“Labor Omnia Vincit” McKay Law
Falls caused by tripping hazards can happen in a split second—but the injuries can last a lifetime. If a business or landlord in Altus, OK fails to fix dangerous conditions, innocent visitors get hurt. McKay Law advocates for trip-and-fall victims throughout OK. Unlike slip-and-falls where you slide on a wet surface—trip-and-falls happen when your foot catches on something, sending you into an uncontrolled forward fall. Common tripping hazards include uneven sidewalks and pavement, cracked concrete, raised floor mats, exposed cords or cables, torn carpet, loose tiles, missing or broken stair treads, debris in walkways, parking lot potholes, raised thresholds, and poorly marked level changes. Under Oklahoma premises liability law, owners must to inspect for tripping dangers, fix them, and warn of any they can’t immediately address—but proving they breached that duty takes solid legal work. To win a trip-and-fall claim the elements of a Oklahoma premises liability claim. Our Altus trip-and-fall attorneys immediately begin building your case—security video, scene photos, employee testimony, and records of past incidents. Many businesses overwrite surveillance footage within 7 to 30 days, so calling an attorney early is critical. Victims frequently suffer broken wrists from bracing the fall, fractured arms, facial injuries, broken noses, dental damage, knee injuries, hip fractures, shoulder injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and herniated discs—with elderly victims facing increased risk of permanent disability. Big-box retailers and their legal teams love to claim the hazard was “open and obvious”—we shut those tactics down with hard evidence. Every client we represent is handled on a contingency fee basis—you pay nothing unless we win. Compensation may cover emergency room costs, surgeries, ongoing therapy, missed work, and physical and emotional suffering. Reach out to McKay Law right away for a no-cost case review with a Altus, OK trip and fall accident lawyer who will pursue every dollar your injury is worth.
Trip-and-falls happen when you catch your foot and pitch forward. Different from slip-and-falls, where the foot loses traction, trip-and-falls happen when the foot is suddenly stopped, typically producing forward falls onto hands, knees, or face. The injuries can be just as severe as slip-and-falls — particularly wrist fractures, facial injuries, head trauma, and dental damage. McKay Law represents trip-and-fall victims in Altus and throughout Oklahoma.
The mechanics and injuries differ significantly between trip-and-falls and slip-and-falls:
Trip-and-fall injuries are usually to the front of the body. Slips cause backward injuries — hip, tailbone, back of head.
Oklahoma premises liability uses three classifications, with different duties owed to each:
Oklahoma uses a modified comparative negligence system (Okla. Stat. tit. 23, § 13). You can still recover if you are 50% or less at fault, though your share reduces the final award.
You typically have 2 years from the date of the fall to file (Okla. Stat. tit. 12, § 95). Government cases require notice within one year. Trip-and-fall cases demand fast action because surveillance footage is often overwritten within days or weeks.
We get to work immediately to send preservation letters demanding surveillance video, capture the dangerous condition before it’s repaired, investigate the property’s records, partner with healthcare providers, and treat each matter as trial-ready.
A: Trips stop your foot and pitch you forward; slips slide your foot and drop you back.
A: Nothing. No recovery, no fee.
A: Maybe — it depends. Government entities and private property owners can be liable for unsafe sidewalks — but special rules apply for public sidewalks.
A: Standard argument. We push back with evidence about lighting, distractions, and the nature of the hazard.
A: No. Call us first.
A: Value turns on injury seriousness, treatment, and permanent restrictions. Cases with broken wrists, facial damage, or head injuries can be substantial.
A: Different rules apply. Government cases demand fast action and strict procedural compliance.
A: 2 years from the date of the fall (Okla. Stat. tit. 12, § 95). GTCA cases require notice within 12 months.
Trip-and-fall accidents get lumped in with slip-and-falls, but they’re genuinely different cases. These cases call for a different playbook. A Altus trip-and-fall attorney brings the right approach for trip-specific injuries.
The two get conflated constantly, but in practice they’re distinct injury types.
In a slip, the foot loses traction and slides forward. People land on their backs, hips, or tailbones.
In a trip, the foot catches on something. People land on their hands, knees, face, or chest.
Slips and trips produce different injury patterns.
Trip injuries tend to include:
Trips have characteristic causes:
Like other premises cases, these claims have specific elements:
Minor irregularities don’t necessarily support liability. Some areas have minimum height standards. Tiny defects may not support a case in some jurisdictions, while more substantial defects support claims clearly.
Awareness of the hazard is the central battleground.
Unlike a fresh spill, trip hazards are typically not transient. Slip cases often struggle on the duration question. These conditions are typically long-standing. The notice element is often stronger in trip cases.
Causation must be established. Defense counsel may dispute this when the cause isn’t immediately apparent.
Actual injuries must be documented.
The dominant defense argument. Insurers say the hazard was obvious. The doctrine has limits in many circumstances, especially when the conditions made the hazard hard to see.
Defense counsel asserts comparative negligence. Comparative negligence may cut damages, they typically allow recovery to continue.
Defense argues that some unevenness is normal. How this argument plays out turns on the size of the displacement.
Defense argues the plaintiff had previously navigated the area. This defense has limited reach.
Documentation gets harder as time passes. Visual documentation with size reference become critical evidence.
Make sure a record is created. If no record is made, the case becomes harder to prove.
Other customers, neighbors, or employees who saw the fall provide independent corroboration.
Prior incidents establish notice. These records often emerge during the case.
Adrenaline masks injury. Quick medical attention anchors the claim.
The liable party varies with location:
Trip-and-fall damages surgical expenses, ongoing care for permanent injuries, past and future income loss, diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, and loss of consortium where applicable.
Trip-and-fall attorneys earn fees only on recovery. Free initial consultations are standard.
Trip hazards get fixed quickly once a claim is filed. Without photographs taken at the time, the claim weakens significantly. Video proof gets overwritten on retention cycles. OK’s statute of limitations with shorter timelines for some defendants creates time pressure. Engaging counsel promptly maximizes what these cases can recover.
An unmarked step doesn’t look like much — until your toe catches it and the ground rushes up to meet you. Trip-and-fall injuries happen in an instant, but the damage often lasts for years: broken wrists from bracing on impact, fractured hips, dislocated shoulders, concussions, knocked-out teeth, and facial injuries that require reconstructive surgery. Property owners — whether they run a retail shop — have a legal obligation to preserve their walkways, parking lots, entrances, and floors in safe condition, and to caution visitors about hazards they can’t reasonably fix right away. When they skip that duty, people get hurt. At McKay Law, we uncover how the hazard came to exist, how long it had been there, whether anyone reported it, and what the property owner did — or never bothered to do — about it.
The insurance company’s first move in a trip-and-fall claim is almost always the same: blame you. They’ll argue you weren’t watching where you were going, that the hazard was open and obvious, that your footwear was wrong, or that you were distracted by your phone. We’ve heard it all, and we know how to dismantle it. When you partner with the McKay Law family, we act quickly to lock down surveillance footage, incident reports, inspection logs, prior complaints, and witness statements before they can be deleted. We pursue compensation for emergency room visits, surgeries, dental and reconstructive procedures, physical therapy, mobility aids, prescription costs, future medical care, time off work, and the ongoing struggle that follow a fall that should have never happened. Call us now at (866) 679-9651 or reach out online to set up your free consultation and put a firm that takes these cases seriously on your side.
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