A slip and fall lawyer in Savannah helps people injured on someone else’s property file a premises liability claim against the property owner under Georgia law.
Hasner Law represents slip and fall victims throughout Chatham County and the greater Savannah area, including injuries at grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, apartment complexes, parking lots, office buildings, and government-owned properties.
Premises liability is the area of Georgia law that holds property owners financially responsible when unsafe conditions on their property cause injury to a visitor.
Under O.C.G.A. § 51-3-1, property owners and occupiers must exercise ordinary care to keep their premises safe for anyone lawfully on the property. When an owner fails to fix a known hazard or warn visitors about a dangerous condition, that failure may form the basis of a claim.
Hasner Law takes slip and fall cases on a contingency-fee basis, which means you pay nothing unless the firm recovers compensation on your behalf. Call (912) 234-2334 for a free consultation.
Why Do Injured Visitors in Savannah Choose Hasner Law for Slip and Fall Claims?
Hasner Law Injury & Workers’ Compensation Attorneys brings more than 100 years of combined legal experience to injury victims across Savannah, Atlanta, Kennesaw, and communities throughout Georgia.
The firm’s founding attorney, Stephen Hasner, co-founded the Georgia Injured Workers’ Advocates (GIWA) and has dedicated his career to fighting for people hurt through the negligence of others.
The legal team includes a former Administrative Law Judge and attorneys who handle premises liability and personal injury claims in Chatham County State Court and Superior Court.
How the Firm Builds a Savannah Slip and Fall Case
Evidence in a slip and fall case disappears fast. A wet floor gets mopped, a broken step gets repaired, and surveillance footage gets overwritten.
The legal team at Hasner Law moves quickly to lock down proof before the property owner has a chance to clean up the scene. The firm’s approach typically involves:
- Obtaining surveillance footage from the property before it is overwritten, which typically happens within days
- Photographing and documenting the hazardous condition, including lighting, signage, and the presence or absence of warnings like a “Wet Floor” sign
- Identifying and interviewing witnesses who saw the condition before and after the fall
- Gathering incident reports filed with the property owner or manager, plus any prior complaints about the same hazard
- Reviewing medical records to document the direct connection between the fall and the injuries
Property owners and their insurance companies almost always argue that the hazard was obvious, that you were not paying attention, or that they had no knowledge of the condition. Strong evidence collected in the first 48 hours is the most effective way to counter those arguments.
Hasner Law assists clients in both English and Spanish. Call (912) 234-2334 to get started with a free case review.
What Do You Need to Prove in a Savannah Slip and Fall Claim?
A slip and fall claim in Georgia requires proof of four elements: the property owner owed you a duty of care, the owner breached that duty, the breach caused your fall, and you suffered damages as a result. Missing any one of these elements may defeat the claim entirely.
How Georgia Defines a Property Owner’s Duty of Care
Property owners in Georgia owe a duty of ordinary care to invitees under O.C.G.A. § 51-3-1. An invitee is any person who enters the property for a lawful purpose at the owner’s express or implied invitation.
Customers in stores, hotel guests, restaurant diners, and apartment tenants all qualify as invitees. Ordinary care means the owner must regularly inspect the property, fix known hazards within a reasonable time, and warn visitors about dangerous conditions that are not immediately obvious.
How Georgia Determines Whether the Owner Knew About the Hazard
Georgia law requires proof that the property owner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition. Courts evaluate knowledge using two categories:
- Actual knowledge means the owner or an employee directly knew about the hazard through a prior complaint, an incident report, a maintenance request, or because an employee created the condition
- Constructive knowledge means the hazard existed long enough that a reasonable owner exercising ordinary care would have discovered and fixed it
If a spill sat on a grocery store floor for 30 minutes without cleanup or a warning sign, the store likely had constructive knowledge. If an employee mopped the floor and walked away without posting a sign, the store had actual knowledge from the moment the employee created the hazard.
How the Insurance Company Tries to Blame You for the Fall
Georgia courts also evaluate whether you exercised ordinary care for your own safety. The insurance company may raise one or more of the following arguments to shift blame:
- That the hazard was open, obvious, and easily avoidable, meaning a reasonable person would have noticed and walked around it
- That you were distracted by your phone, a conversation, or something other than where you were walking
- That you ignored a posted warning sign such as a “Wet Floor” sign or a barrier around the hazard
- That you wore footwear inappropriate for the conditions, such as high heels on a wet surface
None of these arguments automatically defeats your claim. They may reduce your compensation under Georgia’s comparative negligence rule, but the property owner’s failure to fix or warn about the hazard remains a separate question of fault.
How Does Comparative Negligence Reduce a Slip and Fall Settlement in Georgia?
Georgia’s comparative negligence rule reduces your compensation by your percentage of fault and bars all recovery if that percentage reaches 50 or more.
Under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33, if a jury assigns you 30 percent of the fault for your fall, your total compensation drops by 30 percent. If fault reaches 50 percent, you recover nothing.
Why This Rule Matters in Every Slip and Fall Case
Insurance adjusters use comparative negligence as their primary tool to reduce slip and fall payouts. Their goal is to push your fault percentage as high as possible, because every point directly reduces what the insurer pays.
An attorney’s job is to counter those arguments with evidence showing that the property owner’s negligence was the primary cause of the injury and that you acted reasonably under the circumstances.
What Compensation May You Recover After a Slip and Fall in Savannah?
Compensation in a Savannah slip and fall case depends on the severity of the injury, the strength of the liability evidence, and the available insurance coverage. Georgia law allows injured visitors to pursue both economic and non-economic damages.
The types of compensation that a successful slip and fall claim in Savannah may include:
- Medical expenses covering emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy, prescriptions, and future treatment
- Lost wages for time missed from work, plus lost earning capacity if the injury prevents a return to the same occupation
- Pain and suffering for physical pain, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life caused by the fall
- Permanent disability or disfigurement if the fall caused lasting physical limitations, scarring, or loss of mobility
- Loss of consortium, which is a claim the injured person’s spouse may file for the loss of companionship caused by the injury
Each category requires supporting documentation. Medical records, wage statements, photographs of the hazard, and testimony from treating physicians all strengthen the claim’s value at the negotiation table or in a Chatham County courtroom.
What Deadlines Apply to a Savannah Slip and Fall Claim?
The filing deadline for a slip and fall lawsuit in Georgia is two years from the date of the fall under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33. Missing this deadline bars your claim permanently, regardless of how strong the evidence is.
Government Property Claims Have a Shorter Deadline
If you fell on property owned or maintained by the City of Savannah, Chatham County, or another government entity, you must provide written ante litem notice within six months under O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5.
Ante litem notice is a formal written notification that you intend to file a claim against the government entity. It must describe the incident, identify the location, and state the amount of your claim. Filing a claim after this six-month window closes may result in dismissal.
Why Acting in the First 48 Hours Matters
Surveillance footage from Savannah businesses and government cameras is typically overwritten within days. Spills get cleaned, broken steps get fixed, and the physical evidence of the hazard vanishes.
The sooner your attorney sends preservation letters and begins the investigation, the stronger your case becomes. Waiting weeks or months to contact an attorney often means the strongest evidence is already gone.
Ask Hasner Law
How much does it cost to hire a slip and fall lawyer in Savannah?
Hasner Law takes slip and fall cases on a contingency-fee basis. You pay no upfront fees and owe nothing unless the firm recovers compensation on your behalf. The initial consultation is free, and the firm covers all case expenses throughout the process.
What if the property owner says the hazard was obvious and I should have seen it?
The open and obvious defense does not automatically bar your claim in Georgia. The property owner still has a duty to maintain safe conditions, and whether the hazard was truly obvious depends on lighting, visibility, distractions, and the specific circumstances of the fall. Your attorney may present evidence showing that a reasonable person in the same situation would not have noticed the danger.
What if I fell in a store and no one filled out an incident report?
The absence of an incident report does not prevent you from filing a claim. Medical records, surveillance footage, witness testimony, and photographs of the hazard all serve as evidence. Reporting the fall to the property owner at the time it happens creates a documented record, but the lack of one does not end your case.
What if I slipped on a government-owned sidewalk in Savannah?
Claims against the City of Savannah or Chatham County follow different rules than claims against private property owners. You must provide written ante litem notice within six months of the fall under O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5. Missing this deadline bars your claim even if the two-year statute of limitations has not expired.
FAQs for Savannah Slip and Fall Lawyers
How long do I have to file a slip and fall lawsuit in Savannah?
Two years from the date of the fall under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33. If a government entity owns or maintains the property, you must also provide written ante litem notice within six months under O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5. Missing either deadline permanently bars your claim.
What if I was partially at fault for my slip and fall?
Georgia’s comparative negligence rule reduces your compensation by your percentage of fault. If fault reaches 50 percent or more, Georgia law bars all recovery. Insurance companies frequently argue that the injured person was distracted or ignoring a warning sign. Your attorney counters those arguments with evidence about the property owner’s failure to maintain safe conditions.
What injuries are common in Savannah slip and fall cases?
Broken bones, hip fractures, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, torn ligaments, and soft tissue injuries are the most common. Older adults face higher risk of severe injury from falls. Many of these injuries require surgery, physical therapy, and months of recovery time.
What evidence do I need for a slip and fall claim in Savannah?
The strongest claims include surveillance footage, photographs of the hazard taken immediately after the fall, medical records, witness statements, incident reports, and any prior complaints about the same condition. Collecting this evidence in the first 48 hours gives you the best chance of building a strong case, because physical conditions change and footage gets overwritten quickly.
What is an invitee under Georgia premises liability law?
An invitee is any person who enters a property for a lawful purpose at the owner’s express or implied invitation. Store customers, hotel guests, restaurant diners, and apartment tenants all qualify. Property owners owe the highest duty of care to invitees under O.C.G.A. § 51-3-1, which requires ordinary care in keeping the premises safe.
Talk to Savannah Slip and Fall Lawyers at Hasner Law Today
The property owner’s insurance company is already looking for reasons to deny your claim or reduce what it pays. Every day that passes gives the owner time to repair the hazard, overwrite surveillance footage, and build a defense that shifts blame to you.
Hasner Law Injury & Workers’ Compensation Attorneys has spent decades representing injury victims across Savannah, Atlanta, and communities throughout Georgia. Call (912) 234-2334 today for a free consultation and find out whether the property owner’s negligence gives you grounds for a claim.
Hasner Law: Savannah Injury & Workers’ Compensation Attorneys
221 W York St,
Savannah, GA 31401
Ph: 912-234-2334
