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If you were injured because of a dangerous condition on someone else’s property, you may be able to recover compensation from the property owner, business, occupier, or another responsible party. However, simply falling on someone else’s property does not automatically create liability.
A Chicago slip and fall accident lawyer can investigate what caused your fall, determine who controlled the property, preserve surveillance footage, and establish whether the responsible party knew or should have known about the dangerous condition.
Conboy Law represents people injured in slip and fall and other premises-liability accidents throughout Chicago. Call 312-726-9000 for a free consultation.
How Conboy Law Can Help After a Slip and Fall Accident in Chicago
Slip and fall cases often depend on evidence that disappears quickly. A spill may be cleaned, ice may melt, defective flooring may be repaired, and surveillance footage may be overwritten.
Conboy Law can move quickly to preserve evidence and determine how the hazardous condition developed.
Our legal team may:
- Inspect the accident location
- Obtain photographs and surveillance footage
- Identify witnesses
- Request incident reports
- Examine inspection and cleaning records
- Determine how long the hazard existed
- Identify the property owner, tenant, contractor, or other responsible party
- Review medical records and document your damages
- Handle communications with insurance companies
- Negotiate for a settlement or prepare the case for trial
Conboy Law has obtained significant premises-liability results, including reported settlements of $1.6 million, $800,000, and $687,500. Attorney John Kralovec also brings more than 40 years of practice and trial experience and has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements.
Past results do not guarantee a particular outcome, but they demonstrate the firm’s experience handling serious injury cases.
How Common Are Slip and Fall Accidents in Chicago, IL?
There is no single official database that counts every slip and fall accident occurring on Chicago businesses, apartment properties, sidewalks, and other premises.
However, falls are a major source of serious injury.
Illinois Department of Public Health data show that in 2022, older adults in Illinois experienced more than 2.16 million falls. Falls involving older adults resulted in 21,912 hospitalizations, another 114,686 emergency department visits, and 1,184 deaths.
Nationally, the CDC reports that more than one in four adults age 65 or older falls each year, resulting in approximately 3 million emergency department visits annually.
These numbers include many types of falls and are not limited to negligent-property cases. Still, they show how serious fall injuries can be.
What Is My Chicago Slip and Fall Accident Case Worth?
There is no standard settlement amount for a Chicago slip and fall case.
The value depends on factors such as:
- The severity of your injuries
- Your medical expenses
- Whether you need future treatment
- Time missed from work
- Permanent disability or scarring
- The strength of the liability evidence
- Whether you share any fault
- Available insurance coverage
- The long-term effect on your daily life
A broken wrist that heals within several months will usually be evaluated differently from a fall causing a traumatic brain injury, spinal damage, or permanent mobility problems. The best way to estimate value is to examine the complete evidence rather than compare your case with an online “average settlement.”
What Types of Damages Are Available to Slip and Fall Victims?
A successful Illinois slip and fall claim may provide compensation for economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages may include:
- Emergency treatment
- Hospital bills
- Surgery
- Rehabilitation
- Medication
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Other documented financial losses
Non-economic damages may include:
- Pain and suffering
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Loss of normal life
Illinois law recognises pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, loss of consortium, and loss of society as forms of non-economic loss.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Slip and Fall Accident in Illinois?
Possibly. Illinois follows modified comparative negligence.
If you are 50% or less responsible for your injury, you may still recover compensation, but your damages are reduced according to your percentage of fault. If you are more than 50% responsible, you generally cannot recover damages.
For example, if your damages total $100,000 and you are found 20% responsible for failing to notice a hazard, your recovery could be reduced to $80,000.
Property insurers frequently argue that a dangerous condition was visible or that the injured person should have avoided it. That makes photographs, video footage, witness statements, and evidence showing how the hazard developed especially important.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Slip and Fall Injuries
Falls can cause much more than minor bruising.
Conboy Law represents people suffering injuries such as:
- Broken hips
- Wrist and arm fractures
- Leg and ankle fractures
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Concussions
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Herniated discs
- Spinal cord injuries
- Knee injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Facial injuries
- Cuts and scarring
Older adults can face especially serious consequences. The CDC reports that falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries and contribute heavily to hip fractures among older adults.
What Causes Most Slip and Fall Accidents in Chicago, IL?
Slip and fall accidents can occur anywhere property is not reasonably maintained.
Common hazards include:
- Wet floors
- Spilled food or drinks
- Uneven flooring
- Broken stairs
- Loose carpeting
- Missing or defective handrails
- Poor lighting
- Potholes
- Cracked walkways
- Snow and ice
- Cluttered aisles
- Leaking refrigerators or freezers
- Construction debris
Falls commonly occur in grocery stores, restaurants, apartment buildings, hotels, parking garages, retail stores, office buildings, and other commercial properties.
Who Can Be Responsible for a Chicago Slip and Fall?
The property owner is not always the only potential defendant.
Depending on who controlled the area and created the hazard, responsible parties could include:
- Property owners
- Businesses
- Commercial tenants
- Landlords
- Property management companies
- Maintenance companies
- Snow-removal contractors
- Cleaning companies
- Other contractors
Determining who had responsibility for inspecting, repairing, or maintaining the property can be one of the most important parts of the investigation.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Slip and Fall Accident in Illinois?
Under the Illinois Premises Liability Act, property owners and occupiers generally owe lawful visitors a duty of reasonable care under the circumstances regarding the condition of the property and acts or omissions occurring there.
A slip and fall case typically requires evidence showing that:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care.
- A dangerous condition existed.
- The defendant created the condition or knew or reasonably should have known about it.
- The defendant failed to take reasonable action.
- The dangerous condition caused your fall.
- You suffered damages.
Notice Can Be Critical
One of the hardest questions is often whether the defendant had enough time to discover and correct the hazard. Suppose you slipped on liquid in a grocery store. Evidence that an employee caused the spill can be very different from evidence showing that another customer spilled something only seconds before you fell.
Useful evidence may include:
- Surveillance footage
- Inspection logs
- Cleaning schedules
- Employee testimony
- Incident reports
- Witness statements
- Photographs
This is why investigating promptly matters.
What Should I Do After a Slip and Fall Accident?
Your actions at the scene can preserve valuable evidence.
If possible:
- Report the fall to the property owner or manager
- Ask for an incident report
- Photograph the exact hazard
- Photograph the surrounding area
- Get witness names and contact information
- Preserve the shoes and clothing you were wearing
- Seek appropriate medical care
- Keep medical records and bills
- Avoid giving broad recorded statements before understanding your rights
Pay particular attention to photographs and video. A hazardous condition may look completely different hours later.
What If I Fell on Snow or Ice?
Chicago winters make snow-and-ice cases particularly important.
Liability is not automatic simply because you slipped on an icy sidewalk or parking lot. Illinois law distinguishes among different circumstances, including how the snow or ice accumulated and whether someone's actions created or worsened the condition.
Snow-removal contracts, drainage problems, leaking gutters, refreezing water, plowing patterns, and property-maintenance records can all become relevant. Because snow and ice can melt quickly, photographs and early investigation can be crucial.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Slip and Fall Accident in Illinois?
Most Illinois personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years after the injury. However, some cases have shorter deadlines.
For example, a lawsuit against an Illinois local public entity or employee generally must be brought within one year under the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act.
That shorter period could become relevant if a fall involves property controlled by a municipality or another qualifying public entity. Do not wait until the statute of limitations is approaching. Surveillance recordings and other evidence may disappear much sooner.
Get Justice for Your Slip and Fall Accident Case
Contact Our Chicago Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
A serious fall can leave you facing medical bills, missed work, and long-term physical problems. If a dangerous property condition caused your injuries, you may have the right to seek compensation.
Conboy Law has experience handling premises-liability claims and significant injury cases throughout Chicago. A Chicago slip and fall accident lawyer can investigate the hazard, preserve evidence, identify responsible parties, and fight for the compensation available under Illinois law.
Call Conboy Law at 312-726-9000 for a free consultation.
Joseph M. Conboy is the founding attorney of Conboy Law and represents victims and families in serious personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases throughout Illinois. He has obtained numerous multi-million-dollar results and has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star. As the firm’s primary litigator, he works closely with clients to build strategies tailored to the facts of each case.
