and Fall? Get Clear Answers Before You Talk to an Insurer

Marietta Slip and Fall Lawyer | Ugwonali Law Group

If you were seriously hurt in a store fall, Ugwonali Law Group reviews these cases from its office at 3400 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta. A slip and fall claim asks whether a property owner failed to keep its premises safe and whether that failure caused your injury. Georgia law sets out that duty in plain terms. This page explains how it works, what a claim can cover, and what to do next. Our team is based at 3400 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia.

What a Store Slip-and-Fall Claim Is and Who It Is For

A store slip-and-fall claim is a personal injury claim for a fall on business property that caused real harm. A trip and fall on a store floor, parking lot, or walkway works the same way.

Ugwonali Law Group handles serious falls. That includes fractures, head and spinal injuries, surgery, hospital stays, and treatment by a medical doctor.

This page is written for injured shoppers, customers, and visitors in Marietta, Cobb County, Fulton County, Clayton County, Rockdale County, and across Georgia. When a fall causes a death, family members may bring a wrongful death claim. Our firm handles those cases too.

Common Hazards Behind Store Falls in Georgia

Most store-fall hazards are conditions that could have been seen, cleaned, or repaired first.

• Wet or freshly mopped floors without a warning sign
• Liquid spills left on aisles or near checkout
• Torn, lifted, or uneven flooring and loose mats
• Broken stair treads and damaged walkways
• Poor lighting in parking areas

Timing often shapes a claim. A spill a worker made is different from one that sat on the floor for a long time before anyone found it. Incident reports, video, cleaning logs, and repair records can show how a hazard formed and how long it was there. Early requests help keep that proof. OSHA walking-working surfaces standards describe what safe floors, stairs, and walkways look like, which gives a practical benchmark.

How Georgia Law Treats the Property Owner’s Duty

Georgia law requires a property owner to use ordinary care to keep its premises and approaches safe for people it invites in. Under O.C.G.A. § 51-3-1, an owner who invites or leads people onto its property for a lawful purpose can be liable for injuries caused by a failure to use ordinary care. Paying customers are a common example.

Ordinary care means the care a prudent person would use in similar circumstances. Failing to use it is ordinary negligence, as explained in O.C.G.A. § 51-1-2.

Georgia also reduces damages when the injured person shares fault. Under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33, damages are reduced by the injured person’s percentage of fault. A person who is 50 percent or more responsible recovers nothing. Every case turns on its own facts, so our team reviews fault in each case.

Filing deadlines are also set by law. Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, actions for injuries to the person generally must be brought within two years after the right of action accrues.

What a Claim Can Cover After a Serious Store Fall

A claim can seek compensation for losses the fall caused, such as medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering. General damages are those the law presumes from a wrongful act, and they can be recovered without proof of an amount, under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-2. Special damages must be proved.

Medical costs must be reasonable. Under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-1.1, special damages for medical care are limited to the reasonable value of medically necessary care. Health insurance matters here too. If the plaintiff has any form of public or private health insurance, evidence must include both the amounts charged and the amounts actually necessary to satisfy those charges, whether or not the insurance has been or will be used.

Store falls can cause hip or wrist fractures that need surgery. They can cause concussions and traumatic brain injuries from a head strike. They can also cause herniated discs or spinal fractures from a hard landing. Necessary expenses from an injury are part of the damages estimate under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-7.

The amount of a claim depends on the medical records, bills, wage proof, and how the fall happened. Our team cannot predict a figure before reviewing those records.

What to Expect: The Process From First Call to Resolution

You start with one phone call. The steps that follow happen in order.

1. First contact. Call or use the online form. Intake staff take calls in English or Spanish.
2. Free case review. Our team asks when and where the fall happened, how it happened, who saw it, and what treatment followed.
3. Records and evidence. Gather incident reports, video if it exists, medical records, bills, and receipts. Keep the shoes and clothing you wore.
4. Insurance contact. The business’s liability insurer, which may be a commercial policy, is identified. The claim is reviewed before any demand is sent.
5. Negotiation or suit. Many claims resolve through negotiation. If a fair resolution is not reached, filing a lawsuit before the deadline is discussed.

Timelines vary with medical recovery, the insurer’s response, and court schedules. Estimates come after the file is reviewed.

Why Injured Readers Contact Ugwonali Law Group

Ugwonali Law Group represents people seriously hurt in crashes, falls, and other injury events. The firm explains each step in plain language.

• Lawyer: The firm is led by attorney Adanna Ugwonali, who is the responsible lawyer for this page.
• Office: 3400 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia.
• Practice areas: truck accidents, car accidents, premises liability, slip and fall, trip and fall, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death.
• Coverage: metro Atlanta and statewide across Georgia.
• Support staff: Assistants and office staff handle intake and keep families informed. Intake works in English or Spanish.

The first consultation is free, confidential, and comes with no obligation to continue.

Common Questions About Store Fall Claims

Most store-fall questions come down to fault, deadlines, and proof.

Next Steps After a Serious Fall in a Georgia Store

After a serious fall, get medical care first. Then protect your proof.

1. Get medical care, and keep every record, bill, and discharge paper.
2. Photograph the spot, the floor or stair, and your shoes while they remain as they were.
3. Write down the names of any witnesses and store staff who responded, while the details are fresh.

If a fall in a Marietta store has left you hurt and facing treatment, Ugwonali Law Group is a slip and fall lawyer 30067 residents can contact. Reach out to the firm for a free case review, and our team will walk you through what comes next.