Metairie & New Orleans Slip & Fall Lawyer

A fall in a store, a restaurant, an apartment complex, or a parking lot can cause injuries every bit as serious as a car wreck — broken hips, torn knees, head injuries, fractured wrists from trying to catch yourself. And yet slip-and-fall cases are some of the hardest injury claims to win in Louisiana, because the law puts a real burden on the injured person to prove what happened. Insurance companies know this, and they fight these claims hard.

At Bono Law Firm, we've represented injured Louisianans since 1980, and we know what it takes to win a premises case in this state. If you were hurt in a fall on someone else's property, you talk directly with an attorney named Bono — John or Michael — not a case manager, and you pay nothing unless we recover money for you.

What you have to prove in a Louisiana slip-and-fall case

Louisiana has a specific statute governing falls in stores and businesses — the merchant liability law, La. R.S. 9:2800.6 — and it sets a high bar. To recover, an injured person generally has to prove three things:

First, that a dangerous condition existed — a wet floor, a spill, a torn mat, a broken step, poor lighting, an uneven surface — that created an unreasonable risk of harm.

Second, that the merchant created the condition or knew about it — or that it existed long enough that the merchant should have known about it and fixed it. This is the hardest element. It's not enough that you fell on a spilled liquid; you generally have to show the store either caused the spill or that it sat there long enough that a reasonable business should have caught it.

Third, that the merchant failed to exercise reasonable care. Did they inspect the area on a reasonable schedule? Did they clean up or warn customers? Did they ignore a problem they knew about?

That middle element — proving the business knew or should have known — is where most slip-and-fall cases are won or lost, and it's why evidence gathered quickly matters enormously. Surveillance footage showing how long a spill sat there, witness statements, incident reports, and inspection logs are the difference between a winning case and a dismissed one. Much of that evidence disappears or gets overwritten within days.

What to do after a fall

The steps you take in the first hours and days can make or break a premises claim:

  • Report the fall to the manager or owner immediately and ask that an incident report be created. Get the name of the person you reported it to.

  • Photograph the hazard right away — the spill, the broken step, the torn carpet, the missing warning sign — before it gets cleaned up or fixed. This is critical; once the condition is gone, it's your word against theirs.

  • Get the names and numbers of any witnesses. Other customers who saw the hazard or your fall are powerful evidence.

  • Ask whether the area is on camera. Surveillance footage is often the single most important piece of evidence — and it gets overwritten quickly, so a lawyer needs to demand its preservation fast.

  • Get medical care promptly, even if you think you're just bruised. Hip, knee, back, and head injuries from falls often worsen over days, and a gap in treatment is the first thing the insurer attacks.

  • Don't give a recorded statement to the property's insurance company before talking to a lawyer.

  • Call us quickly. The evidence that proves these cases is the evidence that disappears fastest.

Where slip-and-fall and premises cases happen

We handle falls and other premises-liability injuries at all kinds of properties:

  • Grocery stores, big-box retailers, and shopping centers

  • Restaurants and bars

  • Apartment complexes and rental properties (where a landlord failed to maintain safe conditions)

  • Hotels and motels

  • Parking lots and garages

  • Government and public property (which carries special, shorter notice deadlines)

  • Private homes, in some circumstances, through homeowner's insurance

Premises liability is broader than slipping on a wet floor. It also covers injuries from falling merchandise, inadequate security that allows an assault, broken stairs and railings, swimming pool accidents, and other dangerous conditions a property owner should have addressed.

What a slip-and-fall claim can recover

Compensation in a Louisiana premises liability case may include:

  • Medical expenses — emergency care, surgery, physical therapy, and future treatment

  • Lost wages and lost earning capacity if your injuries affect your ability to work

  • Pain and suffering

  • Permanent disability or disfigurement

  • In the most serious cases, wrongful death damages for a family that lost a loved one

The value of a case depends on the severity of the injury, the strength of the evidence on the merchant's knowledge, the degree of any fault assigned to the injured person, and the available insurance. No two cases are alike, and any lawyer who promises a number before reviewing your file is guessing.

Two recent changes in Louisiana law that affect your case

The deadline to file is two years for accidents on or after July 1, 2024. Louisiana extended its injury filing deadline (called "prescription") from one year to two years for incidents on or after that date. Falls before then may still fall under the old one-year deadline. Either way, the evidence in a premises case — especially surveillance footage — disappears within days, so waiting is never the right move.

The comparative-fault rule changed January 1, 2026. Louisiana now follows a modified comparative-fault rule with a 51% bar, which is especially relevant in slip-and-fall cases. Property owners and their insurers routinely argue that the injured person wasn't watching where they were going, was wearing the wrong shoes, or ignored a warning sign — all to push fault onto you. Under the new rule, if they push your share of fault past the threshold, your recovery can be barred entirely. Having a lawyer who pushes back on those fault arguments matters more than it ever has.

No fee unless we recover for you

Since 1980, Bono Law Firm has represented injured people throughout Jefferson, Orleans, St. Tammany, St. Charles, and the surrounding parishes. Consultations are free, home and hospital visits are available, our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and there's no fee unless we recover compensation for you.

Injured in a fall on someone else's property in Greater New Orleans? Call Bono Law Firm, APLC at 504-835-9909 for a free consultation. Direct attorney access. No fee unless we recover for you. Se Habla Español.