Slip and Fall Lawyer in Kent, WA
A fall sounds minor until you land wrong. Then it is a broken wrist that keeps you off work for nine weeks, or a hip that never quite feels right again, or a head injury with symptoms that show up three days later.
We have handled these claims from our Kent office since 1984, and they are harder than people expect. Not because the injuries are unclear, but because property owners almost never admit the hazard was there.
What our clients say
"Jeff and his team are amazing! If you are looking for a team of well experienced and caring lawyer to handle your case, I will highly recommend Jeff Floyd and his team. You won't regret it!"Annie S., Google review
"They gave me very good advice on personal injury lawsuit. The Floyd team was always available to answer my questions. Everything worked out as they said it would."Charles B., Google review
"If you are looking for a great attorney to represent you, I highly recommend Jeffrey Floyd."Dorothy S., Google review
Where these falls actually happen
The pattern in our files barely changes year to year.
Grocery and retail floors, where a spill sat unmarked. Apartment stairwells with a loose tread or a burned out light. Parking lots with a broken curb or a pothole, which overlaps with our parking lot accident work. Restaurant entryways in the wet months. Sidewalks with a raised slab. Icy walkways in January, at the same properties every single year.
That last one is worth dwelling on. Puget Sound gets a handful of hard freezes each winter, so plenty of local property managers treat ice as a surprise rather than a schedule. It is not a surprise. It happens every year, and a reasonable owner plans for it.
What you have to prove
Washington does not make a property owner responsible for every injury on their land. The question is whether they acted reasonably.
In practice we have to show three things. That a dangerous condition existed. That the owner knew about it, or should have known if they had been paying attention. And that they failed to fix it or warn you in a reasonable amount of time.
So how long is too long for a hazard to sit there?
That fight is most of the case. A spill discovered ninety seconds earlier is a different claim than a spill that sat through two shift changes. Maintenance logs, cleaning schedules and security footage are what settle the argument, and footage gets overwritten in days.
What do you think happens to that video if nobody asks for it this week?
It disappears, and with it the strongest evidence you were ever going to have. This is the single biggest reason to call early.
Comparative fault, in plain terms
Washington reduces your recovery by your own share of the blame rather than barring it. If the insurer convinces a jury you were 30 percent at fault for looking at your phone, an award drops by 30 percent.
You still recover. That is the important part, and it is why "I might have been partly careless" is not a reason to skip the consultation.
It also explains the questions you will get from the adjuster. Were you rushing. What shoes were you wearing. Had you been drinking. Every answer is aimed at moving that percentage.
Why these claims get undervalued
There is an assumption built into how insurers handle falls, and it works against you. Because almost everyone has tripped at some point without consequence, a fall reads as ordinary clumsiness rather than as somebody's failure to maintain their property, and the first offer usually reflects that assumption rather than your medical file.
The injuries tell a different story. A fractured wrist in a person who works with their hands can mean three months of lost income and a permanent loss of grip strength, and a hip fracture in an older client frequently begins a decline that never fully reverses.
We push back on the ordinary-clumsiness framing with records rather than argument. The maintenance log that shows the walkway was inspected twice a week in summer and not at all in winter, the work order that proves the stair light had been reported a month before you fell, the incident reports that show three other people went down at the same doorway.
What to do in the first week
Report the fall to the manager on duty and ask for a written incident report. Get a copy or at least the name of the person who took it.
Photograph the hazard immediately, before it is cleaned or repaired. Wide shots that show where it is, then close ups.
Get names and numbers for anyone who saw it happen.
See a doctor the same day if you can. A gap between the fall and the first medical visit is the first thing an insurer points at.
Keep the shoes and clothes you were wearing, unwashed. We have used a shoe sole to end an argument about traction more than once.
Then stop discussing it. No recorded statement, no signed medical release, nothing on social media.
How we handle the claim
Our four steps do not vary much, because the order protects the case.
A free consultation first, where you tell us what happened and we tell you what the claim realistically looks like.
Then investigation. We send preservation letters for footage and maintenance records, gather your medical documentation, and bring in an expert when the property condition needs one.
Then negotiation with the insurer. If the offer does not reflect what the file is worth, we litigate.
Our fee is contingent. No recovery, no legal fee. You will not get a bill for the consultation or for the investigation.
Falls that cause a head injury get handled alongside our traumatic brain injury practice, because those symptoms are easy to miss early and expensive to prove late.
Why a Kent firm
Jeffrey Floyd has practiced here since November 1984, now with his son Evan. Forty years in one community means we recognize the addresses. When a client names a complex or a shopping center, we often already know its history.
We handle the full range of premises liability and general personal injury work, and we know the local adjusters and how they value these claims. That shortens the guessing.
Call our Kent office at (206) 575-7562 for a free slip and fall consultation
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to file a slip and fall claim in Washington?
Three years from the date of the fall for most claims. Claims against a city or public entity can require notice far sooner, so ask right away.
What if I was partly at fault?
You can still recover. Washington reduces your award by your share of the fault rather than blocking the claim.
The store said they are not responsible. Is that the end of it?
No. Whether they are responsible is a legal question, not theirs to decide. That answer is usually the start of a claim rather than the end of one.
What does a slip and fall case pay?
It depends on the injury, your medical costs, time off work, and how clear the property owner's failure was. Anyone quoting you a figure on a first phone call is guessing.
Do I have to go to court?
Usually not. Most of these claims settle. We prepare each one as though it will be tried, which is part of why they settle.
Our office is at 555 W Smith St #104, Kent, WA 98032. Call (206) 575-7562 or contact us and we will get you in this week.
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