The Brown Law Firm can guide you through the claims process if you’ve been injured in a slip-and-fall accident in an icy parking lot in Juneau. No matter how careful you are, an icy patch of ground can quickly cause an accident here. And while the people that manage the parking lot usually try to argue that it’s unavoidable, it doesn’t change your options for filing a claim. Set up a free consultation today to talk over those options.
When It Makes Sense to Talk to a Lawyer
Cold weather, snow, and ice are just part of life in Juneau. Whether you’re heading into a store, going to work, picking someone up, or walking around Downtown, you probably don’t think twice about the possibility of slipping. But one bad step on an icy parking lot can leave you dealing with an injury that affects you for weeks or even months. That’s usually when it makes sense to reach out to our team for help. When you do, we can:
- Look into how the icy conditions developed
- Figure out who was responsible for maintaining the parking lot
- Gather information about what the area looked like when you fell
- Deal with the insurance company and the questions that come with your claim
There’s also a timing issue with these types of accidents. Snow gets plowed. Ice gets scraped or treated. Cars drive over the same area. Temperatures go up and down. A parking lot can look completely different a day or two after your fall. That, obviously, means the specifics matter. And that starts with understanding the location.
Where Icy Parking Lot Slip-and-Falls Happen in Juneau
Pretty much everybody understands how a slip-and-fall can happen on an icy parking lot in Juneau. You step out of your car, start walking, and suddenly your feet go out from under you. But an injury claim is about more than just showing that you fell. It’s about what led up to it and how that factored into what’s happened to you.
And the fact that Juneau gets plenty of snow, rain, and freezing temperatures doesn’t automatically mean nobody is responsible. The location matters because different parking lots have different people responsible for them. So most of the time, these accidents can happen in parking lots of:
- Grocery stores and shopping centers
- Restaurants, stores, and shops
- Apartment and condo parking lots
- Office and commercial lots
- Hospitals and medical offices
- Schools, gyms, and city parking lots
Sometimes the problem isn’t the entire parking lot. It might be one spot where water keeps collecting and freezing over and over, a snowbank left by a plow, or a curb where melting snow has nowhere to go. While that might explain why you fell, it doesn’t necessarily tell you how it happened. That’s where information becomes the other part of the equation.
What Information Should I Look For After a Slip-and-Fall in an Icy Parking Lot?
Even if you’ve lived in Juneau your whole life, an icy patch or snowy part of a parking lot can quickly cause you to slip and fall. At that point, you’re left dealing with pain and other questions that’s going to take solid information to put the picture together. Before you do anything, though, the first step is:
- Reporting the accident to someone in charge and getting medical help.
This is important, because in order to move forward with a claim, the people that own or manage the parking lot have to officially be made aware of your fall and injuries. After you do that, it’s a good chance to get a few basic things before it changes, like:
- Pictures/video of the ice, packed snow, ruts, puddles, snow piles, curbs, sidewalks, and surrounding area.
- Names and phone numbers of anyone that helped you afterward.
That’s about all you need to worry about at the scene. As long as you get a few pictures/videos, that’s usually enough to get the ball rolling. More important information is going to be made available in the coming days and weeks, like:
- The incident report from the business or property manager.
- Your medical records and bills
- Surveillance footage or other video
- Your own notes about where you fell, what the ice looked like, whether you could see it, and what happened afterward.
Again, you’re not trying to solve things totally with this information. You’re just trying to document what’s happened to you and how the icy parking lot played a part in that. You can only do so much on your end, because responsibility is likely going to get passed around among the people that were in charge of how long the icy conditions were there, how much they knew about it, who was ultimately responsible for taking care of it, and whether they did that or not.
Who’s in Charge of Fixing Icy Conditions in a Juneau Parking Lot?
A slip-and-fall in an icy parking lot in Juneau is still a premises liability issue at its core. So, the real question is who’s in charge of the parking lot. Most of the time, that responsibility falls on:
- The property owner
- The business operating there
- A property manager or landlord
- A snow and ice removal company
- A maintenance contractor
And this is where things can get a little complicated. The business where you fell isn’t necessarily the one responsible for the parking lot. A store may be renting space from a property owner, while a management company handles the property. The owner may also have hired someone else to plow, sand, or treat the parking lot.
So, there can be a lot of finger-pointing after an icy parking lot accident. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re the one dealing with the injury. Figuring out who was responsible is an important part of figuring out where you can turn for financial help.
Can I Get Financial Help For My Injuries After a Slip-and-Fall in an Icy Parking Lot?
What seems like a simple slip-and-fall in a Juneau parking lot can leave you dealing with some pretty significant changes. You may be injured, miss work, or find yourself unable to do the things you normally do. With all of that, you’re going to need financial help to get back on your feet.
Thankfully, that’s why the claims process is there. Once you’re able to pinpoint who’s responsible and that they didn’t do enough to keep you safe, you can file an injury claim and get financial help through either:
- An insurance claim outside of court
- A personal injury lawsuit
Usually, everything starts with an insurance claim. But that doesn’t mean the insurance company is automatically going to offer you a fair settlement. They may question how the ice got there, argue that the property owner or business wasn’t responsible, or try to minimize how serious your injuries are.
If the insurance company won’t offer a fair amount, or your injuries are more serious, filing a personal injury lawsuit is typically the next step. It takes longer, but it gives you a shot at fuller financial help for your:
- Medical bills and future treatment
- Lost income and reduced ability to earn
- Other expenses caused by the accident
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress and the effect the injury has had on your everyday life
And you don’t want to wait too long to start looking into what happened. Snow gets plowed. Ice melts. Parking lots get treated. Surveillance footage can disappear. The area where you fell may look completely different a few days later. Remember, though, you don’t have to try to take all that on yourself.
The Brown Law Firm Can Help After a Slip-and-Fall in an Icy Parking Lot in Juneau
A slip-and-fall in an icy parking lot in Juneau isn’t just inconvenient. It’s painful and can have long-lasting consequences for you and your family. The claims process is there to help, and when you have to go up against an insurance company, our team at The Brown Law Firm will be there to stand beside you.
Set up a free consultation today and let us help you through that process.