If you or someone you love has been seriously hurt in a slip and fall accident, you already know how quickly life can change after one wrong step. You may be dealing with painful injuries, mounting treatment costs, and real fear about how your family will manage while you are unable to work. The property owner or business where you fell may already have insurance adjusters and attorneys working to protect their interests, and you deserve someone in your corner who will fight just as hard for you.
Fall-related accidents are far more common than most people realize, and the injuries they cause can be devastating. The National Floor Safety Institute reports that fall accidents account for more than eight million emergency room visits across the country every year.[1] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries and one of the most common causes of broken bones, hip fractures, and spinal cord damage.[2] These are not minor incidents, and the people who suffer them deserve real legal help from a team that understands what is at stake.
At Jim Adler, The Texas Hammer®, we have spent decades helping injured people in San Antonio and across Bexar County hold negligent property owners accountable for the harm they cause. If a hazardous condition on someone else’s property left you or a family member seriously hurt, our team is ready to fight for the compensation you deserve.
With offices serving San Antonio 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.
Slip and fall accidents happen when a property owner or property manager fails to maintain safe conditions for the people who visit their premises. Under well-established Texas premises liability principles, a property owner who invites the public onto their property owes the highest legal duty of care to those visitors, which includes a duty to inspect the premises for dangerous conditions, fix known hazards within a reasonable time, and warn visitors of any dangers the owner knew about or should have discovered through reasonable inspection.[3] When an owner or manager fails to meet that duty and someone gets hurt, the injured person may have the right to pursue a claim for damages. The causes outlined in this section represent some of the most common hazards that lead to serious fall injuries in San Antonio, and each one points to negligence that a slip and fall lawyer San Antonio families trust can help you prove.
A wet floor is one of the most frequent causes of slip and fall accidents in San Antonio businesses, and these hazards are almost always preventable. Spilled liquids in grocery store aisles, freshly mopped floors without warning signs, leaking refrigeration units, and rain-tracked water near entrances all create dangerously slippery surfaces that can send a person to the ground without warning. Property owners and managers have a legal obligation to either clean up these hazards promptly or place visible warning signs so visitors can avoid the area.
When a business knows about a wet floor or should have discovered it through regular inspections and fails to act, that business may be held liable for any injuries that result. Our team at Jim Adler & Associates investigates how long the hazard existed before your fall, whether the business had a reasonable inspection routine in place, and whether employees knew about the spill and failed to address it. This type of evidence can make the difference between a successful claim and one that falls short.
Cracked and uneven sidewalks, potholes in parking lots, raised concrete slabs, and deteriorating asphalt create trip and fall injury hazards that San Antonio residents encounter every day. These conditions develop over time, which means the property owner or manager almost always had the opportunity to identify and repair the problem before someone got hurt. Shopping centers, office complexes, apartment buildings, and restaurants all have a responsibility to maintain the walkways and parking areas where visitors travel on foot.
A trip and fall injury caused by a broken sidewalk or neglected parking lot can result in broken bones, torn ligaments, head injuries, and chronic back pain that may require months or even years of treatment. If you suffered a serious injury because a property owner failed to maintain a safe walking surface, a slip and fall attorney can help you pursue the compensation you need to cover your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Broken stairs, loose handrails, missing railings, and uneven steps are dangerous conditions that property owners are responsible for maintaining and repairing. Stairways in apartment complexes, retail stores, office buildings, and parking garages see heavy foot traffic, and even a small defect can cause a devastating fall. A missing handrail that forces someone to grab at the wall, a cracked step that gives way underfoot, or a staircase with inconsistent riser heights can all lead to catastrophic injuries.
Falls on staircases often result in some of the most severe injuries our attorneys see, including spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries, and multiple fractures. Property owners who ignore maintenance requests or delay necessary repairs put every visitor at risk, and they should be held accountable when their negligence causes someone serious harm.
Poor lighting in stairwells, hallways, parking garages, and outdoor walkways creates conditions where visitors cannot see hazards in their path. A burned-out bulb in a staircase, dim lighting in a parking structure, or a completely unlit sidewalk can turn an otherwise avoidable obstacle into a serious fall hazard. Property owners have a responsibility to provide adequate lighting in all areas where they expect visitors to walk, and failure to do so is a form of negligence that can support a premises liability claim.
Inadequate security can also contribute to fall injuries when property owners fail to maintain safe conditions in areas where people are likely to be rushing or disoriented. A landlord who ignores broken exterior lights near an apartment entrance or a business that allows its parking lot to remain dangerously dark after hours may share responsibility for injuries that occur in those conditions. Our team examines maintenance records, work orders, and inspection logs to determine whether the property owner knew about the lighting deficiency and failed to correct it.
Grocery stores and retail businesses in San Antonio are responsible for keeping their premises safe for every customer who walks through the door, yet slip and fall accidents in these locations remain alarmingly common. Produce displays that leak water onto the floor, broken jars that leave slippery residue in the aisle, cluttered walkways blocked by merchandise or stock carts, and freshly waxed floors without proper warning signs all create conditions that lead to serious falls. These businesses have employees on the floor throughout the day, which means they have every opportunity to spot and address hazards before a customer gets hurt.
When a grocery store or retail business fails to maintain safe conditions and a customer suffers a slip and fall accident, the store may be held liable for the resulting injuries. Our slip and fall attorney team works to obtain surveillance footage, incident reports, employee statements, and maintenance logs that show whether the store followed its own safety procedures. This evidence is critical to proving that the business knew about the hazard or should have discovered it through reasonable inspection and failed to act.
Apartment complexes in San Antonio present a wide range of hazards that can lead to serious trip and fall injury for residents and their guests. Crumbling exterior stairways, wet pool decks without slip-resistant surfaces, icy walkways that the landlord failed to treat, torn carpeting in common hallways, and broken outdoor lighting are all conditions that apartment owners and property managers have a legal duty to repair. Many of these hazards exist in shared areas that tenants cannot control or fix on their own, which makes the landlord’s responsibility even more important.
If you suffered a fall injury at your apartment complex because the landlord or property manager ignored a known hazard or failed to conduct regular inspections, you may have a valid premises liability claim. A slip and fall lawyer San Antonio residents depend on can review your lease agreement, maintenance request history, and any complaints other tenants have filed about the same hazardous condition. This evidence can help establish that the property owner knew about the danger and chose not to act, which is a key element in proving negligence.
Winning a slip and fall case requires more than simply showing that you fell on someone else’s property. You need to prove that the property owner or manager was negligent, meaning they failed to take reasonable steps to keep their premises safe, and that their failure directly caused your injuries. Insurance companies know how difficult this can be, and they count on injured people giving up or accepting lowball settlement offers rather than fighting for what they actually deserve. Understanding what your case requires can help you see why having an experienced slip and fall lawyer San Antonio victims trust on your side makes such a critical difference.
The first step in proving a slip and fall case is showing that the property owner owed you a legal duty of care. Under Texas premises liability principles outlined in Chapter 75 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code, the level of duty a property owner owes depends on why the injured person was on the property.[3] Customers, tenants, and invited guests are classified as invitees, and property owners owe invitees the highest duty of care. That duty includes a responsibility to inspect the premises for hazardous conditions, repair known dangers within a reasonable time, and warn visitors of any risks the owner knew about or should have discovered.
Establishing this duty is usually the most straightforward part of a slip and fall case, especially when the accident happened at a business that was open to the public. If you were shopping at a grocery store, visiting a restaurant, walking through a shopping center, or entering your apartment building’s common areas, the property owner almost certainly owed you the highest level of care. Our attorneys at Jim Adler & Associates build the foundation of your case by documenting exactly why you were on the property and what level of duty the owner owed you under the law.
The most challenging part of many slip and fall cases is proving that the property owner actually knew about the hazardous condition or should have known about it through reasonable inspections. This element, often referred to as “notice,” is where insurance companies focus most of their efforts to defeat your claim. They will argue that the hazard appeared moments before your fall, that no one reported the problem, or that the condition was so obvious you should have avoided it on your own.
There are two types of notice that can satisfy this requirement. Actual notice means the owner or an employee knew about the specific hazard, such as when a tenant files a maintenance request about a broken stairway or an employee walks past a spill without cleaning it up. Constructive notice means the hazard existed long enough that a reasonable property owner conducting regular inspections would have discovered and addressed it. A slip and fall attorney with experience handling premises liability cases in San Antonio knows how to obtain inspection logs, maintenance records, employee schedules, and surveillance footage that can prove the property owner had notice and failed to act.
Once you establish that the property owner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition, you must also show that they failed to either fix the problem or warn visitors about it. A property owner who discovers a wet floor and places clearly visible warning signs while an employee mops it up has generally met their duty of care. A property owner who discovers the same wet floor and walks away without doing anything has breached that duty. The question is whether the owner’s response, or lack of response, was reasonable under the circumstances.
Our legal team at Jim Adler & Associates examines the timeline between when the hazard first appeared and when your fall occurred to determine whether the property owner had a reasonable opportunity to address the problem. We also look at whether the business had written safety policies, how often employees were required to conduct floor inspections, and whether anyone documented the hazardous condition before your accident. This investigation often reveals patterns of neglect that go far beyond a single incident, which can strengthen your case significantly.
The final element you must prove is that the property owner’s negligence actually caused your injuries and that those injuries resulted in real, documentable harm. Insurance companies will try to argue that your injuries existed before the fall, that they are not as serious as you claim, or that something other than the hazardous condition caused you to lose your footing. Thorough medical documentation from the moment of your accident forward is essential to defeating these arguments.
Seeking medical attention right away after a slip and fall accident creates a clear connection between the fall and your injuries that is difficult for the insurance company to dispute. Medical records, diagnostic imaging, treatment plans, and your doctors’ opinions about your prognosis all serve as evidence of the harm you suffered. Beyond medical evidence, your case also needs documentation of your lost wages, the impact on your daily life, and the emotional distress the accident has caused. The Tough, Smart Lawyer® and our team work to build a complete picture of how the fall has affected every part of your life so that no aspect of your suffering goes unaccounted for when we pursue compensation on your behalf.
The injuries people suffer in slip and fall accidents are often far more serious than outsiders expect. A hard fall onto a concrete floor, a tile surface, or down a flight of stairs can cause damage that changes the course of a person’s life, requiring extensive medical treatment and leaving lasting physical limitations. If you are dealing with a serious injury after a fall on someone else’s property, understanding what you are facing can help you make informed decisions about your medical care and your legal options.
Broken bones are among the most common injuries in slip and fall accidents, and the fractures people suffer in these incidents are often more severe than a simple crack. Wrist and arm fractures frequently occur when a person instinctively reaches out to break their fall, while ankle and leg fractures can result from an awkward landing on an uneven surface. Older adults face an especially high risk of serious fractures because bone density tends to decrease with age, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly 319,000 older adults are hospitalized for hip fractures every year.[2]
Many fractures from fall accidents require surgical repair with metal plates, screws, or rods, followed by weeks or months of physical therapy and rehabilitation. Some fractures never heal properly despite the best medical care, leaving victims with chronic pain, limited mobility, and a diminished ability to perform the activities they enjoyed before the accident. The treatment costs for serious fractures can reach tens of thousands of dollars, and the financial pressure only grows when the injured person cannot work during recovery.
A slip and fall accident can cause a traumatic brain injury when a person’s head strikes the ground, a wall, a stair railing, or another hard surface during the fall. The CDC identifies falls as the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in the United States, and these injuries range from concussions that resolve within weeks to severe brain damage that permanently affects a person’s ability to think, communicate, and function independently.[2] Even a concussion that seems minor at first can lead to lasting problems with memory, concentration, mood, and the ability to perform everyday tasks.
Many fall victims do not realize they have suffered a brain injury until days or weeks after the accident, when headaches, confusion, difficulty sleeping, and personality changes begin to interfere with daily life. Traumatic brain injuries often require extensive neurological treatment, cognitive rehabilitation, and ongoing monitoring that can last for years. Because these injuries may not be immediately obvious, seeking medical attention promptly after a fall is critical to both your health and your ability to document the full extent of your harm.
Your spine absorbs tremendous force during a fall, and the damage can range from painful herniated discs to permanent paralysis depending on the severity of the impact. Falls from heights, such as tumbling down a staircase in an apartment complex, carry an especially high risk of spinal cord damage because the body may twist or land at an angle that concentrates force on the vertebrae. When the spinal cord itself is damaged, victims may lose feeling and movement below the point of injury, sometimes permanently.
Even spinal injuries that do not affect the cord itself can cause chronic pain that makes it difficult to sit, stand, walk, or perform basic daily activities. Back injuries from fall accidents frequently require surgery, physical therapy, pain management injections, and ongoing medical care that can last for years. Many victims find that they can no longer work in their previous occupation or enjoy the hobbies and activities that once brought them happiness, which is why pursuing full compensation for these losses matters so much.
Soft tissue injuries, which include torn ligaments, strained muscles, sprained joints, and damaged tendons, are extremely common in slip and fall accidents but are often underestimated by insurance companies. A torn rotator cuff from bracing against a fall, a severe ankle sprain from landing on an uneven surface, or a knee ligament tear from twisting during a trip can all require surgical repair and months of rehabilitation. These injuries cause significant pain and can limit your ability to work, care for your family, and participate in normal activities for an extended period.
Insurance adjusters frequently try to minimize soft tissue injuries by suggesting they are minor or that they will heal on their own without costly medical intervention. The reality is that many soft tissue injuries become chronic conditions that require ongoing treatment and may never fully resolve. The Voice of The Victims™ understands how these injuries affect real people’s lives, and our legal team fights to make sure the insurance company cannot dismiss the seriousness of what you are going through.
Hip fractures are among the most devastating injuries that slip and fall victims suffer, particularly for older adults. A broken hip almost always requires surgery and an extended stay in a rehabilitation facility, and many people who suffer hip fractures never fully regain the mobility and independence they had before the fall. The recovery process can take months, and complications such as blood clots, infections, and muscle deterioration during prolonged bed rest can create additional health problems that extend the suffering even further.
Back injuries from falls encompass a wide range of conditions, from compression fractures in the vertebrae to herniated discs that press on spinal nerves and cause radiating pain down the legs. These injuries can make it impossible to stand for long periods, lift objects, or perform physical work, which can devastate a person’s ability to earn a living. If you suffered a hip fracture or serious back injury because a property owner failed to maintain safe conditions, a slip and fall lawyer San Antonio families count on can help you pursue compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, and the profound impact these injuries have on your quality of life.
A serious slip and fall accident can leave you facing enormous financial pressure at a time when you are least able to handle it. You may be unable to work while treatment costs continue to pile up, and the emotional weight of wondering how your family will manage can feel just as heavy as the physical pain. Understanding the types of compensation that may be available in your case can help you make informed decisions and avoid the mistake of settling for far less than you actually need to recover. Every case is different, and the specific facts of your situation will determine what damages you may be entitled to pursue.
Medical expenses are often the largest category of compensation in a slip and fall case, and these costs can add up far more quickly than most people expect. Emergency room visits, ambulance transportation, diagnostic imaging, surgical procedures, hospital stays, prescription medications, and physical therapy sessions all generate bills that can reach tens of thousands of dollars or more for serious injuries. If your doctors determine that you will need ongoing treatment, future surgeries, or long-term rehabilitation, those anticipated costs are also part of the compensation you may be entitled to pursue.
Many fall victims make the mistake of settling their case before they fully understand the extent of their medical needs, only to discover later that the money they received does not come close to covering their actual treatment costs. The Hammer and our legal team work closely with your medical providers to document every expense related to your injuries and to project the future care you will need. We fight to make sure your compensation reflects the true cost of your recovery, not just the bills that have arrived so far.
If your injuries prevent you from working, you may be entitled to compensation for the income you have already missed and the earnings you will lose in the future. A serious back injury, hip fracture, or traumatic brain injury can keep you out of work for weeks or months, and the financial strain of missing paychecks while treatment costs mount can push families to the breaking point. Your lost wages claim includes not only your base salary or hourly pay but also overtime, bonuses, commissions, and benefits such as health insurance and retirement contributions that you would have earned if you had not been injured.
When injuries are severe enough to permanently limit the type of work you can do or prevent you from returning to your previous occupation, you may also be entitled to compensation for your diminished earning capacity over the rest of your working life. Calculating these future losses requires careful analysis of your work history, education, skills, earning trajectory, and the specific limitations your injuries impose. Our team works with economic experts when necessary to accurately project the full financial impact of your injuries so that nothing is left on the table during settlement negotiations or at trial.
Not every loss from a slip and fall shows up on a bill or bank statement. The physical pain you have endured since your accident, the discomfort you experience during treatment and rehabilitation, and the chronic pain you may carry for years or even permanently are all real harms that deserve fair compensation. Pain and suffering damages recognize that the impact of a serious injury extends far beyond what medical bills can measure, and they account for the daily reality of living with pain that affects your ability to sleep, move, work, and enjoy the life you had before the fall.
Insurance companies routinely try to minimize pain and suffering claims by arguing that your injuries are not as serious as your medical records suggest or that you should have recovered more quickly. A slip and fall attorney who has handled premises liability cases in San Antonio knows how to present medical evidence, expert testimony, and your own account of how the injury has affected your daily life in a way that makes the full scope of your suffering clear. Bill Adler and our legal team believe that every aspect of the harm you have experienced should be accounted for when we pursue the compensation you deserve.
The psychological impact of a serious fall can be just as debilitating as the physical injuries. Many slip and fall victims develop anxiety about walking on certain surfaces, fear of falling again, difficulty sleeping, depression related to their inability to work or participate in activities they once enjoyed, and a general sense of helplessness that pervades their daily lives. These are not signs of weakness. They are natural responses to a traumatic event, and they represent real harm that the law recognizes as compensable.
Emotional distress damages cover the anxiety, depression, fear, and psychological suffering that often accompany serious injuries. If your fall has affected your relationships, your ability to care for your family, or your overall quality of life, those losses deserve recognition in your case. Documenting emotional distress often involves testimony from mental health professionals, records of counseling or therapy, and your own detailed account of how the accident has changed your emotional well-being. Our slip and fall lawyer San Antonio team understands that these invisible wounds can be just as life-altering as a broken bone or a brain injury, and we fight to make sure the insurance company does not ignore them.
Tragically, some slip and fall accidents result in fatal injuries, particularly when the victim is an older adult or when the fall involves a significant height such as an unprotected stairwell or elevated walkway. When a loved one dies because a property owner failed to maintain safe conditions on their premises, surviving family members may have the right to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit under Chapter 71 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code.[4] Eligible family members, including a surviving spouse, children, and parents of the deceased, may seek compensation for funeral and burial expenses, the loss of the deceased person’s income and financial support, loss of companionship and guidance, and the mental anguish of losing someone they love.
No amount of money can replace a person you love, but holding the responsible property owner accountable can provide financial security for your family and a measure of justice for the life that was lost. These cases require thorough investigation to establish that the property owner’s negligence directly caused or contributed to the fatal fall, and the timeline for filing a wrongful death claim is limited. If your family is dealing with this kind of devastating loss, The Texas Hammer® is here to help you understand your options and fight for accountability during an incredibly difficult time. Your initial consultation is completely free, and you pay no fees unless we recover compensation for your family.*
The moments after a slip and fall accident can be overwhelming, and it is hard to think clearly when you are in pain, embarrassed, and trying to figure out what just happened. Taking certain steps in the hours and days following your fall 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. Your health and safety should always come first.
Every fall 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.*
If you are considering legal action after a fall on someone else’s property, understanding the deadlines that apply to your case is essential. Missing a filing deadline can permanently destroy your right to seek compensation, no matter how strong your evidence may be or how serious your injuries are. The clock starts ticking on the date of your accident, and waiting too long to take action can cost you far more than just time.
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Section 16.003, you generally have two years from the date of your slip and fall accident to file a personal injury lawsuit against the property owner or other responsible parties.[5] If a loved one died as a result of a fall, the family must also file a wrongful death claim within two years of the date of death. Once this deadline passes, the court will almost certainly refuse to hear your case, and you will lose your right to pursue compensation forever regardless of how clear the property owner’s negligence may have been.
Two years may sound like a reasonable amount of time, but building a strong premises liability case requires extensive investigation, and the process of collecting evidence, consulting with medical experts, and negotiating with insurance companies takes longer than most people expect. A slip and fall attorney who begins working on your case early has the best chance of securing the evidence and building the legal strategy you need to pursue full compensation.
If your trip and fall injury occurred on property owned or maintained by a government entity, such as a city sidewalk, a public park, a government office building, or a school, different rules and much shorter deadlines may apply. The Texas Tort Claims Act, Chapter 101 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code, governs claims against state and local government entities and imposes specific notice requirements that must be met before you can file a lawsuit.[6] Many government entities require written notice of your claim within six months of the accident, and failing to provide this notice within the required timeframe can bar your case entirely.
Claims against government entities also face caps on the amount of compensation you can recover and additional procedural hurdles that do not apply to claims against private property owners. Because these rules are strict and the deadlines are much shorter than the standard two-year statute of limitations, contacting an attorney as quickly as possible after a fall on government property is especially important. Our team at Jim Adler & Associates can evaluate whether a government entity is responsible for the conditions that caused your fall and make sure all required notices are filed on time.
Beyond the legal deadlines, there is a practical reason to act fast after a slip and fall accident. The evidence you need to prove your case has a tendency to disappear if no one takes steps to secure it right away. Surveillance footage from businesses and apartment complexes is routinely recorded over within days or weeks. Maintenance logs and inspection records may be altered or discarded. The hazardous condition that caused your fall, whether it was a wet floor, a broken stairway, or a crumbling sidewalk, may be repaired before anyone documents it. Witnesses who saw what happened may move away or forget critical details as time passes.
A slip and fall lawyer San Antonio residents rely on can send preservation letters to the property owner demanding that they secure all evidence related to your accident, including surveillance recordings, incident reports, employee statements, and maintenance records. At Jim Adler & Associates, our team moves quickly to lock down this evidence before property owners and their insurance companies have a chance to let it disappear. The sooner you contact us, the more evidence we can protect, and the stronger your case will be when it comes time to pursue the compensation you deserve.
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After a serious fall on someone else’s property, you may be wondering whether you really need a lawyer or whether you can handle the insurance claim on your own. The truth is that premises liability cases are more complex than most people realize, and insurance companies have teams of adjusters and attorneys whose entire job is to pay you as little as possible. Property owners carry liability insurance for exactly these situations, but the insurance company’s goal is to protect its own bottom line, not to make sure you receive fair compensation for your injuries. Having an experienced legal team on your side changes the dynamic entirely and sends a clear message that you are not going to accept less than you deserve.
Insurance adjusters are trained professionals who handle slip and fall claims every day, and they know exactly how to minimize what they pay. Common tactics include offering a quick settlement before you understand the full extent of your injuries, disputing the severity of your medical condition, arguing that you were responsible for your own fall, and dragging the process out until you are desperate enough to accept whatever they put on the table. These are not negotiating partners who have your best interests in mind. They are adversaries with a financial incentive to undervalue your claim at every turn.
At Jim Adler & Associates, our legal team handles all communications with the insurance company so you never have to worry about saying the wrong thing or being pressured into a decision you are not ready to make. We know the tactics adjusters use because we have seen them thousands of times, and we know how to counter every one of them. The Texas Hammer® does not accept lowball offers designed to make injured people go away, and we are fully prepared to escalate your case if the insurance company refuses to negotiate in good faith.
The key to getting a fair settlement in a slip and fall case is being fully prepared to take the case to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer reasonable compensation. Insurance companies know which law firms are willing to go to court and which ones will accept whatever offer is on the table, and they adjust their settlement offers accordingly. When the defense knows you have a legal team with the resources, experience, and willingness to present your case to a jury, they have far more incentive to offer compensation that actually reflects the harm you suffered.
Our firm brings more than 50 years of experience fighting for injured Texans, and our team of more than 30 attorneys and 300 legal professionals has the financial resources and courtroom experience to take on any property owner or insurance company. We prepare every case as if it is going to trial, even while we pursue settlement negotiations, because this approach consistently produces better outcomes for our clients. Our track record of multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements demonstrates that we have the firepower to back up our demands when insurance companies try to shortchange the people we represent.
You should never have to pay out of pocket to find out whether you have a valid slip and fall case or to get a legal team working to protect your rights. At Jim Adler & Associates, we handle premises liability cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.* This arrangement removes the financial barrier that prevents many injured people from seeking the legal help they need and allows you to focus on your recovery while our team focuses on building the strongest possible case.
The contingency fee structure also means that our interests are fully aligned with yours. We only get paid when you get paid, which gives us every incentive to fight for the maximum compensation available in your case. You will never receive a bill from our firm for legal services while your case is pending, and if we do not win your case, you owe us nothing for the work we performed on your behalf.*
Taking the first step after a serious injury can feel overwhelming, and we want to make that step as easy as possible for you and your family. When you contact our firm, we will sit down with you at no cost and with no obligation to discuss what happened, evaluate the strength of your potential claim, and explain your legal options in plain language. This free consultation gives you the information you need to make an informed decision about how to move forward, and you are never pressured to hire us or take any action you are not comfortable with.
During your consultation, a slip and fall attorney from our team will review the details of your accident, discuss the evidence that may be available, and help you understand the types of compensation you could be entitled to pursue. If we believe we can help you, we will explain exactly how the process works and what you can expect at every stage. The Voice of The Victims™ is here to give you answers and guidance when you need it most, and that starts with a conversation that costs you nothing.
If you or someone you love has been seriously hurt in a fall on someone else’s property in San Antonio, you do not have to face the property owner’s insurance company alone. Jim Adler, The Tough, Smart Lawyer®, has spent more than 50 years standing up for injured Texans, and our team is ready to fight for you, too. We will investigate your accident, identify every responsible party, and pursue the full compensation you deserve while you focus on healing and getting your life back on track.
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. Our team is available to speak with you in both English and Spanish, and we serve clients throughout San Antonio, Bexar County, and all of South Texas.
After a serious fall on someone else’s property, 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.
Your health should always be your first priority after a fall. You should seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if you do not think your injuries are serious, because conditions like traumatic brain injuries, internal bleeding, and hairline fractures may not produce noticeable symptoms right away. A prompt medical evaluation also creates a documented connection between your fall and your injuries that can be essential to your case later.
Beyond medical care, you should report the fall to the property owner or manager and ask for a copy of any incident report they complete. If you are physically able, take photos and videos of the hazardous condition that caused your fall, the surrounding area, and any visible injuries. You should also collect contact information from anyone who witnessed the accident and avoid giving recorded statements to the property owner’s insurance company before speaking with an attorney. Surveillance footage and maintenance records can disappear quickly, so contacting a legal team as soon as possible helps ensure that critical evidence is secured before it is lost.
The value of your case depends on the specific facts of your situation, including the severity of your injuries, the cost of your medical treatment, how much income you have lost, and the overall impact the accident has had on your daily life and relationships. Slip and fall cases involving serious injuries like traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, or hip fractures that require surgery and extended rehabilitation tend to result in higher compensation because the medical expenses, lost wages, and long-term effects are greater.
We cannot promise a specific dollar amount without understanding the full scope of your 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. Your case may include compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and future earnings, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other losses depending on the circumstances of your fall.
To prove negligence in a slip and fall case, you generally need to establish four things. First, you must show that the property owner owed you a legal duty of care, which is typically straightforward when the accident occurred at a business open to the public or in a common area of a residential property. Second, you need to prove that the owner breached that duty by either knowing about a hazardous condition and failing to fix or warn about it, or by failing to conduct reasonable inspections that would have revealed the danger.
Third, you must connect the property owner’s failure directly to the accident that caused your injuries, showing that the fall would not have happened if the owner had acted responsibly. Finally, you need to document the actual harm you suffered, including your medical expenses, lost income, pain, and other losses. Evidence like surveillance footage, maintenance records, inspection logs, and witness statements are often critical to proving these elements, which is why securing that evidence quickly with the help of an experienced legal team is so important.[3]
You may have a valid claim if you slipped on a wet floor, but the key question is whether the property owner or their employees knew about the wet floor or should have known about it through reasonable inspections and failed to clean it up or warn you about it. A property owner who places visible warning signs around a wet floor and has an employee actively mopping the area has generally met their duty of care. A property owner who allows a spill to sit in a grocery store aisle for an extended period without any effort to clean it up or warn customers has likely breached that duty.
Your case will depend on evidence showing how long the hazard existed, whether the business had reasonable inspection procedures in place, and whether employees had the opportunity to discover and address the spill before your fall. Surveillance footage, employee schedules, inspection logs, and witness testimony can all help establish that the property owner failed to meet their obligations under Chapter 75 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code.[3] If you were hurt in this type of accident, our team can evaluate the circumstances of your fall and help you understand whether you have a viable claim.
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Section 33.001, you can still recover compensation even if you were partially responsible for your accident.[7] Your total damages will be reduced by your percentage of fault, so if you were found to be 20 percent responsible and your total damages were $100,000, you would receive $80,000. This system, known as proportionate responsibility, allows injured people to pursue a claim as long as they are not primarily at fault for what happened.
There is an important limit to this rule, however. If you are found to be more than 50 percent responsible for the accident, you cannot recover anything at all. Insurance companies know this threshold and often try to shift as much blame as possible onto the injured person by arguing that you were distracted, wearing inappropriate footwear, or should have noticed the hazard before you fell. Our attorneys fight back against these tactics aggressively and work to make sure fault is assigned fairly based on the actual evidence, not the insurance company’s self-serving narrative.
Insurance companies have teams of adjusters, investigators, and lawyers working against you, and you deserve someone fighting just as hard on your side. Jim Adler & Associates has spent more than 50 years taking on insurance companies and winning for injured Texans. We handle the legal battle 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 71, “Wrongful Death.” https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.71.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 101, “Texas Tort Claims Act.” https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.101.htm
[7] Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Chapter 33, Section 33.001, “Proportionate Responsibility.” https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.33.htm
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