Plano Slip & Fall Lawyers

Many slip and fall accidents happen because a property owner failed to identify, repair, or warn visitors about a dangerous condition.

Plano slip and fall lawyers represent people injured on unsafe property conditions the owner knew about or should have discovered through reasonable inspection and maintenance.

Under Texas premises liability law, the success of a slip and fall claim often depends on the injured person’s status on the property, the owner’s knowledge of the hazard, and the evidence proving negligence.

The NMW Law Firm handles slip and fall claims throughout Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, and the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Texas law generally gives injured victims two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Call (833) 758-4437 today for a free, confidential consultation.

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How Can NMW Help with a Plano Slip and Fall Claim?

Slip and fall claims succeed or fail on documentation. Most property owners and their insurers move quickly to fix or clean up the hazard that caused the fall, which means evidence disappears within hours unless someone preserves it.

NMW handles slip and fall cases by working fast to lock down photos, surveillance footage, incident reports, and witness statements before the property owner removes the proof.

Which Types of Slip and Fall Evidence Disappear Fastest?

The most useful evidence in a slip and fall case is often the most fragile. Several types of evidence may be lost or altered quickly after a fall.

Surveillance video that property owners may overwrite within days or weeks
Photographs of the hazard itself, which the property owner typically removes or repairs after the fall
Witness contact information, since shoppers and bystanders disperse within minutes
Internal incident reports that property managers prepare but rarely share without legal pressure
Floor maintenance logs and cleaning schedules that document inspection practices

Acting quickly to send a preservation letter and request these materials may make the difference between a winning case and one that stalls for lack of proof.

Attorney Experience in Premises Cases

Attorney Keith Bakker brings trial experience from premises liability and serious injury matters, including cases that produced substantial settlements for clients with documented falls and resulting injuries.

Outcomes vary based on the specific facts of each case, and past results do not guarantee future results. The firm operates with bilingual support in English and Spanish for clients across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

What Does Texas Premises Liability Law Require for a Slip and Fall Claim?

Texas premises liability law requires the injured person to prove four elements: a dangerous condition existed on the property, the owner knew or should have known about it, the owner failed to warn or fix the condition, and the failure caused the injury.

The specific duty the property owner owed depends on the injured person's legal classification at the time of the fall.

Which Three Legal Classifications Affect Your Slip and Fall Case?

Texas common law divides visitors into three categories, and the duty of care owed to each one is different. The table below shows the practical effect of each classification.

Visitor Classification	Who It Covers	Owner's Duty of Care
Invitee	Customers in stores, restaurants, hotels, gyms, and any business open to the public	Inspect the property, fix known hazards, and warn of dangers the owner could have discovered with reasonable inspection
Licensee	Social guests, salespeople, delivery drivers, and visitors on the property for their own purposes	Warn of or make safe any dangerous condition the owner actually knows about
Trespasser	Anyone on the property without permission	Refrain from causing injury willfully, wantonly, or through gross negligence

The classification matters because it determines whether the owner had to look for the hazard at all.

An invitee can sue based on a hazard the owner should have discovered, while a licensee can only sue based on a hazard the owner actually knew existed.

What Is the Difference Between Actual and Constructive Knowledge?

A property owner has actual knowledge when an employee, manager, or the owner themselves saw the hazard or was told about it.

Constructive knowledge exists when the hazard was present long enough that a reasonable inspection should have discovered it.

The Texas Supreme Court tightened the actual knowledge standard in Albertsons LLC v. Mohammadi (2024), holding that the owner's knowledge must relate to the specific condition that caused the fall at the time of the incident, not just a general awareness that the area might become dangerous over time.

Several types of evidence may establish that the owner knew or should have known about the hazard.

Prior complaints from other customers about the same condition
Employee statements or internal communications about the hazard
Maintenance and inspection logs showing gaps in the owner's safety practices
Photographs or video showing the hazard had existed long before the fall
Witness testimony from people who saw the condition before the injury occurred

The strength of the notice evidence often determines whether the case proceeds to trial or settles, and whether the property owner faces full liability or a fault-shifting defense.

What Are the Most Common Slip and Fall Hazards in Plano?

Slip and fall claims in the Plano area frequently involve hazards inside retail stores, restaurants, grocery stores, and apartment complexes.

These hazards share a common feature: the property owner had an opportunity to discover and address the problem before someone got hurt.

Which Recurring Hazards Cause Most Slip and Fall Injuries?

Most slip and fall claims involve one of several recurring conditions that property owners regularly fail to address.

Wet or recently mopped floors with no "Wet Floor" sign in place
Spilled food, drinks, or product leaks in grocery store aisles
Ice and water tracked in from parking lots during inclement weather
Loose, broken, or uneven flooring including torn carpet and damaged tile
Inadequate lighting in stairwells, parking garages, and back hallways
Missing or broken handrails on stairs and elevated walkways

A pattern of similar incidents at the same property may strengthen a slip and fall claim by showing the owner had ongoing notice of an unsafe condition.

The Texas Supreme Court has recognized that business practices creating recurring hazards may support liability even without direct proof of actual knowledge.

What Compensation Can You Recover After a Plano Slip and Fall Accident?

A Plano slip and fall claim may include compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other related losses. The value of any individual claim depends on the severity of the injuries, the strength of the evidence, and the available insurance coverage on the property.

Damages Recoverable Under Texas Law

Texas law allows recovery of both economic and noneconomic damages in slip and fall cases. Typical components of a successful claim include the following.

Emergency room visits, diagnostic imaging, surgery, and follow-up medical care
Physical therapy and rehabilitation for fractures, soft tissue injuries, and back or neck damage
Lost wages during recovery and reduced earning capacity for permanent injuries
Pain and suffering tied to the injury and any chronic conditions that develop
Mental anguish, including fear of falling again, anxiety, and emotional distress

Slip and fall injuries frequently include broken hips, wrists, and ankles, herniated discs, traumatic brain injuries from striking the head, and chronic back pain.

The full value of a claim often takes months to develop because some of these injuries produce ongoing symptoms long after the initial emergency care.

How Does Texas Comparative Fault Affect Slip and Fall Claims?

Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001.

Your recovery decreases by your percentage of fault, and a finding of more than 50 percent fault eliminates your claim. Insurance companies in slip and fall cases use a predictable set of arguments to shift blame onto the injured person.

Arguing that the hazard was "open and obvious" and should have been avoided
Claiming the injured person was wearing inappropriate footwear like high heels or worn-soled shoes
Pointing to the injured person being on a phone or otherwise distracted when the fall occurred
Suggesting that the injured person was walking too fast, too slow, or in an unexpected manner
Asserting that the injured person was in an area not intended for customer or guest access

Pushing back against these arguments often requires the kind of evidence (surveillance video, witness statements, scene photographs) that disappears quickly without legal intervention.

Ask NMW Law Firm

What should I do after a slip and fall at a store or restaurant in Plano?

Report the fall to a manager and ask them to complete an incident report. Take photos of the hazard, the surrounding area, and any visible injuries. Get the names and contact information of any witnesses.

Seek medical attention even if you feel fine, because some slip and fall injuries (including traumatic brain injuries and back injuries) produce delayed symptoms. Contact a slip and fall attorney before giving a recorded statement to the property owner's insurer.

How much does it cost to hire a slip and fall lawyer?

Our firm handles Plano slip and fall cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing out of pocket, and the firm collects a fee only if your case results in a financial recovery.

The arrangement allows you to pursue your claim without adding financial pressure during your recovery from the fall.

Do I have a case if I fell on private property like a friend's house?

Possibly. A social guest at a private home is a licensee under Texas law, which means the owner had a duty to warn of dangerous conditions they actually knew about.

Most homeowner insurance policies cover slip and fall claims, so pursuing a claim against your friend typically means filing against their insurance, not seeking money from them personally.

An attorney may help evaluate whether your fall meets the legal standard for a licensee claim.

FAQs for Plano Slip & Fall Lawyers

How long do I have to file a slip and fall lawsuit in Texas?

Texas sets a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003. The clock starts on the date of the fall.

Some property owners (such as government entities) may require notice of the claim within a much shorter window, often as little as six months, so acting quickly protects your rights.

Can I sue if I slipped on a wet floor that had a "Wet Floor" sign nearby?

A visible "Wet Floor" sign generally satisfies the property owner's duty to warn invitees of a wet floor hazard. However, the sign must be placed where a reasonable person would actually see it before encountering the wet area.

A sign hidden behind a display, placed after the puddle, or positioned in a way that does not warn approaching customers may not protect the owner from liability. The specific facts of where and how the sign was positioned matter.

What injuries qualify for a slip and fall claim?

Any injury caused by a fall on someone else's property may support a claim, but cases typically involve injuries serious enough to require medical treatment.

Common slip and fall injuries include broken bones, particularly hips, wrists, and ankles, head injuries including concussions and traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord and back injuries, soft tissue damage, and dental injuries from facial impact.

The strength of the medical documentation directly affects the value of the claim.

Can I file a slip and fall claim against my employer?

Possibly. If your employer has workers’ compensation insurance, you usually cannot sue the employer directly for a workplace slip and fall injury. Workers’ compensation may still cover medical care and part of your lost wages.

If your employer does not carry workers’ compensation insurance, you may be able to file a lawsuit. You may also have a claim against a third party, such as a property owner or maintenance company, if they helped cause the dangerous condition.

Speak With a Plano Slip and Fall Lawyer Today

Prompt evidence preservation can significantly affect the strength of a slip and fall claim. Property owners may not retain surveillance footage for long, and witnesses often become difficult to contact as time passes.

Maintenance logs disappear into corporate file systems where they become difficult to retrieve without legal demand. Every day that passes between the fall and the legal intervention narrows the window for building a strong case.

Call NMW at (833) 758-4437 for a free, confidential review of your slip and fall case.

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