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March 09, 2025

| Personal Injury

Who is Responsible for a Slip and Fall Accident on Public Property?

Accounting for over 8 million hospital visits annually, slip and falls are the leading cause of injuries for people ages 65 and older. There is no denying the long-term effects of a slip and fall, with many injury victims sustaining hip fractures, spinal cord injuries, and even head injuries. A type of premises liability claim, a slip and fall, takes place when someone is injured on a property due to a hazardous condition.

If your slip and fall happens in a restaurant, café, or bookstore, although this is a public space, you can file a claim with the business owner. The same does not always hold true if you fall on public property. If you or a family member have fallen on public property, our Reading slip and fall lawyers would like to inform you of your legal rights.

Liability on Government Funded or Government Owned Property

What should you do if you slip on standing water and fall in the bathroom of a baseball stadium? What if you fall on loose gravel in a public park? Although not as widely discussed, slips, trips, or falls on public property happen frequently, with accident victims suffering serious and even catastrophic injuries.

However, if your fall happens on publicly funded property or government-owned property, you will want to submit a claim directly to the responsible government agency. If the property is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, you will need to send a written notice of your claim to the Attorney General’s Office as well. It is imperative to notify the responsible government agency as quickly as possible as there are certain time-related requirements.

Proving Negligence

A slip and fall can result in ambulatory services, an ER visit, medical imaging, and months of rehab, all of which come at a high price. If you sustained injuries on government property, you must establish that the state or federal government or the government of the municipality where you fell was negligent in maintaining safe conditions. In Pennsylvania, damages in lawsuits against local municipalities are limited to $500,000 per incident.

If you did fall on federal property, you may be eligible to file a claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). Enacted in 1946, this Act allows private citizens to bring lawsuits against federal employees for civil wrongs. In an FTCA claim, the federal government will serve as the defendant. If you believe that you have an FTCA claim, it is best that you speak with a Reading slip and fall lawyer to determine the validity of your claim and the best course of action.

Slip and Fall Damages

Legal damages are designed to make an injured party “whole” again. A slip and fall can result in economic and/or noneconomic damages. Economic damages are any losses that are easily quantified, taking money directly out of your pocketbook.

In a slip and fall, slip and fall damages may include:

In contrast, noneconomic damages are nonpecuniary losses that impact a person’s quality of life but do not have intrinsic monetary value. These may include:

Injured on Government Property? Contact Our Reading Slip and Fall Attorneys Now

The nuances of an injury on public property can be difficult to navigate, requiring legal insight and finesse. If you or a close family member have been hurt on government property, the Reading slip and fall attorneys at HGSK Injury Lawyers would like to discuss your case. 

Our team of professionals believes that negligence on the part of a city, state, or federal government should not equal you being financially stretched thin. We are adamant about assisting injury victims and helping them recover the compensation they need to completely heal. To learn more, contact us online or by phone to schedule your free consultation.