Bethesda Slip and Fall Lawyers

You don’t expect a trip to the grocery store, a restaurant, or an office building in Bethesda to end with a broken bone, a head injury, or months of painful rehabilitation. But when a property owner cuts corners on maintenance or fails to fix known hazards, that’s exactly what can happen. Falls are among the most common and most serious accidents in Maryland, and they are almost always preventable.

Our Bethesda slip and fall lawyers fight to hold negligent property owners and businesses accountable. We understand how devastating these incidents can be and how hard it can be to get fair treatment from insurance companies that downplay your injuries. We don’t let them. We build strong cases based on evidence, expert testimony, and our in-depth knowledge of Maryland premises liability law.

Maryland Property Owners Owe You a Duty of Care

Under Maryland premises liability law, property owners, business operators, landlords, and managers have a legal duty to keep their premises safe for visitors. That means promptly fixing or warning about hazards they know or should know exist. What that duty looks like depends on your status on the property as an invitee, licensee, or trespasser. Invitees, such as customers in a store, are owed the highest duty of care. Owners must inspect the property regularly and repair or warn about dangers. Licensees, such as social guests, must be warned of hidden hazards the owner knows about. Trespassers, meanwhile, are generally owed less protection, but even then, owners may not willfully or wantonly cause harm.

In addition, to win a slip and fall case in Maryland, you must prove that the owner or occupier knew or should have known about a dangerous condition and failed to correct it or warn you in time.

Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents in Bethesda

Falls can happen anywhere—on a wet grocery store floor, a cracked sidewalk in downtown Bethesda, or a poorly lit parking garage. Some of the most common causes we see include:

• Wet or slippery floors from spills, mopping, rain, or snow tracked inside
• Uneven or cracked pavement, sidewalks, or parking lots
• Broken or missing handrails on stairs or ramps
• Loose carpeting, floor mats, or tiles
• Cluttered walkways and obstructed aisles
• Poor lighting in stairwells, hallways, and parking structures
• Leaks or drainage issues causing recurring puddles or ice patches
• Hidden drop-offs, uneven flooring, or unsafe transitions between surfaces

Property owners have a responsibility to maintain safe walking surfaces and address these hazards before someone gets hurt. When they fail, they can and should be held financially liable for the harm they cause.

Serious Injuries Caused by Falls

Slip and fall injuries are often far more serious than people realize. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are a leading cause of traumatic brain injuries, fractures, and spinal trauma. Older adults are especially vulnerable, but anyone can be seriously hurt in a fall.

Common injuries include fractures (wrist, arm, hip, ankle), traumatic brain injuries and concussions, back and spinal cord injuries, torn ligaments or dislocated joints, nerve damage or chronic pain, facial injuries and dental trauma, and internal bleeding or organ damage.

Even a “simple” fracture can lead to months of rehabilitation, lost wages, and lasting mobility issues. Insurance companies may claim your injuries aren’t serious or that you were “clumsy.” We push back with medical evidence and testimony from orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, and other experts to prove exactly how the fall changed your life.

Why Slip and Fall Cases Are Hard to Win in Maryland

Maryland is one of only a handful of states that still follows the harsh rule of contributory negligence. Under this rule, if you are found even 1% at fault for your fall, you cannot recover any compensation at all. Insurance companies and defense lawyers know this and will do everything they can to shift even a sliver of blame onto you.

For example, they may argue that you weren’t watching where you were walking, ignored a warning sign, wore inappropriate footwear, or should have noticed the hazard and avoided it. At Maryland Injury Lawyers, we’ve seen every one of these tactics. We know how to counter them with photos, witness statements, security footage, maintenance logs, and expert reconstruction evidence showing that the property owner had the last clear chance to prevent the accident but failed to do so.

Evidence That Makes the Difference

Slip and fall claims are often won or lost on the quality of evidence. As soon as you hire us, we move quickly to secure and preserve:

1. Video footage – Many businesses, apartment buildings, and public facilities have cameras that capture the moment of the fall and what caused it.
2. Maintenance records and inspection logs – These show whether the property was being regularly checked and repaired.
3. Incident reports – We request copies of internal accident reports before they’re “lost” or altered.
4. Witness statements – Other shoppers, employees, or bystanders can confirm the dangerous condition.
5. Weather and cleaning schedules – To prove whether the owner acted reasonably given the conditions.

When necessary, we bring in building code experts, safety engineers, and medical professionals to demonstrate negligence and the full extent of your losses.

Compensation Available for Slip and Fall Victims in Bethesda

If you’ve been injured because of a property owner’s negligence, you may be entitled to significant financial compensation for medical bills, including hospitalization, surgery, and rehabilitation, plus replacement of lost income or payment for diminished earning capacity. Other important areas of compensation that often apply after a serious slip and fall include pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement or permanent disability, and future medical expenses or home modifications.

In wrongful death cases, surviving family members can recover for funeral costs, lost companionship, and financial support. Every case is different, but our goal is always the same: to make sure the people responsible for your injuries pay what the law requires, not what their insurer feels like offering.

Slip and Falls on Public vs. Private Property

Slip and fall cases can occur anywhere, from Montgomery Mall or Bethesda Row to public sidewalks, metro stations, or government buildings. The legal process may differ depending on where your injury occurred:

• Private businesses and residences: Claims are brought directly against the owner’s insurance company.
• Public property or government facilities: You must follow the Maryland Tort Claims Act or Local Government Tort Claims Act, which require specific notice and filing deadlines that are much shorter than typical personal injury claims.

Our firm handles both kinds of cases and makes sure your claim meets every legal requirement and deadline.

What to Do After a Slip and Fall Accident in Bethesda

If you’ve been hurt in a fall, the steps you take next can have a big impact on your case. Here’s what you should do:

1. Report the accident immediately – Notify the property owner, manager, or security and ask for an incident report.
2. Document everything – Take photos of the scene, the hazard, your injuries, and your shoes or clothing.
3. Get medical attention right away – Even if you feel fine, injuries can worsen over time.
4. Don’t give a recorded statement to an insurance company before speaking with a lawyer.
5. Contact a Bethesda slip and fall attorney as soon as possible—before evidence disappears.

We can take over from there, dealing with the insurance companies and ensuring your claim is protected from the start.

Why Choose Maryland Injury Lawyers

Our firm was built on the principle that injury victims deserve experienced, aggressive representation, not insurance company tactics and lowball offers. We prepare every case for trial, even if it settles before one. That approach gets results.

When you work with Maryland Injury Lawyers, you can count on personalized attention and relentless advocacy. We don’t hand your case off to a junior associate or case manager. We dig deep into the facts, find the evidence others miss, and push for maximum compensation. And there are no fees unless we win. You don’t pay us unless we recover money for you.

Get Help from a Bethesda Slip and Fall Lawyer Today

If you or someone you love was hurt in a slip and fall in Bethesda, don’t let an insurance adjuster tell you it was “your fault” or “just an accident.” You have rights, and you deserve justice.

Call Maryland Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation. We’ll listen to your story, explain your options, and fight to get you the compensation you deserve for your medical bills, pain, and suffering.

You didn’t cause your fall, and you shouldn’t have to pay for it.