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(314) 500-HURTIf you or someone you love suffered an injury in a slip and fall accident, contact a St. Louis and Missouri slip and fall lawyer today. A slip and fall attorney could help you receive the compensation you deserve including coverage for medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.
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Burger Law is a personal injury law firm that specializes in slip and fall injury cases. Gary Burger and associates are dedicated to recovering for and protecting the future of those who get injured as a result of dangerous property conditions in Missouri and Illinois. Businesses, homeowners and property owners all invite guests onto their properties and must be held responsible for injuries caused by their unsafe property conditions. When you or a family member visit a property in Missouri that is dangerous and causes you serious slip and fall injuries, contact our aggressive slip and fall lawyers in St. Louis now at (314) 500-HURT or online for an immediate free case review.
Burger Law has helped thousands of people injured recover well from a full range of slip and fall accident cases including collapsed decks, porches, railings and stairs. Untreated icy sidewalks, parking lots and business entryways, apartments that are not properly maintained, water or liquid on the floor of businesses, a rural property when used for ATV riding or other outdoor activities and unsafe playgrounds, among more. If you or a loved one has been involved in a slip and fall accident that was caused by a business owner, homeowner or property owner’s unsafe acts, allow the Missouri slip and fall lawyers of Burger Law to fight for your recovery.
When a person is involved in a slip and fall accident, it’s the property owner’s responsibility to compensate them for the damages and injuries they’ve endured. When you allow the slip and fall attorneys of Burger Law to assist you in your slip and fall injury case, we will personally represent you and aggressively work towards getting you the largest possible compensation for your injuries. Gary Burger and associates have recovered millions of dollars in compensation for slip and fall injury victims, and we are prepared to fight for your recovery. Burger Law is the highest and best-reviewed personal injury law firm in the Midwest with over 500 five-star reviews and counting.
Working with the slip and fall lawyers of Burger Law means being able to avoid insurance companies who will try and get you to settle for less. Gary Burger and his associates are committed to getting injury victims fair compensation for injuries caused by the carelessness of another person. To get started on your free case evaluation, contact Burger Law by calling (314) 500-HURT or completing our online contact form.
If you were injured through no fault of your own in St. Louis or anywhere in Missouri, see how much your claim may be worth by using our free personal injury calculator.
There are a few factors that determine whether or not you should pursue a slip and fall case. To win your premise liability case, you–with the help of your slip and fall lawyer–will have to prove that you were injured because the property was not properly taken care of and that the person you are suing had a responsibility to you to keep it reasonably safe. So when it comes to bringing slip and fall case, ask yourself the following questions:
Property owners have a responsibility to make sure that their property is safe from hazards and other dangerous conditions. These obligations include various precautionary tasks, such as:
We offer free consultations and are available 24/7 to take your call. Live chat, text, and virtual meetings are available.
When you file an injury claim with the help of your slip and fall attorney, you take the first step in the legal process toward making a financial recovery. As somebody injured by another person’s negligent behavior, you are entitled to compensation, known as damages. Depending on the ways in which the slip and fall incident affects your life, you may collect compensation for a variety of damages.
Your slip and fall attorney will help you collect any of the following damages that apply to your case:
As your slip and fall attorney, our job is to fight to get you the full compensation you deserve after you have been injured in a slip and fall accident or another incident involving negligence. Your slip and fall attorney is there to combat the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying and demand the true monetary value of your case. In order to accurately assess what your case is worth, we will carefully calculate and investigate factors such as:
It is only with our years of experience working slip and fall cases in St. Louis and throughout Missouri that the slip and fall attorneys of Burger Law are able to determine how much your claim is worth. The slip and fall attorneys of Burger Law distinguish ourselves from other Missouri lawyers by taking your fight the extra mile and helping you see the highest possible settlement for the damages you experienced as a result of your slip and fall accident.
In any premises liability case case, it is crucial that you hire a St. Louis attorney who is well-versed in slip and fall law so they can determine a person’s status when they are on a piece of property because property owners have different obligations to different groups. There are three main classifications of people in a slip and fall accident: invitees, licensees and trespassers.
Invitees in St. Louis are defined in Bartel v. Central Markets, Inc. (Mo.App. 1995) as anyone who enters upon a premises with the express or implied consent of the possessor, and for some purpose of benefit or interest to the possessor or for the mutual benefit of both. Property owners have a duty to provide invitees with the highest standard of care by inspecting their property and fixing dangerous or hazardous conditions. In addition, property owners must disclose known dangerous conditions, as outlined in Harris v. Niehaus (Mo. banc. 1993), citing Restatement (2nd) Torts § 343 comment b.
Licensees are a person who is privileged to enter or remain on land only by virtue of the possessor’s consent, according to Restatement (2nd) Torts § 330; Harris, 875 S.W.2d at 225. Property owners only have a duty to warn licensees of a danger that the property owner knows about or should know about.
The last classification of people is trespassers. A trespasser—as defined by Restatement (2nd) Torts, § 329 (1965)—is a person who enters or remains upon the land in the possession of another without the privilege to do so. Property owners generally are not liable for harm caused to a trespasser. A St. Louis slip and fall lawyer could help people with their case, regardless of what class of visitor they are.
So here is the big question – If you get hurt on someone’s property, do you get an immediate recovery? Not at all. There are several conditions that can lead to you not getting anything from your accident. First, the dangerous condition that caused the accident has to be one that the owner either knows about or should have known about, and second, the condition has to have caused your injury. Here are several examples:
Once negligence has been proven on the part of the property owner or lessee, there can be several other factors that can complicate the case. Who owns the property, and are they liable? What if they own the property, but lease it out, are they still liable? What if there are multiple lessees, who is liable in those cases? You can see how a slip and fall accident can become complicated quickly. This is where a Personal Injury Lawyer comes in. Knowing who is liable, what the laws surrounding the liability are, and what you can pursue and recover in these types of claims can be confusing. An experienced lawyer is going to know how to gather evidence, who to bring the suit against, what they can recover for their client, and how to depose the defendant to see if a trial can be avoided entirely.
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The Missouri Revised Statutes Section 537.348 states that a landowner may be held liable in premises liability cases for “malicious or grossly negligent failure to guard or warn against a dangerous” or an “ultrahazardous condition” that the owner either “knew or should have known to be dangerous.” A dangerous condition is anything that makes the property unsafe. Loose handrails, wet floors, uneven flooring, and broken stairs are all examples of dangerous conditions that could lead to a slip and fall accident, and that the property owner or manager must either remedy or repair.
In order to have a premise liability claim, the following must be true:
You can prove that the owner or manager knew of the problem through employee testimony or a record of previous complaints made about the same issue. In 1998, Dennis Emery sued Wal Mart Stores Inc. after he slipped on spilled pet food. A Wal-Mart employee testified to the high frequency of pet food spills at the store, proving that Wal-Mart was aware of the dangerous condition. (Emery v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 976 S.W.2d 439 (1998)).
The first thing you must establish in your premise liability suit is that the defendant (the person or group you are filing your claim against) owed you, the victim, a duty of care. To prove this, you have to prove that they were in control of the property and that you were there legally. Whether they are the owner, tenant, employee, or maintenance service provider of the property, you must prove that the party you are suing was in control of and responsible for the property where you were hurt. Proving the defendant as the possessor of the property establishes a duty of care, but only for visitors who enter the property legally. So in order to prove that they owed you personally a duty of care to keep you safe from harm, you must also prove that you were on the property legally. Depending on the reasons you were on the property and the type of permission you were granted, you may prove that you were on the property as an invitee or a licensee. The possessor owes a slightly higher duty of care to the invitee than they do to the licensee who has only a limited license to be on the property.
After you have proven that the defendant was the possessor of the property and owed you as a legal visitor a duty of care to keep you from harm, the next step in proving your premises liability case is proving that the possessor breached their duty of care. As stated above, property owners and leasers owe different degrees of care to different visitors, so what is considered a breach of this duty by nature also differs. To prove their negligence if you were injured as an invitee, you need only prove that the defendant in your premises liability case knew or should have reasonably known of the presence of a dangerous condition on the property and failed to remedy the hazard or provide adequate warning of the danger. On the other hand, if you are a licensee to the property, you must prove that the possessor actually knew about the hazard but did not do anything to address it adequately in order to consider them negligent. While the definition of negligence differs in a premise liability case depending on the status of the visitor, possessors of a property are generally at least required to post a general warning about any possible danger on the property lest they be considered negligent.
There is no premises liability claim if you do not suffer any damages. It can be upsetting to discover that someone has not tended to a danger on their property and realize that your safety could be at risk, but you can not sue for premises liability unless you can prove you suffered damages. There are a variety of different damages a victim in a premises liability case could suffer. When you are injured on an unsafe property, your damages and the extent of your damages differ, which in turn affects the amount of compensation you can collect. A good premises liability lawyer in St. Louis will help you prove and calculate the value of your damages, which include things like medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, permanent disability and other effects.
Lastly, you have to tie it all together. To win your premises liability claim and collect compensation for your damages, you must not only prove that you were injured and experienced damages, but also that it was the possessor’s negligence and not some other circumstance that caused you to become injured. To prove causation, you have to show that because the defendant failed to remove a hazard or addressed the hazard inadequately, you were injured. Causation in a premises liability case and other types of personal injury cases is often the point of contention between the plaintiff and the defendant.
The sooner you act and the more information you can collect at the time of and the days following your accident, the stronger the case your St. Louis premises liability attorney can make for you in fighting to recover the damages you deserve. If possible, do these four things after you have been hurt in an accident due to a dangerous condition on a property where you were visiting.
Any documentation you can get at the time of your accident will only strengthen your claim, especially in the hands of a talented premises liability lawyer in St. Louis like the slip and fall lawyers of Burger Law. As long as it does not put you further in danger, try to snap pictures of the property and around the site where the injury occurred.
Before leaving the property where you have been injured, try to speak to all potential witnesses. If police are called to the site of the accident, do not rely on them to record statements from everyone. Collecting witness contact information could be a powerful tool in winning your case.
Your St. Louis premises liability lawyer will help you collect and organize all documentation and other available forms of evidence for your case. A skilled litigator and practiced trial lawyer like Burger Law premises liability lawyers will uses this evidence to make an infallible argument for your to receive a full financial recovery.
Your number one priority after any kind of injury is to get the medical care you need. Early care could be the difference between a successful recovery or a lifetime of pain and limitations. You must put your own well-being first.
Seeking the medical care and treatments you need for your injuries also benefits your case. Medical records serve as an excellent form of evidence in proving your damages. With proper medical information, experts like doctors and surgeons can paint an image of the severity of your condition to the defense or, if necessary, to the jury in a trial. Your St. Louis premises liability attorney will know how to wield this information to build your case.
In most personal injury cases, the claimant is an individual citizen who was put in danger and injured and the defendant (the party who is liable) is a large insurance company. That large corporation handles cases like yours every day as a business. They are very well-versed in tactics to intimidate or mislead you into taking a heinously low settlement. Often, after a premises liability or other personal injury occurs, the defendant’s insurance company will reach out to the victim shortly after the accident and appeal to their pathos by offering to write a check for a few hundred or thousand dollars to help them out with their immediate bills.
If an insurance company contacts you after your accident, do not talk to them. They may ask you to give a statement, but you do not have to give one. We advise that as the victim of a premises liability claim, you should not speak to the insurance company at all. Especially do not talk to them until you have hired a lawyer. After you hire a premises liability lawyer in St. Louis, tell the insurance company to communicate strictly through your premises liability attorney.
Because of Missouri and Illinois statutes of limitations, you only have a limited time after your premises liability accident happens to file a premises liability claim. The sooner you hire an experienced premises liability lawyer in St. Louis, the sooner they can begin working on your case and demanding the compensation you deserve. Hire the skilled premises liability lawyers in St. Louis of Burger Law to represent you. We have experience winning cases like yours and have recovered over 170 million dollars in verdicts and settlements for injury claimants like you in Missouri. We hold the insurance company accountable and demand the compensation you are owed.
Typically, if your slip and fall accident was caused by negligence, either the property owner or a contractor to the property owner may be responsible in your case. Both the property owner and their contractors carry liability insurance. There may also be agreements in place between the property owner and the contractor – such as a maintenance company or a constructor company – and who has responsibility for the safety of the property. Whoever is in control of the property is called the possessor.
The party responsible for the property in question at the time you were injured could be:
For the possessor to be liable in a slip and fall case, the slip and fall must lead to damages such as injury, and the fall itself must be caused by the owner or contractor’s negligence. To determine if the owner or contractor has culpability in your slip and fall case, we may need to ask some of these additional questions:
Asking these and other questions help determine who was at fault in your slip and fall. Would a reasonable person have been able to prevent the conditions that caused your fall, and did the property owner or their contractor fail to take those reasonable actions? Other relevant information that your lawyer will discuss and that the insurance company and, if your case goes to trial, the jury will want to know is your part in the accident. Did you have a reasonable reason to be in the dangerous area? Was there a sign or other warning that a reasonable person would have noticed and used to avoid the slip and fall? Though the onus is not on you, the plaintiff, to prove that you were exercising caution, it will help your case and help you prove liability if you can show that you were not being irresponsibly reckless.
Part of the determination of liability will be whether you were reckless or careless in not seeing or avoiding what caused you to fall. If a business has posted a “wet floor” sign and you fail to observe it, the business may not be responsible if you fall.
Missouri has a “pure comparative negligence” rule under Missouri Revised Statute §537.765. This means that in a personal injury case, several parties—including, possibly, the plaintiff— may share a percentage of the fault for the incident. A court might find that the property owner was 80% liable, and that you are 20% liable, which would lessen the amount of compensation you could receive. In this scenario, if the court finds that your damages equal $10,000, the owner would only be responsible for paying $8,000. The same rule applies if the case is settled outside of court.
If a court finds that you are 100% liable for your own injury, then you would not receive compensation. The owner will obviously try to put as much of the blame on you as possible. They could argue that:
Trying to blame injuries on the person that fell is a common tactic insurance companies use, but the slip and fall attorneys at Burger Law know how to combat it and prove negligence on the part of the possessor of a property.
Slip and fall accidents should not be taken lightly. These preventable accidents can cause severe injuries. In fact, falls are the second leading cause of preventable deaths and the number one cause of non-fatal emergency room visits, according to the National Security Council. In addition, slip and fall injuries are responsible for the most days of work missed every year in the United States.
Serious slip and fall incidents can cause a wide number of severe injuries that can undeniably impact your life and ability to function. Some of the most common injuries caused by slip and fall accidents include:
After you slip and fall on someone else’s property, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Not all injuries are immediately obvious. Some injuries, such as concussions and head injuries, are difficult to detect and others do not present right away or may not initially seem as severe as they really are.
It is critical both to the success of your injury claim and to your physical recovery that you get professional medical care after your slip and fall accident. With documentation from medical professionals, your Burger Law slip and fall attorney can effectively prove your injuries and negotiate the best possible settlement for you.
Slip and fall accidents can occur in the workplace, at home, or in public for a variety of reasons. In 2019, over 8 millions people were treated in emergency rooms for injuries sustained in a fall. These falls can happen in private homes, on a construction site, in stores, in hospitals or other medical facilities, hotels or any other public space. Below are some of the most common causes of slip and falls:
While it is best to avoid hazardous situations as best you can, sometimes accidents happen through no fault of your own. If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident and believe you are owed compensation from a third party, our team of slip and fall lawyers at Burger Law will help you get the payment you deserve. Call us now at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online
Burger Law’s Missouri slip and fall law firm based in St. Louis has a team of gifted litigators and trial lawyers with more than 70 years of combined experience practicing law and protecting the vulnerable and injured. We will fight to get you maximum compensation in any injury claim in Missouri, including the case types listed here. Click for more information.
Our capable premises liability attorneys in St. Louis, MO hold a history of immense success in obtaining justice and great recoveries for people who have been injured in slip and fall accidents. Your Burger Law slip and fall lawyer in St. Louis has the reputation, resources, talent and experience needed to provide you with quality representation in your slip and fall claim and make the negligent parties pay. You owe it to yourself to hire a trustworthy and dedicated St. Louis slip and fall lawyer from Burger Law to represent you in your claim and do your research to learn more about your situation and the process for legal remedy. Our premises liability and personal injury law firm offers a number of detailed, free resources to help you in your premises liability claim. Check out our videos, online answers to frequently asked questions, other online resources and free e-books or contact us now at (314) 500-HURT to speak to a qualified slip and fall attorney about your case.
Every year hundreds of Missouri residents suffer injuries in slip and fall accidents in stores, businesses, malls, hotels and other public areas. These are a common type of accident resulting from a dangerous condition on someone’s property such as liquid, ice, unsecured handrails, or an uneven sidewalk that caused an injury. Many of these injuries happen because property owners fail to keep their properties safe.
Fortunately, Missouri law provides that a person who suffers an injury on another person’s property may have the right to file a lawsuit against a negligent property owner negligent property owner to recover compensation for their injuries. The damages you are entitled to include things like medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages and more. In order to get true, 100% compensation for your injuries, it is important to find an experienced premise liability personal injury lawyer in St. Louis.
Burger Law’s premise liability lawyers will not rest until you get the compensation that you deserve. If you suffered an injury in a slip and fall accident, contact a St. Louis slip and fall lawyer today who could evaluate your claim. Work with an adept premises liability lawyer that could investigate your accident to help you secure the compensation you deserve. We can begin working on your case as soon as you contact us. Tell a qualified attorney about your slip and fall case at (314) 500-HURT.
Client Reviews
Year of 2023 
This law firm is absolutely amazing. They took on my case, when nobody else would! They fought hard for me when it seemed there was no hope. They kept me informed and always asked for my input before making decisions on my case. Gary puts himself into every case unlike most law firm owners. Gary and his team really care about every one of their clients, and fights hard to get you a fair settlement. They actually won my case out of court, and then reduced my fees to make sure I could get my car fixed and be able to get back to some normality. I would recommend Burger Law over and above any other firm! If you go somewhere else you aren’t getting the best!
7 months ago I am very happy with the staff at Burger Law. I mostly worked with Michael Sheldon, and he did an amazing job. I trusted him completely with my case, and he did not disappoint. I would definitely recommend this team if your ever in need of good attorneys.
3 months ago Burger Law Firm is fantastic. Laura and Genevieve were so amazing and helpful throughout the entire process. They helped me with my personal injury case every step of the way and succeeded at getting me the results I desired.
a year ago We had a great experience with Burger Law for representing us after a serious car accident. Truly impressed by how professional and supportive the entire team is. And, many thanks to Genavieve and Laura – you are amazing!
a year ago They did an amazing job on my case! Communication with them was great!!! Kept me informed and in the loop with everything that was going on!!! Will definitely be the 1st ones I’ll call if ever I’m in another accident!!! Thank you very much!!!
5 months ago Let me tell you something about Burger Law.. they are so attentive and kind. Jennifer is my savior!! I love the whole team!!! They are truly a miracle team!! I appreciate their business and would recommend it to others.
2 months ago Absolutely the best law firm in the St. Louis area. No matter the size of your case you are treated as if you are the only client on the roster. Will explain anything thoroughly and they work around your availability. Very impressed and appreciative of the service.
11 months ago Gary and Casey took great care of me for 2.5 years as my lawsuit was finally settled. I feel he helped me achieve justice for me and my 4 children after their father died from medical malpractice and neglect. Thanks to Gary, my kids now have a great start to their college and adult lives. Thank you Gary and Casey, for fighting for us so hard at our most trying and difficult time in our lives thus far. Love and God bless from my family to yours!
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Frequently asked questions
Find out everything you need to know about the slip and fall personal injury claim process, your options and what to expect. Explore our answers to common questions here or call us at (314) 500-HURT to speak with one of our attorneys about your case today.
How do you determine which personal injury lawyer is right for you? As you’ve undoubtedly heard the disclaimer at the end of TV and radio commercials for law firms: the choice of a lawyer is important and should not be based solely upon advertisements. The key is to speak with the lawyer and de …
Do you know how long you have to file a personal injury claim? Or when the best time is to file one? Is it better to do it immediately after your accident or to wait until you know how significantly your injuries have affected your life? These are just the beginning of the string of questions t …
When To Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer. Accidents and injuries are always unexpected, and it can be hard to know what to do in the aftermath, and how to go about getting compensation for your property damage, medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering. Burger Law knows how to handle cases and …
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Genevieve and Laura have assisted me in my personal injury claim and have made the process so much less stressful. They are extremely knowledgeable, professional, and attentive. Laura is always on top of everything and very sweet. I had no idea how to navigate this process and they have made me feel at ease and like they truly cared about the outcome.
It has been a long 4 years, but it is finally over! Burger law did a great job handling my case. Grant Doty answered all my questions, promptly returned my phone calls, frequently kept me updated and insured me that he was fighting for me. Jennifer Zini also did a wonderful job, great customer service. It was pleasure getting to know the Burger Law team!
After a driver unexpectedly pulled out right in front of my motorcycle & I suffered injuries, the at-fault driver’s insurance company offered me a $10,000 settlement. I hired Burger Law & they won a $109,000 settlement. I was very happy with the outcome. They were easy to work with & fully explained each step of the process & kept me informed along the way.
At Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer, we are a team of personal injury attorneys who have earned many distinctions and peer-reviewed awards for our civil litigation and trial work in Missouri and Illinois. A few of the honors we have earned include the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Top 100 Trial Lawyer Award, a Martindale-Hubbell AV rating, Super Lawyers selection as one of the top attorneys in the field of personal injury and board certifications in Civil Litigation.
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