Philadelphia Slip and Fall Lawyer — Property Owners Are Responsible. We Prove It.
You slipped. You fell. You are hurt — and now the property owner, their manager, or their insurer is telling you it was your fault.
It was not your fault. Property owners have a legal duty to maintain safe conditions. When they fail that duty and someone is injured, they are liable. That is the law in Pennsylvania.
Call 1-800-247-LEGAL. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we recover.
What Makes a Slip and Fall Case in Pennsylvania
A slip and fall case — more precisely, a premises liability claim — occurs when someone is injured on another person's property due to an unsafe condition that the property owner knew about, or reasonably should have known about, and failed to fix.
Property owners are required by law to maintain their premises so that people like you are not injured. That obligation applies to businesses. Homeowners. Landlords. Government agencies. Even the City of Philadelphia.
When they fail that obligation, you may be entitled to compensation. Not a partial payment. Not a goodwill gesture from their insurer. Full compensation for every injury their negligence caused..
Where Slip and Fall Accidents Happen in Philadelphia
Slip and fall accidents occur everywhere. Some of the most common locations we see in Philadelphia:
- Grocery stores, pharmacies, and retail locations with wet floors, unmarked spills, or debris in aisles
- Restaurants and bars where floor conditions are not maintained
- Apartment buildings and rental properties with broken stairs, defective handrails, or poor lighting
- Office buildings and commercial properties with hazardous entryways, especially in winter
- Sidewalks — city-maintained and privately maintained — with cracks, uneven surfaces, or ice and snow accumulation
- Construction sites and public areas with inadequate barriers or warning signage
- Parking lots and parking garages with potholes, unmarked hazards, or poor lighting
The location matters — both for identifying who is responsible and for understanding what notice requirements apply. Some claims require action faster than others..
How We Prove a Slip and Fall Case
This is the part people worry about. How do you prove the property owner knew about the hazard?
The answer is that evidence exists. Property owners keep records. Businesses generate incident reports. Surveillance cameras capture what happened. Maintenance logs document what was — and was not — done. That evidence does not last forever. Insurance companies and property owners move quickly to close files and preserve their position.
We move faster.
From the first consultation, we begin building the case. We take photographs of the defective property. We identify every responsible party — the property owner, the management company, the maintenance contractor, the municipality. We obtain police reports, medical records, and incident documentation. We subpoena surveillance footage and maintenance logs before they are overwritten or destroyed. We determine who failed in their duty to you, and we document it completely.
Our investigation will include everything necessary to substantiate the seriousness of your injuries and establish who is responsible. Then we take it to the insurance companies — and to court if that is what it requires.
Falling on a City Sidewalk in Philadelphia? Different Rules Apply.
If you were injured on a sidewalk, staircase, or public property maintained by the City of Philadelphia or another government entity, your claim follows a different set of rules.
Government entity claims in Pennsylvania carry specific notice requirements and shorter filing windows than standard personal injury claims. If you miss the notice deadline, your claim may be barred entirely — regardless of how clear the negligence is.
Who is responsible for a sidewalk depends on the facts. In Philadelphia, responsibility for sidewalk maintenance often falls on the abutting property owner — not the city — depending on location and circumstances. That distinction affects who you sue and how.
This is not guesswork. It is something we evaluate in every free consultation for a Philadelphia slip and fall claim.
What About Comparative Fault — What If They Say It Was My Fault?
They will say it. Count on it.
Property owners and their insurers routinely argue that the injured person was not paying attention, was wearing improper footwear, or should have seen the hazard. This is a cost-reduction strategy. It is not an honest assessment of what happened.
Pennsylvania follows a modified comparative negligence rule. Even if you bear some responsibility for the accident, you may still recover compensation — as long as your share of fault is determined to be less than 51 percent. Your recovery is reduced proportionally by your percentage of fault.
We anticipate this argument. We investigate the facts before they have a chance to build their version of events. We document what the property owner knew, when they knew it, and what they failed to do. The goal is a complete and accurate record of what actually happened — not their version of it.
What You May Be Entitled to Recover
A slip and fall injury claim in Pennsylvania can include compensation for:
Medical expenses — emergency care, physical therapy, surgery, and future treatment related to your injuries
Lost wages — income already lost and future earning capacity affected by your injury
Pain and suffering — the physical pain and emotional distress resulting from the accident
Future care costs
— ongoing treatment or assistance required because of your injuries
Other out-of-pocket losses — expenses directly caused by the accident
You are in pain. You may be out of work. Bills are accumulating. The insurance company is already working on their response.
We work on yours. We evaluate the full economic and non-economic impact of your injuries from day one, and we fight for every dollar. There is no fee unless we recover.
The steps you take in the hours after a bus accident directly shape what your claim becomes.
Step 1:
Seek Medical Attention Immediately
Even if you feel fine at the scene, get a full evaluation. Bus accident injuries — soft tissue damage, spinal injuries, head trauma — frequently do not present full symptoms right away. A medical record from the day of the accident is one of the most important documents in your case.
Step 2:
Document Everything You Can
Photograph the bus, the scene, any visible injuries, and road conditions. Get the bus number, route number, and operator information if possible. Collect contact information from witnesses. If police responded, get the report number.
Step 3:
Do Not Give a Statement to SEPTA or Their Insurer
SEPTA has a claims process. Their insurers have adjusters. Neither one is working in your interest. You are not required to give a recorded statement before speaking with an attorney. Do not.
Step 4:
Call Goldberg & Weinstein Immediately
Reach us at 1-800-247-LEGAL at any hour. In government entity cases, the notice deadline is the first thing we address. We will move quickly to protect your right to file.
What You May Be Entitled to Recover
A bus accident claim in Pennsylvania can include compensation for:
Medical expenses — emergency care, ongoing treatment, and future costs related to your injuries
Lost wages — income already lost and earning capacity affected by your injury
Pain and suffering — the physical and emotional toll of the accident and recovery
Property damage
— personal items damaged or destroyed in the accident
Other out-of-pocket losses
— transportation, home care, and expenses directly caused by the accident
You are accumulating bills. You may be out of work. The insurance company is calling. You should not have to deal with all of that alone while you are trying to recover.
We lift that burden. We handle the legal process, deal with the insurers, and fight for every dollar you are entitled to. There is no fee unless we recover.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bus Accident Claims in Philadelphia
Frequently Asked Questions About Slip and Fall Claims in Philadelphia
Who is responsible for a slip and fall on a sidewalk in Philadelphia?
A: It depends on the location and the specific facts. In many cases, Philadelphia's code places sidewalk maintenance responsibility on the abutting property owner — meaning the business or homeowner whose property borders the sidewalk. In other circumstances, the city may bear responsibility. Both government entity and private property claims carry specific procedural requirements. Call us before you assume you know who to hold responsible.
What do I need to prove a slip and fall case in Pennsylvania?
To establish liability in a Pennsylvania slip and fall case, you generally need to show that the property owner owed you a duty of care, that a hazardous condition existed, that the owner knew or should have known about it, that they failed to remedy it, and that the failure caused your injury. Establishing that the owner knew about the hazard — whether through prior complaints, inspection records, surveillance footage, or maintenance logs — is often the central issue. We investigate all of it.
How long do I have to file a slip and fall claim in Pennsylvania?
For most slip and fall claims against private property owners, Pennsylvania's statute of limitations is two years from the date of the injury. For claims against the City of Philadelphia or other government entities, shorter notice deadlines apply and can cut off your rights far sooner. If a government entity may be involved, call us immediately.
Can I sue a store for a slip and fall in Philadelphia?
Yes. Businesses are required to maintain safe conditions for customers. If a store had a wet floor, a spill, a debris hazard, or any other dangerous condition that caused your fall — and they knew or should have known about it — you may have a valid premises liability claim. Surveillance footage, incident reports, and employee records can all support your case. We move quickly to preserve that evidence.
What if there was no wet floor sign — does that help my case?
Yes, it can. The absence of a warning sign is relevant evidence that the business failed to take reasonable steps to protect customers from a known hazard. It does not automatically win the case, but it supports the argument that the property owner failed in their duty of care. Combined with other evidence — the nature of the hazard, how long it existed, whether the business had prior complaints — it can be significant.
Does it help my case if I reported the accident to the store before leaving?
Yes. An incident report creates a contemporaneous record that the accident occurred, where it occurred, and what the condition was at the time. Get a copy if possible. If the store refuses, document that refusal. Then call us. We can obtain the report through the claims and legal process.
You Were Hurt Because Someone Failed You. We Make Sure It Counts.
Property owners have insurance for exactly this reason. Their insurer's job is to minimize what you recover. Our job is to make sure that does not happen.
Call 1-800-247-LEGAL at any hour. We listen carefully to what you tell us. We investigate. We fight for every dollar you are entitled to. And there is no fee unless we recover..