It’s never a good day when you fall and get hurt. You may have been walking up to your neighbor’s house to drop off a package or have been jogging up to the door of a building before you fell. That fall may have left you with a broken ankle, wrist or elbow. You may have bruising, a head injury, spinal injuries or other wounds.

Sometimes, property owners are responsible for slip-and-fall accidents. When they are, victims of these accidents can seek financial compensation, so that they can afford their medical care and get the support they need moving forward.

How do you know if a property owner is responsible for a slip-and-fall accident?

There are a few times when a property owner is more likely to be responsible for an accident. For example, if you are walking into a grocery store on a dry day and slip on a wet puddle in the doorway, you may have a claim. Why? The store is responsible for making sure all spills are cleaned up quickly, so that others coming onto the premises don’t get hurt. If the spill can’t be cleaned up right away, then the store owner or employees should put down a “wet floor” sign to let others know about the hazard.

Another good example is if someone falls down the stairs at a local business. Businesses are required to have handrails in most cases and to provide warnings about the risk of falling down the stairs. Other requirements may also play a role in whether or not a victim of a fall has a case, but the overarching idea is that a property owner has to keep the property safe at all times.

Whether you trip and fall, slip on icy sidewalks, fall because of cracked pavement or deal with other issues that lead to an injury, you may be able to make a claim for compensation. Your attorney will go over what exactly happened with you, so that you can determine if the property owner’s negligence played a role in the accident. If so, then the owner may be able to be held responsible for your medical care and other financial needs.