What Is a Slip and Fall Accident?

Recent Blog Posts

Can you sue a landlord for negligence?
By Michael Morgan August 14, 2025
Learn about suing a landlord for negligence, including what qualifies as negligence, how to prove it and what steps to take before filing a lawsuit.
Partially at fault in a car accident?
By Michael Morgan August 11, 2025
Learn what it means to be partially at fault in a car accident, how fault is determined and how it impacts your insurance claim and compensation.
Can you sue a trucking company?​
By Michael Morgan August 7, 2025
Learn when you can sue a trucking company after an accident, the evidence you need and the process involved in Arizona.
18 mistakes to avoid in a personal injury claim​.
By Michael Morgan August 4, 2025
Learn common mistakes to avoid in a personal injury claim to ensure you get the compensation you deserve. Protect your rights and avoid costly errors.
Suing an underinsured motorist
July 28, 2025
Learn what to expect when suing an underinsured motorist, including key steps, legal options, and how to protect yourself after a crash.

What Is a Slip and Fall Accident?

Falling on a hard surface can cause serious injury. While older people tend to lose their footing and fall more often, people of all ages can suffer life-altering concussions, spinal injuries, and bone breaks. If you’ve injured yourself falling, you may justifiably feel wronged. Businesses are obligated to clear ice patches, wet hallways, and other potentially hazardous surfaces. So, what is a slip and fall accident you can sue over?

What Is Your Responsibility for Reasonable Care?

A yellow caution wet floor sign is sitting on a wet tiled floor.

When going about our lives, we each have a responsibility to take care of ourselves. When we bump our head on the roof of our car, for example, we don’t usually sue the car manufacturer.


Each person has a duty to take reasonable care of themselves by remaining alert and aware of their environment. If a reasonable person would see an obstacle and avoid it, the property owner may not be responsible for clearing it. If an obstacle forms without anyone’s knowledge, it would be unfair to blame its occurrence on a property owner.

What Is a Slip and Fall Accident, and When Can You Take Legal Action?

Slip and fall incidents are traumatic. When they occur because of someone else’s neglect, you may have grounds for a lawsuit. Although it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether someone else was being negligent, you must demonstrate at least one of the following to win your case:



  • The property owner caused the spill, surface distortion, or ice buildup.
  • The owner or a company employee “should have known” about a condition hazardous enough that a reasonable person would have removed it and failed to act.
  • The property owner or a company employee must have learned about the hazardous conditions but still did nothing to fix it.

What Is a Slip and Fall Accident Attorney Good For?

A woman is sitting at a desk talking to a man in a wheelchair.

Generally, you can sue if your fall resulted in an injury serious enough to cause significant financial damage. This damage must be the result of someone else’s neglect, and you must have taken reasonable care.


The law is intentionally vague when it comes to explaining what is “reasonable.” It also incorporates the murky concept of “damage.” In Arizona, one party may not be entirely at fault for an injurious incident, and an adjuster may alter your compensation based on the percentage of fault you inherit.


Regardless of your situation, you can expect a property owner to argue that you weren’t paying reasonable attention to your surroundings, you were wearing inadequate footwear, or you neglected to heed a warning cone or signpost.


Fall injury cases often depend on personal accounts, so it’s important to have proper guidance during your recovery journey. An attorney can collect and present evidence that you acted with reasonable care, suffered damage, and deserve compensation.

Sargon Law Group for Personal Injuries From a Fall

What is a slip and fall accident? It’s a traumatic incident for which you may be awarded compensation, provided you hire a skilled Phoenix slip and fall injury attorney. For a top slip and fall team in Arizona, get a free consultation with a Phoenix personal injury attorney at Sargon Law Group today.