Orlando Slip and Fall Lawyer

A wet floor at a Publix on Orange Avenue. A broken stair at a resort on International Drive. Incidents like these can leave you with a fractured wrist or broken hip, while the property owner denies responsibility and the insurance company looks for reasons to reduce your claim. Smith, Feddeler & Smith has helped Central Florida families face these challenges.

You should not have to take on that fight alone against a company focused on limiting payouts. Slip and fall claims rely on strong evidence, prompt action, and whether the property owner failed to keep the premises reasonably safe. Our Orlando slip and fall lawyers investigate what caused the hazard, how long it existed, and who knew about it before your fall.

A free case evaluation with Smith, Feddeler & Smith costs you nothing, and it begins the moment you call (863) 688-7766 or contact us online. We look at how you fell, who controlled the property, and what your claim may realistically be worth. Our Orlando office meets clients by appointment, so scheduling ahead helps us get to your case right away.

What Sets Our Slip and Fall Work Apart in Central Florida?

Insurance adjusters keep track of which firms settle cheaply and which go the distance. We spent more than 50 years building a name for taking cases to trial when an insurer’s offer falls short, and that readiness hands our Orlando slip and fall lawyers real leverage before a jury is seated. We fight to win.

Families across Orange and Osceola counties stay with us for reasons that show up in the final number:

• In it for the long haul: We are not quick settlement flippers. Our team stays on a claim through trial when that is what full value demands.
• Trial-ready leverage: Insurers know we prepare every file as if a jury will see it. That reputation lifts settlement offers before litigation even opens.
• Millions recovered: Our history includes millions returned to injured clients. Those numbers reflect years of refusing insurers’ lowball tactics.
• Bilingual support: We handle claims in English and Spanish. You get the same clear answers in the language you speak at home.

The recoveries in our past results reflect the kinds of falls we take on and the outcomes those clients achieved. Every claim gets the same long-view handling, whether it settles in months or heads toward the Ninth Judicial Circuit courthouse in downtown Orlando.

How Does Premises Liability Work in Florida?

Premises liability is the legal principle that holds property owners responsible when unsafe conditions cause injuries to lawful visitors. Owners of stores, apartment complexes, hotels, and government buildings have a duty to use reasonable care by identifying and correcting hazards or providing adequate warning before someone gets hurt.

Where a fall stems from a larger safety failure, it can fold into a broader personal injury claim involving several defendants, from a property manager to a maintenance contractor. Fault often spreads across more than one party, and each one tends to blame the others when the bills arrive.

What Hazards Trigger a Slip and Fall in Orlando?

Hazards hide in plain sight across Central Florida’s stores, resorts, and parking structures. Some appear for minutes, others linger for days because no one bothered to check. Common culprits behind these falls include:

• Freshly mopped floors left without a warning sign
• Spilled liquids in grocery and big-box aisles
• Cracked or uneven pavement in lots and walkways
• Poor lighting in stairwells and parking garages
• Loose rugs, mats, or frayed carpeting
• Rainwater tracked across tile entryways

Any one of these can turn a routine errand into weeks off work and a stack of bills. What matters for your claim is whether the owner knew, or should have known, and still did nothing about it in time.

What Types of Slip and Fall Claims Does Our Team Handle?

Our Orlando slip and fall lawyers see falls in every kind of setting, and each carries its own proof problems and insurance players. Our team takes on the full spread of these cases across Orange, Osceola, and the surrounding counties:

• Workplace Slip and Fall Incidents: A fall on the clock can involve both a property claim and an on-the-job injury. You may hold a separate business liable while also pursuing workers’ compensation benefits.
• Commercial Property Slip and Falls: Retail stores, restaurants, and hotels experience heavy customer traffic, making spills and other hazards more common. Their insurers often work quickly to limit liability, so preserving evidence as early as possible matters a great deal.
• Residential Property Slip and Falls: Landlords must maintain stairs, walkways, and common areas. A broken railing or dark stairwell can shift liability squarely onto the owner.
• Government Property Claims: Falls on public sidewalks, courthouses, or transit sites carry shorter notice deadlines. Sovereign immunity rules, which limit when and how much you can recover from a government entity, add hurdles that private claims never face. 
• Catastrophic Injury Cases: Some falls result in spinal cord injuries, multiple fractures, or traumatic brain injuries. These cases often require life-care planning and expert testimony to accurately assess future medical needs and long-term losses.
• Wrongful Death Cases: When a loved one dies after a fall, the surviving family can pursue damages for their loss. We handle these claims with the sensitivity the moment calls for.

Sorting out which category fits your fall, and which insurer answers for it, determines the entire claim. Our team pins down the right defendants before the filing deadlines close the door for good.

What Do You Have to Prove to Win a Florida Slip and Fall Case?

Winning a slip and fall case comes down to four building blocks, and our Orlando slip and fall lawyers fight to nail every one. Failing on a single element means that even a painful injury will not result in recovery. Your case must establish each of these:

• Duty of reasonable care owed to you as a lawful visitor
• Breach of that duty by the property owner or manager
• Causation linking the breach directly to your fall
• Actual damages, from medical bills to lost income

Florida sets a steep bar for falls inside stores and restaurants. Under Florida Statute § 768.0755, the injured person must prove the business knew about the hazard, or should have known about it because it existed long enough or happened often enough to notice, and failed to fix it.

You carry that burden, not the store. That is why security footage, incident reports, and cleaning logs so often decide these falls before a single witness reaches an Orange County courtroom.

What Compensation Can You Recover After a Fall?

A fall can cost you far more than one hospital bill. Florida law allows our Orlando slip and fall legal team to pursue economic losses you can count and non-economic losses that affect daily life. Depending on the nature of your injuries and aftercare, you may recover the following:

• Past, current, and future medical costs
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Assistive devices and home modifications
• Physical pain and ongoing discomfort
• Emotional distress and anxiety
• Loss of enjoyment of daily activities
• Scarring or permanent disfigurement
• Strain on close family relationships

Injury severity drives the final number. Severe falls involving catastrophic injuries, such as spinal cord damage or traumatic brain injuries, often result in higher claim values because lifelong care may be required. These cases typically rely on life-care plans and expert testimony to demonstrate the full extent of future losses.

How Long Do You Have to File a Florida Slip and Fall Lawsuit?

Most Florida slip and fall lawsuits now run on a two-year clock, and a court can toss a strong case the day after it expires. Acting early protects your right to sue more than almost anything else you can do.

Claims against a city, county, or state agency run even shorter. Notice rules can compress your time to a matter of months, so the calendar starts turning against you the moment you land.

Orlando Slip and Fall Claim FAQ: Answers for Injury Victims

Should You Report Your Fall to the Store Before You Leave?

Yes. Ask a manager to prepare a written incident report and request a copy before you leave. It documents the date, location, and employees on duty while the details are still fresh.

What If the Store Blames You for Not Watching Where You Walked?

Expect it. Insurers often argue that you were partly at fault. Under Florida’s comparative fault law, any fault assigned to you can reduce your compensation, and you cannot recover damages if you are found more than 50% responsible. We respond with evidence showing the hazard was concealed, unexpected, or left unaddressed by the property owner or staff.

Do You Need a Lawsuit, or Can Your Claim Settle?

Most claims settle without a trial. A well-documented demand often prompts a fair offer, though preparing the case for court is what keeps that offer honest.

Put Our Orlando Slip and Fall Lawyers on Your Claim Today

The two-year filing window is already running, and the insurer is working to shrink what it pays you. A free case evaluation with Smith, Feddeler & Smith, P.A. can help you understand where you stand.

Put our Orlando slip and fall lawyers who take cases to trial on your side, and give your claim the muscle an insurer respects. Call (863) 688-7766, or message our team online, and we will move on the details right away.

Office Location

Lakeland832 Florida Avenue South
Lakeland, FL 33801

(863) 312-1102

Brandon202 E Brandon Blvd. Suite 107
Brandon, FL 33511

(813) 527-3716

Kissimmee1101 Miranda Lane
Ste1331, Kissimmee, FL 34741

(407) 904-5445

Tampa100 S Ashley Drive
Suite 600, Tampa, FL 33602

(813) 859-5671

Orlando4700 Millenia Blvd
Orlando,FL 32839

(407) 553-3028

Clearwater13575 58th St North #200
Clearwater, FL 33760

(727) 914-5089

$1,200,000.00
Workers’ Compensation

Claimant worked as a tree guy and a giant limb fell on him. Claimant developed CRPS and ended up wheelchair bound. Our firm was successful in obtaining many benefits to the Claimant prior to settlement, including multiple home modifications, wheelchair ramps, authorization of medical specialist, and implantation of a spinal cord stimulator.

$350,000.00
Workers’ Compensation

Claimant worked as a bus driving and during an evacuation she jumped off the bus causing her to fall resulting in a serious back injury.

$269,671.00
Workers’ Compensation

Claimant worked performing clerical type job in an office. She was asked to carry a box down stairs when she slipped and fell down the flight of stairs injuring her head, neck and lefts arm / wrist / hand.

$220,100.00
Workers’ Compensation

Claimant worked for a temp service. He was helping to unload a trailer when his foot went through a board on the floor of the trailer causing his to fall, shattering his pelvis, and causing serious injury to his back, hip and head.

$1,223,423.00
Workers’ Compensation

Claimant worked as a selector / forklift driver. This case involved a specific injury to her right leg / knee. She continued to work which resulted in repetitive and cumulative trauma to the right knee and CRPS.

$630,000.00
Workers’ Compensation

Claimant worked for a transport company. One day he was forced to get under a trailer and while he was lifting and twisting, the Claimant injured his back and knee, which was left untreated until he retained representation and filed Petitions for Benefits. Unfortunately, the severity or the injury coupled with the delay in treatment caused the Claimant to developed CRPS.