Memphis Slip and Fall Lawyer

Were you injured in a trip and fall accident in Memphis, TN?

At Patterson Bray PLLC, we help injured clients in Memphis pursue full recovery in trip and fall matters.

If you tripped over a hazard that a property owner should have repaired, an attorney can identify who controlled the property and pursue payment for your medical care and lost income. Raised pavement, torn carpet, and unmarked steps cause serious injuries every year.

Patterson Bray PLLC brings more than 20 years of personal injury experience to cases across Memphis and Shelby County. Our Memphis, TN trip and fall lawyer can examine the hazard, the property records, and the medical evidence to determine what your claim is worth and how much time remains to file it. A free consultation is the first step.

Trip and Fall Lawyer Memphis, TN

A trip and fall claim is a type of premises liability case. It arises when an object or a defect in the walking surface catches a person’s foot, and the party who controls the property fails to fix it, remove it, or warn about it. Raised sidewalk panels, loose carpeting, and items left in an aisle are typical examples.

Approximately 84 percent of Tennessee’s 970 fall deaths in 2020 involved people 65 and older, according to state health department data. Older adults face the greatest risk, and their injuries often take the longest to heal. A trip and fall attorney in Memphis looks at whether the hazard was hidden, how long it existed, and who was responsible for maintaining it.

Types of Trip and Fall Cases We Handle in Memphis

A trip happens when your foot catches on something you did not see or could not avoid. In Memphis, that might be a sidewalk slab lifted by tree roots in an older neighborhood, a torn runner in an apartment hallway, or a pallet left in a store aisle along Poplar Avenue. Each situation calls for a different investigation, and as trip and fall lawyers in Memphis, we pursue claims arising from all of the following.

• Slip and falls. Many falls involve both a slick surface and an obstacle, and the line between a slip and a trip is not always clear. We handle both, since the same notice and negligence rules apply.

• Uneven pavement trips. A height difference of an inch or two between sidewalk panels or at a parking lot seam is enough to stop a foot mid-stride. Measuring the defect and photographing it from several angles matters before anyone repairs it.

• Broken step accidents. Cracked concrete, missing nosing, and a single step that is taller than the rest catch people off guard, especially when they are carrying something. A building manager who received complaints about a step and did nothing has created a clear record of notice.

• Flooring defect trips. Buckled tile, curled carpet edges, and loose mats at building entrances cause falls in offices, restaurants, and rental homes. Owners who knew about the defect and waited to fix it face the strongest claims.

• Walkway obstruction trips. Extension cords, boxes, hoses, and merchandise left in a path of travel all qualify. Retail stores in particular are expected to keep aisles clear during restocking, and displays wedged into narrow aisles create the same danger.

• Inadequate lighting accidents. A burned-out bulb in a stairwell or a dark parking garage can turn a minor defect into a serious hazard. Maintenance logs often show how long the light was out.

• Pothole falls. Holes in private parking lots and driveways are the responsibility of the owner or the company hired to maintain them, and those parties are often slow to repair them. Standing rainwater conceals the depth of a hole.

• Construction accidents. Job sites expose workers and passersby to rebar, loose materials, and uneven ground. A general contractor or subcontractor whose negligence causes a trip may be responsible for the resulting injuries.

Slip and Fall Infographic

Why Choose Patterson Bray PLLC as my Trip and Fall Lawyer in Memphis, TN?

Rooted in Memphis Courts

Chris Patterson began his legal career as a law clerk to the Shelby County Criminal Court judges. He earned his law degree at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis, and he is a Fellow of the Memphis Bar Foundation and a member of the Memphis Bar Association. Today he leads Patterson Bray PLLC, bringing more than 20 years of legal experience to catastrophic personal injury and death cases. Law and Politics named him a Rising Star in Construction Litigation, a background that applies directly when a fall happens on a job site.

Recoveries in Serious Fall Cases

One of our clients, a commercial roofing supervisor, fell approximately 25 feet onto a concrete floor after tripping on a hazard created by another subcontractor. After resolving his workers’ compensation claim, we pursued the subcontractor directly and recovered an additional $1.8 million. A record of millions of dollars recovered for injured clients is what you should expect from a personal injury lawyer in Memphis, TN. Your first consultation with a Memphis trip and fall attorney is free. Cases proceed on contingency and our legal fees are taken as a percentage of your final recovery.

Understanding Trip and Fall Cases

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Trip and Fall Cases

Our Memphis trip and fall attorneys start with Tennessee negligence law. The property owner or occupant must have created the hazard or known, or reasonably should have known, about it and failed to repair it or warn visitors.

Fault is then divided. If a jury assigns you 20 percent of the responsibility, a $100,000 award drops to $80,000. A finding of 50 percent or more bars recovery entirely, so arguments about partial fault often shape settlement talks.

Recoverable types of damages include:

• Hospital, surgery, therapy, and future medical costs

• Lost wages and lost earning ability

• Physical pain and mental anguish

• Permanent impairment or disfigurement

Economic losses have no statutory limit. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-39-102, noneconomic damages are generally capped at $750,000, rising to $1,000,000 for catastrophic injuries, as a state Attorney General opinion explains. When a fall proves fatal, surviving family members may pursue a wrongful death claim.

What Are Important Aspects of a Trip and Fall Case?

Trip and fall claims often come down to what the injured person could see and what the owner should have fixed. Insurance adjusters focus on five issues early in the claim.

• Visibility of the hazard. Owners frequently argue that a defect was open and obvious. In Tennessee, that argument doesn’t automatically defeat a claim, but it can shift part of the fault to you.

• Control of the area. A store, a landlord, a management company, and a maintenance contractor may each have had some responsibility. Falls on public sidewalks involve different rules and shorter notice periods, so identifying the owner early matters. Hazards on city property can also be documented through a Memphis 311 report.

• Size of the defect. Measurements and photographs taken soon after the fall carry far more weight than a description given months later.

• Your activity at the time. Adjusters ask about footwear, phone use, and whether you were carrying something that blocked your view.

• The resulting injuries. Trips commonly cause wrist and hip fractures, and a fractured bone can require surgery and months of rehabilitation. Head trauma from a fall can develop into a lasting brain injury that requires long-term care.

What Is The Trip and Fall Case Timeline?

Every claim moves at its own pace, but most pass through the same stages.

• Immediate steps. Medical treatment, photographs of the hazard, and a written incident report.

• Investigation. Requests for maintenance records, inspection logs, and any video before it is erased.

• Negotiation. A settlement demand once your doctors can describe your long-term outlook.

• Filing. Tennessee generally requires a personal injury lawsuit within one year under Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104, and the Tennessee lawsuit deadlines for some defendants are shorter. Memphis cases are usually filed with the Shelby County Circuit Court.

• Litigation. Discovery, depositions, mediation, and trial if the insurer won’t pay a fair amount.

What Should You Bring to Your Trip and Fall Consultation?

A trip and fall lawyer in Memphis from our firm will walk through the circumstances of the fall, explain the defenses the owner is likely to raise, and give you a frank assessment of the claim’s strengths and weaknesses. A few documents allow us to assess liability at the first meeting.

• Photographs of the spot where you tripped, ideally with something in the frame for scale

• Discharge papers, imaging results, and bills

• Any written report you made to the property owner or manager

• Contact details for anyone who saw the fall

Reach Out to Patterson Bray PLLC to Schedule a Consultation

An early review gives us the best opportunity to secure records and video while they still exist. Patterson Bray PLLC offers free consultations to people injured in Memphis trip and fall accidents. Contact us to arrange a meeting at our office on Centerview Parkway, and a member of our office will follow up to confirm a time.