In most cases, yes, you should hire a personal injury lawyer if you sustain an injury on stairs. You may be entitled to significant compensation after an incident like this through filing a Milwaukee premises liability claim against the responsible property owner. An attorney can investigate the facts and circumstances of your case and help you pursue compensation for all of your losses from there if possible.
At the least, it’s almost certainly worth the effort to reach out to a lawyer to learn about your best course of action. Most attorneys in this area of the law offer an opportunity to answer your questions and offer some initial legal advice at no cost to you.
When Is a Property Owner Liable for a Milwaukee Stairway Injury?
Not every fall on a staircase gives rise to a legal claim. Per Wisconsin premises liability law, a property owner can be held liable when a dangerous condition on their property causes someone to suffer harm, but only if they knew about the hazard or should have discovered it through reasonable inspection and failed to take action.
Common stairway hazards that lead to premises liability claims include:
- Broken steps
- Missing handrails
- Worn carpeting on stairs
- Poor lighting in stairwells
- Ice accumulation on outdoor steps
- Uneven step heights that violate building codes
- Debris left on stairs
If any of these conditions contributed to your fall, the property owner may owe you money damages for your injuries. A lawyer can review the facts and circumstances of your case and asses it’s potential viability as well.
What About Wisconsin’s Comparative Negligence Rule?
One reason property owners and insurers fight stairway injury claims so aggressively is Wisconsin’s modified comparative negligence law. Per Wis. Stat. § 895.045, your compensation can be reduced by whatever percentage of fault is assigned to you. If your share exceeds 50%, you’re barred from recovering anything.
An experienced attorney will know how to counter these tactics and keep the focus on what the property owner failed to do. That way, you’ll be in a position to actually recover the full value of your claim.
Other Ways a Milwaukee Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You
Beyond determining liability and helping you respond to allegations of shared fault, a personal injury attorney can help you by:
- Calculating the full value of your economic and non-economic damages
- Collecting the evidence necessary to prove your case
- Handling all communications with the property owner’s insurance company
- Consulting with experts who can speak to building code violations or unsafe conditions
- Negotiating for a settlement that reflects what your injuries have actually cost you
- Filing a lawsuit and representing you in court if the other side won’t cooperate
These cases frequently require going up against a powerful corporation as well as its insurance company. Having a lawyer on your side allows you to level the playing field and set you up for a successful resolution.
Contact a Wisconsin Premises Liability Attorney To Learn More
If you were injured on a stairway in Wisconsin because of a property owner’s negligence, hiring an attorney may well be worth your time. Contact Cannon & Dunphy S.C. for a free consultation at (262) 239-4124. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you only pay attorney’s fees if our premises liability lawyers win compensation for you.