Lansing Slip and Fall Lawyer

Supermarkets, department stores, and retail establishments in East Lansing and Lansing have particularly high foot traffic, which increases the risk of dangerous conditions. Spilled liquids in aisles, freshly mopped floors without warning signs, produce that’s fallen onto the floor, or merchandise cluttering walkways create serious hazards. Store owners must implement regular inspection protocols and respond immediately when customers or employees report dangers. If you’ve fallen in a Meijer, Kroger, Walmart, or any retail establishment due to the store’s negligence, we can investigate the incident, obtain surveillance footage, and identify whether the store had adequate safety procedures in place.

Lansing’s dining and entertainment venues must maintain safe conditions for patrons. Greasy kitchen floors that extend into dining areas, spilled drinks near bars, inadequate lighting in parking lots, and worn carpeting that creates trip hazards are common issues in workplace accidents at restaurants. Michigan’s dram shop laws may also apply if alcohol service contributed to the dangerous condition. We understand the evidence needed to prove these claims and work quickly to preserve critical documentation before it disappears.

Landlords and hotel operators in the Greater Lansing area owe tenants and guests a duty to maintain common areas safely. Broken stairway railings, inadequate outdoor lighting, icy parking lots and walkways that haven’t been properly salted, defective elevators, and poolside hazards all create liability. These cases often involve questions about whether the property owner had notice of the dangerous condition and reasonable time to fix it. Our firm investigates maintenance records, prior complaints, and inspection reports to build compelling cases for our clients.

Michigan winters create particularly dangerous conditions in parking lots and on sidewalks throughout Lansing. Property owners must remove snow and ice within a reasonable time and cannot simply claim that winter weather excuses their negligence. Potholes, cracked pavement, inadequate drainage that creates ice patches, and broken lighting also create liability. We handle claims against shopping centers, office buildings, apartment complexes, and municipal entities when their negligence causes injuries on walkways and parking areas.

Elderly residents in Lansing-area care facilities face heightened fall risks due to mobility challenges and medical conditions. When nursing home abuse or neglect contributes to a fall, whether through inadequate supervision, failure to use safety equipment, wet floors, or obstacles in hallways, families have legal recourse. These cases often involve both premises liability and nursing home negligence claims, and we’ve successfully represented families whose loved ones suffered preventable injuries in care facilities.

When visitors or workers fall on construction sites due to unmarked hazards, debris, or inadequate safety measures, multiple parties may be liable. While some falls may involve workers’ compensation claims, third-party liability claims against property owners, general contractors, or subcontractors often provide additional compensation. We evaluate all potential sources of recovery in construction-related slip and fall accidents.

We listen to your story, review any documentation you have, and provide an honest assessment of your case’s strengths and potential value. This consultation costs you nothing, and you’re under no obligation to hire us.

We immediately begin gathering evidence including accident scene photos, surveillance footage, maintenance records, inspection reports, witness statements, and weather data. We may consult with safety experts who can testify about industry standards the property owner violated.

We work with your healthcare providers to document the full extent of your injuries, ensuring your medical records clearly link your injuries to the slip and fall accident. If you need help finding appropriate medical care in the Lansing area, we can provide referrals.

Once we’ve fully documented your damages, we prepare a detailed demand package to the responsible party’s insurance company. Our slip and fall lawyer East Lansing MI team has decades of negotiation experience and knows how to counter lowball offers and pressure tactics that insurers commonly use.

If the insurance company refuses to offer fair compensation, we’re fully prepared to file a lawsuit in Ingham County Circuit Court and take your case to trial. Our courtroom experience often motivates insurance companies to settle fairly before trial, but we’re always ready to present your case to a jury.

Cover your measurable financial losses including all past and future medical expenses (emergency room treatment, surgery, physical therapy, medications, assistive devices), lost wages from missed work, reduced earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from returning to your previous job, and out-of-pocket expenses related to your injury and recovery.

Compensate for intangible losses such as physical pain and suffering, emotional distress and mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life when injuries prevent activities you previously enjoyed, scarring and disfigurement that affect your appearance and self-esteem, and loss of consortium if your injuries harm your relationship with your spouse.

Following the 2023 Michigan Supreme Court ruling in Kandil-Elsayed v. F&E Oil, Inc., Michigan’s approach to “open and obvious” hazards has changed significantly. Previously, property owners could often get cases dismissed early by arguing that a danger was obvious. Now, whether a hazard was “open and obvious” is generally a question of comparative fault for a jury to decide, not a duty question for judges to resolve at the outset. This means property owners face greater difficulty getting slip and fall cases dismissed before trial, even when hazards might appear obvious. Property owners may still argue at trial that you should have noticed and avoided the danger, which could reduce your compensation under comparative negligence principles, but they can no longer use this doctrine as easily to avoid liability altogether. This landmark change makes it more difficult for insurance companies to deny valid claims based solely on the visibility of a hazard.

Michigan law gives you three years from the date of your slip and fall accident to file a lawsuit under MCL 600.5805. Missing this deadline generally means losing your right to compensation forever, regardless of how strong your case is. If your case involves a government entity (city sidewalks, county buildings, state property), you must provide written notice of your claim within 120 days, and you may have as little as one year to file suit. These shortened deadlines make immediate legal consultation critical for falls on government property.

Michigan follows a modified comparative negligence system under MCL 600.2959. If you’re found partially at fault for your fall (perhaps you were texting while walking or wearing inappropriate footwear), your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you’re more than 50% at fault, you are barred from recovering non-economic damages (pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life), though you can still recover economic damages (medical bills, lost wages) reduced by your percentage of fault. Insurance companies aggressively try to shift blame to victims, which is why having an experienced slip and fall lawyer Lansing MI trusts becomes essential to protecting your rights.

Michigan property owners generally have no duty to remove naturally accumulated ice and snow in open and obvious locations. However, exceptions exist when property owners create unnatural accumulations through poor drainage, snow piling, or architectural design that channels water into freezing areas. We investigate whether property conditions transformed a natural accumulation into an unnatural hazard the owner should have addressed.

Special rules apply when you fall on government property in Lansing. Michigan’s governmental immunity statute provides broad protections to municipalities, but exceptions exist for dangerous conditions in public buildings and failure to maintain sidewalks adjacent to government property. These cases require navigating complex notice requirements and shorter deadlines.

Even if your injuries seem minor, get evaluated by a healthcare provider right away. Some serious injuries like brain injury or internal trauma may not produce immediate symptoms. Delaying treatment gives insurance companies ammunition to argue your injuries weren’t serious or weren’t caused by the fall.

Notify the property owner, manager, or staff about your fall and ensure they document it in an incident report. Get a copy of this report if possible. If they refuse to create a report, document your attempt to notify them.

Take photos or video of the exact location where you fell, the hazardous condition that caused your fall, your injuries, your clothing and footwear, and the surrounding area including lighting and warning signs (or lack thereof). Write down detailed notes about how the accident happened while the memory is fresh. Get contact information for anyone who witnessed your fall.

Keep the shoes and clothing you wore during the fall in a safe place. Do not return to the scene and find it has been altered or repaired, as this destroys critical evidence.

Property owners and insurance companies may contact you requesting recorded statements. Politely decline until you’ve spoken with a slip and fall attorney. Anything you say can be used to diminish or deny your claim.

Call us as soon as possible after your accident. Early involvement allows us to preserve surveillance footage before it’s erased, interview witnesses while memories are fresh, and document conditions before the property owner makes repairs.

With an Attorney:

• Professional investigation preserves critical evidence
• Expert evaluation of your case’s true value
• Aggressive negotiation backed by trial preparation
• Legal protection from harmful statements and tactics
• No upfront costs, fees only if you win

Without an Attorney:

• Evidence often disappears before you can act
• Insurance companies offer minimal settlements
• You accept whatever the insurer offers
• Your words can be used against you
• You navigate complex legal process alone

Past results are not a guarantee of future outcomes. Every case depends on its unique facts.

Monument Legal works on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no upfront costs or hourly fees.

Our legal fees come only from your settlement or court award, typically as a percentage of the recovery. If we don’t win your case, you owe us nothing. This arrangement allows everyone access to quality legal representation regardless of their financial situation, and it motivates us to maximize your compensation since our fee depends on your recovery.

Michigan’s statute of limitations gives you three years from the date of your accident to file a lawsuit in most slip and fall cases.

However, if your case involves a government entity such as a city sidewalk or county building, you must provide written notice within 120 days and may have only one year to file suit. These deadlines are strict, and missing them means losing your right to compensation forever. Contact us immediately to ensure your claim is filed on time and all procedural requirements are met.

Case values vary widely based on injury severity, medical expenses incurred, lost income from missed work, how the injuries impact your daily life and future earning capacity, the strength of evidence proving negligence, your percentage of fault if any, and available insurance coverage.

Minor cases with soft tissue injuries might settle for thousands of dollars, while serious injuries requiring surgery or causing permanent disability can result in six-figure or higher settlements.

During your free consultation, we’ll evaluate your specific situation and provide realistic expectations about your case’s potential value. Never trust insurance companies’ initial offers, as they almost always undervalue claims.

Most slip and fall cases in Michigan settle within 12 to 18 months, though timelines vary significantly.

Simple cases with clear liability and modest injuries may resolve in a few months, while complex cases involving disputed fault, serious injuries, or multiple parties can take two years or longer. Cases that go to trial naturally take longer than those that settle during negotiations.

We work efficiently to move your case forward while ensuring we fully document your injuries and damages before settling. Rushing to settle before reaching maximum medical improvement often results in inadequate compensation that doesn’t account for future medical needs.

While Michigan law doesn’t require you to hire an attorney, having experienced legal representation dramatically improves your outcome.

Insurance companies have teams of lawyers and adjusters working to minimize what they pay you, and they routinely use tactics to devalue or deny legitimate claims. Property owners often deny responsibility or claim the hazard was open and obvious. Without legal representation, you’re likely to accept far less than your case is worth, say things that damage your claim, or miss critical deadlines that destroy your case entirely.

Statistics show that represented claimants recover significantly more compensation on average than those handling claims themselves, even after paying attorney fees. Our contingency fee structure means you risk nothing by having us fight for you.

Yes, you can still recover compensation under Michigan’s comparative negligence system as long as you’re not more than 50% responsible for your fall.

Your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault, so if you’re found 20% at fault for a $100,000 case, you’d recover $80,000. Insurance companies aggressively try to shift blame to victims, claiming you weren’t watching where you walked, wore inappropriate shoes, or ignored warnings.

Our top Lansing slip and fall attorneys counter these tactics by demonstrating that the property owner’s negligence was the primary cause of your injuries regardless of any minor contribution on your part.

Property owners and their insurers routinely try to blame slip and fall victims to avoid liability.

They may claim you were distracted, careless, or ignoring obvious hazards. We combat these defenses by thoroughly investigating the circumstances of your fall, identifying code violations or industry standard violations by the property owner, demonstrating that the hazard was not actually obvious or was unavoidable given the circumstances, and showing through witnesses or surveillance footage what really happened.

Having an attorney prevents you from making damaging statements that insurers twist to support their blame-shifting narrative.

Proving negligence in slip and fall cases requires establishing four elements. First, the property owner owed you a duty of care as a lawful visitor on their premises. Second, they breached that duty by failing to maintain safe conditions, repair known hazards, or warn about dangers they couldn’t immediately fix. Third, this breach directly caused your fall and injuries. Fourth, you suffered actual damages requiring compensation.

We prove these elements through surveillance footage, photographs of the hazard, maintenance and inspection records showing the owner knew or should have known about the danger, witness testimony, expert opinions about violations of safety codes or industry standards, and weather reports for ice and snow cases.

Building a compelling evidence package takes investigative skill and resources that most individuals don’t have access to on their own.

Slip and fall accidents can cause a wide range of injuries from minor to catastrophic.

Common injuries we see include broken bones (wrists, arms, hips, ankles), spinal cord injuries that may result in paralysis, traumatic brain injuries and concussions from hitting your head, back injuries including herniated discs and soft tissue damage, shoulder injuries including rotator cuff tears, knee injuries requiring surgery, cuts and lacerations, and soft tissue injuries like sprains and strains.

The severity often depends on your age and health, the height from which you fell, what body parts hit the ground first, and the surface onto which you fell. Older adults face heightened risks of serious complications from falls, particularly hip fractures and head injuries.

Most slip and fall cases settle before trial through negotiation with the insurance company.

However, we prepare every case as if it will go to trial, which strengthens our negotiating position and often motivates insurers to offer fair settlements. If your case does proceed to trial in Ingham County Circuit Court, we’ll thoroughly prepare you for the process, explain what to expect, and represent you aggressively throughout.

Having attorneys with substantial trial experience (not just settlement experience) makes insurance companies take your case more seriously from the start.