The law in Illinois on slip and fall on ice cases

Many people don’t realize how difficult it is to recover damages from a slip and fall on ice case.  Illinois law recognizes that snow and ice happen, some years more than we may want!  It is a natural part of living in the part of the country which we live.  Illinois law states that in order to recover for a slip and fall on snow or ice, the injured party must prove that it resulted in an unnatural accumulation.  This means, the ice must be caused by something the landowner did, or failed to do.  If a person slips on natural snow or ice, there is no legal recovery.

In the winter, we get many calls involving slip and falls on snow.  Almost all of the clients do not realize what we need to prove legally in order to recover.  But, given our experience in such matters, we are often able to identify a defect which contributed to the unnatural accumulation.  A recent settlement is a good example.

Our recent settlement for a client

We represented a woman who was walking down the sidewalk, slipped and fell on ice, and fractured her ankle.  All she knew was she fell.  Through photographs, we were able to prove that the ice originated from an overhang on the building which caused water to drip onto the sidewalk and cause a patch of ice.  A perfect example of an unnatural accumulation of ice!  The client had surgery and four months of physical therapy and still has residual pain from the plate and screws in her ankle.  McCready Law were able to obtain a substantial settlement in this case.

Slip and fall on ice cases present many legal challenges.  It is important to speak to a lawyer, and not the insurance company, in such cases.  To learn more, visit our web site or to discuss a possible case, contact us at 773-779-9885 for a free consultation.