One accident. Multiple responsible parties. When you need a slip and fall accident lawyer in Naperville, Choose Charlie. We’ll find out who’s liable so you can get the most compensation from your case.
Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C. finds everyone who should pay—from property owners to management companies to maintenance contractors. As an experienced personal injury lawyer in Naperville, we know how to hold property owners accountable for their negligence.
Property Owner Duties Under Illinois Law
Illinois law places responsibilities on property owners to keep their premises safe for visitors. These duties aren’t suggestions—they’re legal obligations that, when violated, create liability.
Property owners must maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition. This includes regularly inspecting for hazards, repairing known dangerous conditions promptly, and warning visitors about dangers that can’t be immediately fixed. The duty extends to both the property’s interior and exterior, including parking lots, sidewalks, stairways, and entrances.
Different Standards for Different Visitors
The level of duty a property owner owes depends on their relationship to you. Invitees—customers in stores, guests at hotels, patients at medical offices—receive the highest protection. Property owners must actively inspect for hazards and either fix them or warn invitees about dangers.
Licensees, such as social guests at someone’s home, receive less protection. Property owners must warn them about known hazards, but aren’t required to inspect for problems. Trespassers generally receive minimal protection, though Illinois law still prohibits property owners from willfully or wantonly harming even unauthorized visitors.
Common Causes of Naperville Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents happen when property owners fail in their duties. These accidents don’t just occur randomly—they result from negligence, whether it’s ignoring a hazard, failing to maintain the property, or cutting corners on safety.
Common hazardous conditions that cause slip and fall accidents include:
- Wet or slippery floors from spills, leaks, or recent cleaning without warning signs
- Uneven flooring, torn carpeting, or damaged tiles that create tripping hazards
- Poor lighting in stairways, parking lots, or hallways that obscures dangers
- Snow and ice accumulation on walkways, parking lots, and building entrances
- Broken or missing handrails on stairs and ramps
- Clutter, debris, or obstacles left in walkways and high-traffic areas
Each of these conditions represents a property owner’s failure. Spills should be cleaned promptly or blocked off. Flooring should be repaired when damage appears. Lighting should be maintained and adequate. Snow and ice should be removed within reasonable timeframes. When property owners ignore these responsibilities, people get hurt.
Proving Liability in Your Slip and Fall Case
Winning a slip and fall case requires proving the property owner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition. This element—called “notice”—often determines whether you can recover compensation. Our slip and fall accident lawyers in Naperville investigate to establish that the property owner had actual or constructive notice of the hazard.
Actual notice means the property owner knew about the hazard. Evidence of actual notice includes prior complaints about the condition, maintenance requests that weren’t addressed, or the property owner’s own employees creating or observing the hazard. When we find these records, we’ve proven the owner knew about the danger and failed to fix it.
Constructive Notice and the Reasonable Inspection Standard
Constructive notice is trickier. It means the hazard existed long enough that a reasonable property owner should have discovered it through regular inspections. If a spill sits on a store floor for an hour, the owner should have found and cleaned it during routine safety checks. If we can prove this, that’s an example of constructive notice.
Injuries We See in Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents cause more serious injuries than many people realize. A fall on a hard surface can result in fractures, head trauma, and spinal damage. Understanding the common injury patterns helps us prove the full extent of your damages and fight for appropriate compensation.
Typical injuries from slip and fall accidents include broken bones, particularly wrists, arms, hips, and ankles, from trying to break your fall or landing hard. Head injuries and concussions from striking your head on the ground or nearby objects can lead to traumatic brain injury.
Soft tissue injuries like sprains, strains, and torn ligaments affect your mobility and cause lasting discomfort. Shoulder injuries, including rotator cuff tears and dislocations, frequently occur when you reach out to catch yourself. These injuries often require surgery, extensive physical therapy, and may never fully heal.
What Makes Charlie Therman Different in Premises Liability Cases
Slip and fall cases face skepticism from insurance companies and even juries. Defendants often argue you weren’t watching where you walked or that the hazard was “obvious.” These cases require lawyers who understand premises liability law and know how to overcome these defenses. Our approach combines thorough investigation with strategic legal arguments.
We document everything immediately. Our team photographs the accident scene from multiple angles, capturing the hazardous conditions, lighting levels, and surrounding context. We measure the defect, document weather conditions if relevant, and identify any missing warning signs. This evidence preserves the scene before the property owner “fixes” the problem.
Leveraging Insurance Industry Knowledge
The founding partner’s background working for Allstate gives us insight into how insurance companies defend slip and fall claims. We know they’ll argue you were distracted or that the hazard was open and obvious. We know they’ll question how long the condition existed.
This insider knowledge helps our Naperville slip and fall accident attorneys build cases that anticipate and overcome their defenses, maximizing your compensation.
Types of Compensation in Naperville Slip and Fall Cases
Slip and fall victims may recover several types of damages. Understanding what compensation you’re entitled to prevents accepting inadequate settlement offers. We fight for full compensation that accounts for all your losses, both economic and non-economic.
You may recover compensation for all medical expenses, including emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation, and future medical treatment. Lost wages from time unable to work due to your injuries are included, along with loss of earning capacity if injuries prevent you from returning to your previous employment.
Pain and suffering damages compensate for physical pain, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life. In cases involving permanent scarring, disfigurement, or disability, additional compensation may be available. With over $100 million recovered for our clients over the years, we understand how to value slip and fall cases and negotiate effectively.
Contact Our Naperville Slip and Fall Lawyer Today
Property owners have insurance to protect against slip and fall claims. They have lawyers working to minimize what they pay. You need someone protecting your interests with the same dedication. Don’t accept blame for an accident caused by someone else’s negligence.
Choose Charlie and work with a firm that has 75 years of combined legal experience handling premises liability cases throughout Naperville and the greater Chicago area. Our Naperville slip and fall accident attorneys offer free consultations to discuss your accident, evaluate your case, and explain your legal rights.
We work on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Contact Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C. today to get started.
