Chicago Slip And Fall Injury Attorneys

Chicago’s Trusted Slip and Fall Injury Lawyers: Briskman Briskman & Greenberg

A slip and fall can happen in an instant, but the consequences can follow you for months or even years. A broken hip, a traumatic brain injury, a herniated disc — these are not minor setbacks. They can derail your career, drain your savings, and change your daily life in ways you never expected. If you were hurt on someone else’s property in Chicago, you deserve answers, and you deserve fair compensation. That is exactly what Briskman Briskman & Greenberg has been fighting for on behalf of injured Chicagoans for decades.

We are a Chicago personal injury law firm with deep roots in this city. We know the neighborhoods. We know the courts. We know how property owners, businesses, and insurance companies operate in Illinois. When you call us, you speak with an attorney who will listen, evaluate your case honestly, and tell you exactly what your options are. We handle slip and fall cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.

In 2024, 48,308 people died in falls at home and at work across the United States. Slip and fall accidents are not just common, they are genuinely dangerous. More than 8.8 million people were treated in emergency rooms for fall-related injuries in 2023. In a dense urban environment like Chicago, with its harsh winters, aging sidewalks, and high-traffic commercial spaces, the risk is even greater. Our firm handles every type of slip and fall case, from a wet floor in a grocery store to a crumbling sidewalk outside a downtown office building. If a property owner’s negligence caused your fall, we want to help you hold them accountable. Contact Briskman Briskman & Greenberg today for a free consultation.

Where Slip and Fall Injuries Happen in Chicago

Chicago is a city of millions of people moving through thousands of properties every single day. That means countless opportunities for a careless property owner to leave a dangerous condition unaddressed. We represent clients injured in every type of location across the city.

Retail environments are among the most common sites for slip and fall injuries. Whether it happened at a Chicago grocery store slip and fall, a Chicago retail store slip and fall, a Chicago big box store slip and fall, or a Chicago convenience store slip and fall, the rules are the same. Businesses owe customers a duty of care to keep their floors and walkways reasonably safe. The same applies to Chicago restaurant slip and fall injuries, Chicago fast food slip and fall injuries, and Chicago bar and nightclub slip and fall injuries. Spilled drinks, greasy floors, and poor lighting are all too common in these settings, and all are preventable.

Residential properties carry just as much risk. We handle Chicago apartment slip and fall injuries, Chicago condo slip and fall injuries, and Chicago public housing slip and fall injuries. Landlords have a legal obligation to maintain safe conditions for tenants and guests. When they fail, people get hurt. We also represent clients injured at Chicago hotels, Chicago office buildings, Chicago shopping malls, and Chicago event venues.

Public and institutional settings are also frequent sites of injury. Our clients have been hurt at Chicago hospitals, Chicago nursing homes, Chicago assisted living facilities, Chicago schools, Chicago daycares, and Chicago colleges. Falls at Chicago government buildings, Chicago courthouses, and Chicago airports also happen regularly. Transit-related injuries are common too, including those at Chicago CTA stations, Chicago train platforms, and Chicago bus stops. Outdoor areas like Chicago parks, Chicago playgrounds, and Chicago stadiums round out the picture. No matter where you were hurt, Briskman Briskman & Greenberg is ready to help.

Common Causes and Types of Slip and Fall Hazards

What actually causes a slip and fall? The answer is usually a hazard that a property owner knew about or should have known about, and failed to fix. The leading cause of slips, trips, and falls are uneven or wet surfaces, contributing to 55% of these incidents. That covers a lot of ground in Chicago, from a freshly mopped floor in a restaurant to a patch of black ice outside an apartment building.

Indoor floor hazards are some of the most frequent causes we see. Wet floors are a constant risk in commercial spaces. So are spilled liquids, food debris, and grease. Cleaning crews can actually create hazards too, and we handle cases involving cleaning hazards and lack of warning signs. Structural problems like broken flooring, uneven surfaces, loose handrails, defective stairs, elevator malfunctions, and escalator defects are all grounds for a premises liability claim. Poor lighting and cluttered walkways are also common culprits, as is poor maintenance in general.

Chicago winters create a whole separate category of hazards. When property owners fail to address icy and snowy conditions, people get seriously hurt. We handle cases involving ice and snow, failure to salt sidewalks, and failure to shovel snow. Construction sites add yet another layer of risk, and we pursue claims involving construction hazards and unsafe property conditions. The specific floor and surface types involved in your fall matter too. We handle cases involving slippery tile floors, hardwood floors, carpet hazards, loose rugs and mats, greasy surfaces, oil spills, and food spills.

Outdoor surfaces are just as dangerous. We represent clients hurt on uneven sidewalks, cracked sidewalks, broken pavement, potholes, and loose gravel. Falls on ice and snow and on black ice are especially dangerous in Chicago. We also handle cases involving parking lots, parking garages, and driveways. Specific structural hazards like stairs, broken stairs, missing handrails, escalators, elevators, ramps, and loading docks are all covered by our practice. We also handle trip and fall injuries and falls involving poor lighting in entryways, hallways, and other transitional spaces. Specific interior locations we cover include entryways, hallways, bathrooms, showers, kitchens, and sidewalks.

Injuries Caused by Slip and Falls, and Who Is at Greatest Risk

Slip and fall accidents cause a wide range of injuries, and some of them are life-altering. The CDC reports that more than 800,000 people require hospitalization annually due to slip and fall injuries. Most brain injuries result from slips, trips, and falls. Head injuries are among the most serious outcomes. We handle cases involving traumatic brain injuries from slip and falls, concussions, and skull fractures. Back and spine injuries are also common and devastating, including spinal cord injuries, back injuries, herniated disc injuries, and paralysis.

Fractures are extremely common in fall cases. At least 300,000 older people require hospital treatment for hip fractures annually. We handle broken hip injuries, hip fractures, broken arm injuries, broken wrist injuries, and broken leg injuries. Joint injuries are also frequent, including knee injuries and shoulder injuries. Other injury types we pursue compensation for include soft tissue injuries, internal injuries, facial injuries, and dental injuries. In the most tragic cases, a fall can be fatal. We represent families in fatal slip and fall injury cases and pursue wrongful death from slip and fall injuries claims on behalf of surviving family members.

Certain groups face much higher risks. Among older adults, slip and fall accidents rank as the second leading cause of injury-related deaths for people aged 65 to 84. For those 85 and older, slip and fall accidents claim the top spot. We have dedicated pages addressing the unique challenges facing elderly slip and fall victims in Chicago, children, and disabled individuals. We also handle cases for workers, tenants, and visitors to properties. If you fall into any of these categories, the legal process may look a little different for you, and having an experienced attorney on your side makes all the difference.

Illinois Slip and Fall Law: What You Need to Know

Illinois law gives injured people the right to seek compensation when a property owner’s negligence causes a fall. The Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) are regularly updated, and recent laws may not yet be included in the database but are found on the Illinois General Assembly’s official site as Public Acts soon after they become law. The key statute governing your case is the Illinois Premises Liability Act (740 ILCS 130/), which requires property owners to maintain reasonably safe conditions for lawful visitors. Illinois also follows a modified comparative negligence rule under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116, meaning you can still recover compensation as long as you are found to be less than 50% at fault for your own injuries. Understanding Illinois comparative negligence in slip and fall cases is critical before you speak with an insurance adjuster.

Time limits are strict. Under 735 ILCS 5/13-202, you generally have two years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit. Our page on the Illinois statute of limitations for slip and fall injuries explains this in detail. Cases against the City of Chicago or other government entities may have even shorter deadlines. You should also understand the notice requirements in slip and fall injury claims, the open and obvious doctrine in Illinois slip and fall cases, and the duty of care in Illinois premises liability cases.

Infographic: What happens in a Chicago slip and fall lawsuit?

Frequently Asked Questions about Chicago Slip and Falls

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

Under 735 ILCS 5/13-202, you generally have two years from the date of your injury to file a slip and fall lawsuit in Illinois. That deadline applies whether you were hurt in a grocery store, a parking lot, or on a public sidewalk. Missing it almost always means losing your right to pursue compensation entirely. Our page on the Illinois statute of limitations for slip and fall injuries explains the timeline and exceptions in detail.

Are the deadlines different if I slip and fall on City of Chicago property?

Yes — and they’re significantly shorter. Claims against the City of Chicago or other government entities in Illinois are subject to accelerated notice requirements that can be as short as one year, and in some cases require written notice to the government body within a matter of months. Failing to meet these early deadlines can bar your claim before the two-year statute of limitations even becomes relevant. Understanding the notice requirements in slip and fall injury claims is critical if your fall occurred on public property, a CTA platform, or any government-maintained space.

Can a property owner avoid liability by arguing the hazard was “open and obvious”?

Property owners and their insurers frequently raise this defense — arguing that the condition that caused your fall was so visible that you should have avoided it yourself. Illinois courts do recognize the open and obvious doctrine, but it is not an automatic bar to recovery. Whether a hazard qualifies as truly open and obvious depends on factors like lighting, weather, distractions, and whether the property owner had reason to expect people would encounter the danger despite its visibility. Our breakdown of the open and obvious doctrine in Illinois slip and fall cases explains how courts evaluate this defense and when it fails.

What does a property owner owe me in terms of safety — what is “duty of care”?

Under Illinois premises liability law, property owners and occupiers owe different levels of care depending on why you were on their property. If you were a customer, tenant, or invited guest, you are generally owed the highest duty — the owner must take reasonable steps to inspect for hazards and either fix them or warn you. The legal standard shifts for trespassers and licensees. Our page on the duty of care in Illinois premises liability cases walks through these distinctions and what they mean for your claim.

What should I do immediately after a slip and fall in Chicago?

The steps you take in the first hours after a fall can make or break your claim. Report the incident to the property owner or manager and ask that a written report be created. Take photographs of the exact spot where you fell — including whatever caused the fall (water, ice, a broken surface, poor lighting) — before it gets cleaned up or repaired. Get the names and contact information of any witnesses. And see a doctor as soon as possible, even if your pain seems manageable. Many slip and fall injuries — especially back, knee, and soft-tissue injuries — worsen significantly in the days following the incident, and early medical records create essential documentation.

What kind of compensation can I recover in a Chicago slip and fall case?

If a property owner’s negligence caused your fall, you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses (emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, and ongoing treatment), lost wages and lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, and reduced quality of life. In severe cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal damage, or hip fractures — which are especially common in slip and fall accidents among older adults — the lifetime cost of care can be substantial. Illinois also allows recovery for future medical needs when a doctor can establish that ongoing treatment will be necessary.