Fall From a Terrace/Balcony
Hollywood and South Florida have many balconies and terraces in condos and at hotels and restaurants. In many cases, these structures provide a pleasant place to relax on Florida evenings. However, they are also the site of many serious falls and injuries each year. A fall from a balcony or terrace can be life-threatening. If the terrace is several stories off the ground, fatalities or permanent head or spinal cord injuries may be the result. This type of accident can change a life forever. While in some cases these types of accidents are caused by misadventure, in many situations they are caused by negligently maintained property.
It can be difficult to tell whether your injury was preventable or simply an accident. However, this distinction is very important as you start to heal from your injuries. If your injury was preventable and was caused by negligence, you may be eligible to seek compensation through a civil claim. To learn more and to get personalized legal advice about your case, contact Flaxman Law Group at any time. Our law offices in Hollywood, Homestead, and Miami are always ready to assist injured people.
Causes of Balcony FallsThere are many reasons why people fall from balconies and suffer severe injuries:
- Alcohol or drug use
- Broken railings
- Missing railings
- Slippery balcony surfaces
- Lack of lighting
- Structural problems
- Violence or pushing
- Poorly designed, retrofitted, or designed balconies, porches, and terraces
- Violation of building codes
- Open or broken windows, which allow minors to enter unsafe balcony areas
- Too many people allowed on a terrace or balcony
- Lack of warning signs about maximum capacity
- Lack of warning signs about known problems with balconies or terraces
Many of these issues are very preventable, which is why it is important to ask questions if you have been injured in a balcony fall. Did the property owner take proper care of the terrace or balcony? Were you given all the information you needed to use the property correctly?
Determining Negligence in Balcony FallsIn some cases, it may be obvious that negligence played a role in your injuries. For example, if a terrace was in poor repair and had obviously broken railings, then it is a clear indication of negligence on the part of the property owner. In other cases, however, negligence is not so obvious. A patio or balcony may have structural integrity problems that only an architect or engineer can detect and unbeknownst to you a property owner may have been warned about these problems before you fell. In this type of situation, only a good investigation could help uncover recklessness. Experienced attorneys work with investigators, engineers, architects, expert witnesses, and other experts to help determine the cause of a fall.
Whether you have fallen from a defective or poorly maintained balcony or terrace at a store, restaurant, apartment, condo, bar, parking lot, or even a private home, there may be legal remedies available to you. You may qualify to file a legal claim so that you can pursue compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, medical expenses, and more. To find out more and to get a free case review to find out whether you qualify, contact Flaxman Law Group at any time to schedule a free case review.
Our firm has handled falls and balcony fall cases across South Florida. Our law offices in Hollywood, Homestead, and Miami are fully equipped with the resources needed to pursue cases aggressively. Your initial consultation with Flaxman Law Group is free of charge and comes with no obligation, so contact our law firm at 866-352-9626 today.