Pembroke Pines Slip and Fall Lawyer

Florida property owners and businesses must keep their property reasonably safe for the people they invite in. When they don't, and someone gets hurt, the injured person may have a premises liability claim. If you are looking for a slip and fall lawyer in Pembroke Pines, this page explains, in general terms, how these claims work. It is general information, not legal advice; every case is different.

Where Falls Happen in Pembroke Pines

Pembroke Pines is home to about 176,700 people, many of them in large planned communities, condominiums and apartment complexes, and it is a major shopping area for southwest Broward. Pembroke Lakes Mall sits near Pines Boulevard and Flamingo Road, and The Shops at Pembroke Gardens, an open-air center with about 80 storefronts, sits at I-75 and Pines Boulevard. Add grocery stores, restaurants, gyms, medical offices and schools, and there are many places where a dangerous condition can cause a fall.

• Grocery and big-box stores Spilled liquids, leaking coolers and freezers, produce on the floor, loose mats and merchandise left in the aisle.
• Malls and open-air shopping centers Wet walkways after rain, uneven pavers, broken curbs and poorly marked steps.
• Restaurants and food courts Grease, spilled drinks and freshly mopped floors without warning signs.
• Condominiums and apartment communities Broken stairs, missing handrails, water from roof or AC leaks, poor lighting in hallways and parking garages.
• Parking lots and sidewalks Potholes, cracked concrete, wheel stops in walkways and poorly lit areas.
• Pools, gyms and clubhouses Slippery pool decks and locker rooms, and equipment left in walkways.

What You Generally Have to Prove in Florida

Falling on someone else's property does not automatically make the owner responsible. In general, the injured person must show that a dangerous condition existed, that the owner or business knew or should have known about it, and that they failed to fix it or warn about it.

For falls caused by a transitory foreign substance in a business, such as a spill on the floor, section 768.0755 of the Florida Statutes requires proof that the business had actual or constructive knowledge of the condition. Constructive knowledge can be shown, for example, if the condition existed long enough that the business should have found it, or if it happened regularly and was foreseeable.

That is why the details matter: how long the spill was there, whether employees walked past it, whether there were inspection or sweep logs, and what the security cameras recorded.

Falls at Condos and Homeowners' Association Property

Many Pembroke Pines residents live in communities run by a condominium or homeowners' association. Associations generally must maintain the common areas they control, such as stairs, walkways, pool areas, clubhouses, parking lots and hallways, in reasonably safe condition. Landlords have similar duties for the common areas of apartment complexes.

In these cases, it is important to identify who controlled the area where you fell: the association, a management company, a landlord, a tenant or a maintenance contractor. Maintenance requests, prior complaints and board records can help show that the problem was known and not fixed.

What to Do After a Fall in Pembroke Pines

1. Report the fall. Tell the manager, store employee or property office right away and ask for a copy of the incident report.
2. Take photos. Photograph exactly what made you fall (the liquid, the hole, the step), the area around it, any warning signs or the lack of them, the lighting and your shoes.
3. Get witness names. Customers, neighbors or employees who saw the fall or the condition can be very important.
4. Get medical care. Falls often cause hip, wrist, knee, shoulder, back and head injuries. See a doctor quickly and follow the treatment plan.
5. Ask that video be kept. Many stores record over their security video after a short time. A lawyer can send a letter asking the business to preserve it.
6. Don't give a recorded statement to the property owner's insurer before getting advice.

Compensation and Comparative Fault

A successful premises liability claim may include medical bills, future medical care, lost income, and pain and suffering. Insurance companies often argue that the injured person should have seen the hazard. Under Florida's modified comparative negligence rule, in general, if you are found more than 50% at fault you cannot recover, and if you are 50% or less at fault your recovery is reduced by your share.

Read more about slip and fall claims in Florida, or go back to our Pembroke Pines car accident and personal injury page.

How We Help After a Fall in Pembroke Pines

Tomas Robirosa serves Pembroke Pines and the rest of Broward County, and you can speak with him directly in Spanish or English. We move quickly to preserve video and incident reports, identify the property owner, the business, the association and any maintenance or security company involved, deal with their insurers and, if needed, file suit in Broward County.

We work on a contingency basis: no fee unless we recover. Call (305) 600-0529 for a free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions