If you or someone you love has been hurt in a slip and fall accident, you already know how quickly life can change in a single moment. You may be dealing with painful injuries, growing treatment costs, and real uncertainty about how you will manage your daily responsibilities while you recover. The property owner or manager who allowed the hazardous condition that caused your fall may not even acknowledge what happened, and their insurance company is already looking for ways to minimize what they owe you.
Slip and fall accidents are far more common and more serious than most people realize. The National Floor Safety Institute reports that falls account for over eight million emergency room visits across the country each year, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that falls remain the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in the United States.[1][2] These are not minor incidents. One out of every five falls results in a serious injury such as a broken bone or a head injury, and the average hospital cost for a fall-related admission exceeds $30,000.[2] Austin is a growing city with constant construction, aging commercial properties, and high foot traffic in retail and entertainment districts, and all of these factors create conditions where dangerous slip and fall hazards go unaddressed every day.
At Jim Adler & Associates, we have spent decades fighting for injured Texans in Austin and throughout Central Texas, and we are ready to fight for you, too. Our team of experienced Austin slip and fall attorneys knows how to hold negligent property owners accountable and pursue the full compensation you deserve.
With offices serving Austin and communities throughout Texas, our team can move quickly to investigate the property conditions and start building your slip and fall case. Your first step is a FREE slip and fall case review.
Call 1-800-505-1414 now or click here to get started online.
After a serious slip and fall accident, you need more than just someone who will file paperwork and hope for a settlement check. You need a legal team that will move quickly, investigate thoroughly, and fight hard to get you and your family what you deserve. At Jim Adler & Associates, we have been standing up for injured Texans since 1973, and we bring more than 50 years of experience to every premises liability case we handle. The following is an overview of how our Austin slip and fall lawyers work to protect your rights and pursue full compensation on your behalf.
You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.* Your consultation is completely free, and our team is available to speak with you in both English and Spanish. Call Jim Adler & Associates today or fill out the form on this page to get started.
With hundreds of slip and fall lawsuits filed, our numbers speak for themselves.
A slip and fall accident happens when someone loses their footing because of a dangerous condition on another person’s property. A wet grocery store floor with no warning sign, a cracked sidewalk outside a restaurant, torn carpet in an office building, or a poorly lit parking garage stairwell can all cause a serious fall in a matter of seconds. These accidents are far more common than most people think. The National Floor Safety Institute reports that slip and fall incidents account for over one million emergency room visits across the country every year, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that one out of every five falls results in a serious injury such as a broken bone or a head injury.[1][2]
When a property owner or manager knows about a dangerous condition and does nothing to fix it or warn visitors, that owner may be held responsible for the injuries that follow. Under Texas premises liability principles, businesses that invite the public onto their property owe those visitors a duty to inspect for hazards, address known dangers, and provide adequate warnings.[3] A single fall can leave you facing broken bones, back injuries, head trauma, mounting treatment costs, lost wages from missed work, and real emotional distress that lingers long after the incident itself. If a negligent property owner allowed the condition that caused your fall, an experienced Austin slip and fall lawyer can help you understand your options and fight to hold them accountable.
Slip and fall accidents rarely happen by chance, and most of them trace back to a property owner or manager who failed to address a known hazard or ignored a condition that should have been obvious. Understanding the common causes of these accidents can help you recognize when someone else’s negligence played a role in your injury and when you may have a valid claim worth pursuing.
Every one of these hazards is preventable, and when a property owner or manager fails to take reasonable steps to address them, the people who get hurt deserve to hold that owner accountable. If any of these conditions caused your fall, an Austin slip and fall attorney can review the details of your incident and help you understand whether you have a case worth pursuing.
Our Austin slip and fall lawyers help Texans get the financial compensation they deserve. We only get paid if you win.* And we fight to win.
The force of a sudden fall can cause injuries that are far more serious than most people expect, especially when the fall happens on a hard surface like concrete, tile, or asphalt. Even a fall that seems minor at first can lead to injuries that require months of medical treatment, keep you out of work, and change the way you live your daily life. If you are dealing with any of the injuries described below after a fall on someone else’s property, an experienced Austin slip and fall attorney can help you understand the full value of your claim and fight to make sure your recovery is accounted for.
Hip fractures, broken wrists, and shattered ankles are among the most common injuries that slip and fall victims suffer, and these fractures often require emergency surgery, metal plates or screws, and lengthy rehabilitation before a person can return to normal activity. Older adults face an even greater risk because bones become more fragile with age, and a single hip fracture can permanently change a person’s ability to live independently.
The recovery timeline for a serious fracture can stretch from weeks to many months, and some breaks never heal properly despite the best medical care available. During that time, you may be unable to work, unable to drive, and unable to handle basic daily tasks without help from family members or in-home caregivers.
When your head strikes a hard floor, a countertop, or a stairway railing during a fall, the impact can cause a concussion, a skull fracture, or a traumatic brain injury that affects the way your brain functions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries in the United States, and many of these injuries go undiagnosed in the hours after the incident because symptoms do not always appear right away.[2]
Headaches, confusion, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, mood changes, and trouble sleeping are all warning signs that something may be wrong after a fall. These symptoms can interfere with your ability to work, care for your family, and enjoy everyday life, and some traumatic brain injuries result in permanent cognitive changes that require ongoing medical treatment.
A fall can place enormous force on your spine, and the resulting damage can range from painful herniated discs and pinched nerves to partial or complete paralysis when the spinal cord itself is affected. Back and neck injuries from slip and fall accidents frequently require surgery, physical therapy, pain management, and ongoing care that can last for years.
Many victims find that their spinal injuries prevent them from returning to their previous job or performing physical activities that were once part of their daily routine. The financial burden of long-term spinal treatment combined with lost wages and diminished earning capacity can be devastating for families who were already struggling to keep up with their regular expenses before the accident.
Not every slip and fall results in a broken bone or a head injury, but sprains, torn ligaments, and other soft tissue damage can still cause significant pain and keep you from living your normal life for weeks or months. Knee injuries, ankle sprains, torn rotator cuffs, and strained muscles are all common after a fall, and these injuries often require imaging, physical therapy, and sometimes surgical repair.
Insurance companies frequently try to minimize the seriousness of soft tissue injuries because they do not always show up on an X-ray, and adjusters may argue that your pain is not as bad as you claim. An Austin slip and fall lawyer who understands these tactics can help document your injuries properly and fight back against attempts to undervalue your case.
The physical injuries from a slip and fall are only part of what victims carry with them after a serious accident. Many people develop anxiety, depression, and a lasting fear of falling again that can make it difficult to leave the house, return to the location where the fall happened, or trust that everyday surfaces are safe to walk on.
These psychological effects are real injuries that deserve recognition and fair compensation, just like a broken bone or a back injury. As The Voice of The Victims™, we believe that every aspect of your suffering should be accounted for when seeking damages from the property owner whose negligence caused your fall.
When someone gets hurt because of a dangerous condition on another person’s property, the legal claim they may file is called a premises liability case. A slip and fall claim is one of the most common types of premises liability cases, and it applies when a hazardous condition such as a wet floor, a broken stairway, or a damaged walkway causes someone to fall and suffer an injury. Unlike a car accident case or a workplace injury claim, the focus is entirely on the condition of the property and whether the owner or manager did what they were supposed to do to keep visitors safe.
Under Texas premises liability principles, a business that invites the public onto its property owes those visitors the highest level of care. That means the owner has a duty to regularly inspect for hazards, fix dangerous conditions within a reasonable time, and provide adequate warning when a hazard cannot be addressed right away. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 75, property owners who act with gross negligence or bad faith may face additional liability beyond what a standard claim would involve.[3] If a property owner’s failure to maintain safe conditions caused your injuries, you have the right to pursue compensation for the harm you suffered. An Austin slip and fall attorney can evaluate the facts of your situation and help determine who should be held responsible.
Winning a slip and fall case comes down to proving that someone else’s carelessness caused your injuries. The legal process requires you to establish specific elements that connect the property owner’s failure to your fall and the harm you suffered. Understanding what needs to be proven can help you see why collecting evidence early and working with an experienced Austin slip and fall attorney matters so much in these cases.
The first step is showing that the property owner or manager had a responsibility to keep the premises safe for you as a visitor. When your fall happened at a business open to the public, such as a grocery store, a restaurant, or a shopping center, this duty is usually straightforward because business owners owe their customers the highest level of care under Texas premises liability principles.
The second step is demonstrating that the owner failed to meet that responsibility. This could mean they knew about a wet floor and did nothing to clean it up, failed to inspect a damaged walkway that had been deteriorating for weeks, or ignored a hazard that any reasonable person would have noticed and fixed. Showing that the owner had knowledge of the dangerous condition, or should have discovered it through regular inspections, is often the most critical piece of a slip and fall claim.
Even if the property was in poor condition, you need to draw a direct line between the specific hazard and your fall. This means proving that the dangerous condition is what actually caused you to lose your footing and that your injuries resulted from that fall rather than from something unrelated. Medical records that document your injuries shortly after the incident play a key role in making this connection clear.
You also need to document the real harm you suffered, including your treatment costs, lost wages, pain, suffering, and any other losses tied to the accident. The more thoroughly you can show how the fall affected your health, your ability to work, and your daily life, the stronger your case will be when it comes time to negotiate a fair settlement or present your evidence at trial.
Strong evidence is what holds all of these elements together and separates successful claims from those that fall short. Photographs of the hazard taken as close to the time of the fall as possible, incident reports filed with the property manager, surveillance footage from nearby cameras, maintenance records showing the owner ignored the problem, and witness statements from people who saw what happened can all play a critical role in proving negligence. The sooner you begin collecting this evidence, the stronger your position will be, because property owners often repair dangerous conditions quickly after an investigation begins.
Our team at Jim Adler & Associates knows exactly what evidence to pursue and how to obtain it before a property owner has a chance to fix the hazard, delete security footage, or claim they never knew about the problem. Bill Adler and our legal team encourage you to contact us as soon as possible after your fall so we can begin protecting your rights and building your case while the evidence is still fresh.
One tactic property owners and their insurance companies use frequently is trying to shift the blame onto you for your own fall. They may argue that you were not paying attention, that you were wearing improper footwear, or that the hazard was obvious enough that you should have avoided it. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 33.001, you can still recover compensation even if you were partially at fault, but your damages will be reduced by your percentage of responsibility.[4]
There is an important limit to this rule. If you are found to be more than 50 percent responsible for the accident, you cannot recover anything at all. For example, if your total damages were $100,000 and you were found 20 percent at fault, you would receive $80,000. Insurance companies know how this rule works, and they will fight hard to push your share of blame above that 50 percent threshold. Having an experienced Austin slip and fall lawyer on your side from the beginning can help protect you against these tactics and make sure fault is assigned fairly based on the actual evidence.
The moments after a slip and fall can feel confusing and overwhelming, especially when you are in pain and trying to figure out what just happened. Taking certain steps in the hours and days following your accident may help protect both your health and your ability to seek compensation later. The following suggestions are general guidelines only, and your specific situation may require different actions depending on the circumstances.
Every slip and fall accident is different, and you should always prioritize your health and safety above everything else. If you have questions about your specific situation or want to understand your legal options, The Tough, Smart Lawyer® is here to help with a free consultation.*
Property owners and their insurance companies deal with slip and fall claims every day, and they have experienced adjusters and defense attorneys whose entire job is to pay you as little as possible. They know the tactics that work, from pressuring you into a quick lowball settlement to twisting your own words into reasons to deny your claim entirely. You should not have to navigate that kind of pressure on your own, especially while you are trying to heal and take care of your family. An experienced Austin slip and fall lawyer levels the playing field by handling all communication with the insurance company, protecting you from questions designed to undermine your case, accurately valuing your claim so you do not settle for less than you need, and making sure you meet every legal deadline, including the two-year statute of limitations established under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003.[5] Missing that deadline can permanently destroy your right to file a personal injury lawsuit, no matter how strong your case may be. At Jim Adler & Associates, your consultation is free, and we handle slip and fall cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.*
When you are hurt because of someone else’s negligence, you deserve a legal team that brings real experience, real resources, and real care to your case. Jim Adler, The Texas Hammer®, has been fighting for injured Texans since 1973, and our team brings more than 50 years of premises liability experience to every slip and fall case we handle in Austin and across Texas. Our firm has a team of more than 30 attorneys and 300 legal professionals ready to investigate your accident, work with safety experts and medical professionals to strengthen your case, and take on the insurance companies that are trying to minimize what they owe you. Our track record includes substantial settlements and verdicts for clients who were hurt because property owners failed to keep their premises safe, and we are fully prepared to take your case to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer what you deserve.
We also know that a slip and fall injury affects more than just your body. You may be scared about how you will pay for treatment, worried about missed time at work, and frustrated that the property owner has not taken any responsibility. That is why we treat every client like a person and not just a case number. You will work directly with a dedicated Austin slip and fall attorney and a legal team that keeps you informed at every step, answers your questions, and helps you get the medical care you need through Letters of Protection when necessary. We are available in both English and Spanish, and your consultation is completely free. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your case.*
If you or someone you love has been hurt in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, you do not have to face the insurance company alone. The Texas Hammer® has spent more than 50 years standing up for injured Texans, and we are ready to fight for you, too. Our team will investigate your accident, identify every responsible party, and pursue the full compensation you deserve while you focus on healing. You pay nothing unless we win your case, and your initial consultation is completely free.* Call us today or fill out the form on this page to get started.
After a serious slip and fall accident, you probably have a lot of questions about what comes next and how to protect your family’s future. The answers below address some of the concerns we hear most often from people in your situation. If you have questions that are not covered here, our team is always available to speak with you directly.
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003, you generally have two years from the date of your accident to file a personal injury lawsuit for your injuries.[5] If a loved one passed away because of injuries from a fall, wrongful death claims must also be filed within two years of the date of death. Missing this deadline almost always means losing your right to seek compensation forever, no matter how strong your case may be.
Two years can pass faster than you expect, especially when you are focused on recovering from serious injuries. Important evidence can also disappear during that time if no one is working to obtain and secure it. Surveillance footage gets recorded over, property owners repair hazardous conditions, and witnesses forget critical details. We encourage you to contact an Austin slip and fall attorney as soon as possible so we can protect your rights and start building your case while the evidence is still available.
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 33.001, you can still recover compensation even if you were partially responsible for the accident.[4] Your damages will be reduced by your percentage of fault, so if you were found to be 20 percent at fault and your total damages were $100,000, you would receive $80,000.
There is an important limit to this rule. If you are found to be more than 50 percent responsible for the accident, you cannot recover anything at all. Insurance companies know exactly how this works, and they will try to shift as much blame onto you as possible by arguing you were distracted, wearing improper footwear, or should have noticed the hazard. Our attorneys fight back against these tactics and work to make sure fault is assigned fairly based on the actual evidence, not the insurance company’s version of events.
The value of your case depends on the specific facts of your situation, including how badly you were hurt, how much your medical treatment costs, how much income you have lost, and how the accident has affected your daily life and relationships. Compensation in a slip and fall case may cover your treatment expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, pain, suffering, emotional distress, and any permanent changes to your quality of life. In cases involving gross negligence, Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 41 may also allow for exemplary damages designed to punish especially reckless conduct by the property owner.[6]
We cannot promise a specific dollar amount without understanding your full situation, but we can promise that we will fight for every dollar you deserve. Our team does not accept lowball settlement offers just to close cases quickly, and we are fully prepared to take your case to trial if that is what it takes to get you fair compensation.
You have the legal right to handle your own slip and fall claim, but doing so puts you at a serious disadvantage against property owners and insurance companies that have experienced adjusters and defense attorneys working on their behalf. Insurance companies know that unrepresented claimants are more likely to accept low offers, miss critical deadlines, or make statements that damage their own case. Premises liability claims require specific evidence, knowledge of how Texas duty-of-care standards apply to your situation, and the ability to calculate the full long-term value of your injuries rather than just your current treatment costs.
An experienced Austin slip and fall lawyer handles all of the legal complexity, communicates with the insurance company on your behalf, and fights to make sure your claim reflects the true impact the accident has had on your life. At Jim Adler & Associates, your consultation is free, so you can learn about your options without any risk or financial commitment before deciding how to move forward.
At Jim Adler & Associates, we handle slip and fall cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.* There are no upfront costs, no hourly charges, and no financial risk to you for getting started. Your initial consultation is completely free, and we will review the details of your accident and injuries before you commit to anything.
This arrangement exists because we believe that injured people deserve access to experienced legal representation regardless of their financial situation. The contingency fee structure also means that our interests are aligned with yours, because we only get paid when you get paid. You can focus entirely on your recovery while our team handles the legal work.
If your slip and fall happened at your workplace, your legal options depend on whether your employer carries workers’ compensation insurance. If your employer is a subscriber to the Texas workers’ compensation system, you may collect workers’ compensation benefits for your injuries, but you generally cannot sue your employer directly. However, under Texas Labor Code Section 417.001, you may still have the right to file a separate lawsuit against a third party whose negligence contributed to your fall.[7] For example, if your fall was caused by a hazardous condition created by a building owner, a property management company, or an outside contractor, you could pursue a premises liability claim against that responsible party in addition to your workers’ compensation benefits.
If your employer does not carry workers’ compensation insurance, which is permitted in Texas, you may be able to sue your employer directly for negligence. These situations can be complex, and having an attorney who understands both premises liability and workplace injury claims can make a significant difference in the outcome of your case.
The majority of slip and fall cases settle before reaching trial, but the key to getting a fair settlement is being fully prepared to go to court if necessary. Insurance companies know which lawyers are willing to take cases to trial and which ones will accept whatever offer is put on the table. When the defense knows you have a legal team that is ready and able to present your case to a jury, they have much more incentive to offer fair compensation during negotiations.
At Jim Adler & Associates, we prepare every case as if it is going to trial, even while we pursue settlement negotiations. The Tough, Smart Lawyer® does not bluff, and insurance companies know it. This approach consistently produces better outcomes for our clients because the other side understands we will not back down from inadequate offers.
The timeline for resolving a slip and fall case varies depending on factors like the severity of your injuries, whether liability is disputed, how many parties are involved, and how cooperative the insurance company is willing to be. Some straightforward cases with clear liability and documented injuries settle within a few months, while more complex cases involving catastrophic injuries or multiple responsible parties can take a year or longer.
One factor that often extends the timeline is waiting until you reach maximum medical improvement, the point at which your doctors can say your condition is stable and predict your future medical needs. Settling too early, before you know the full extent of your injuries, can leave you without enough money to cover the treatment you will need down the road. Jim Adler, The Texas Hammer®, and our legal team balance the need for a timely resolution with the importance of making sure your settlement fully accounts for your long-term needs and the true value of your case.
After a slip and fall accident in Austin, you need a team that knows how to take on negligent property owners and their insurance companies. Jim Adler & Associates steps in to secure evidence, handle insurance communications, and build your case while you focus on recovery. We fight property owners and area insurers with thorough preparation and aggressive representation, not empty promises. Our team is available to speak with you in both English and Spanish.
We offer a free case review so you can understand your options before you commit. No fee unless we win.* Slip and fall cases move fast, and early action protects your rights and secures critical evidence before it disappears. The Texas Hammer® is here for injured Texans and their families. If a dangerous property condition turned your life upside down in Austin or anywhere in Central Texas, let our team carry the legal load so you can focus on healing.
[1] National Floor Safety Institute, “Slip and Fall Quick Facts,” National Floor Safety Institute. https://nfsi.org/
[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Facts About Falls,” National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. https://www.cdc.gov/falls/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
[3] Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Chapter 75, “Limitation of Landowners’ Liability.” https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.75.htm
[4] Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Chapter 33, Section 33.001, “Proportionate Responsibility.” https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.33.htm
[5] Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Chapter 16, Section 16.003, “Two-Year Limitations Period.” https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.16.htm
[6] Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Chapter 41, “Damages.” https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/?tab=1&code=CP&chapter=CP.41&artSec=41.001
[7] Texas Labor Code, Chapter 417, Section 417.001, “Third-Party Liability.” https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/LA/pdf/LA.417.pdf
Hurt in an accident? Tell us what happened. We’ll give you straight answers — fast, free, and with no strings attached.*
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