“Labor Omnia Vincit” McKay Law
Trip-and-fall accidents can happen in a split second—but the injuries can last a lifetime. If a business or landlord in Ardmore, OK allows tripping hazards to exist, customers and guests pay the price. McKay Law fights for trip-and-fall victims throughout OK. Trip-and-falls are different from slip-and-falls—trip-and-falls happen when your foot catches on something, throwing you forward with no time to brace. These accidents are often caused by 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 maintain safe walking surfaces and warn visitors of any hazards—but winning your case requires the right evidence. Your attorney must demonstrate the elements of a Oklahoma premises liability claim. Our Ardmore premises liability lawyers act quickly to lock in proof—security video, scene photos, employee testimony, and records of past incidents. Critical video evidence is often destroyed within weeks, so time matters. These accidents often cause severe sprains, multiple fractures, concussions, dental and facial damage, and long-term mobility problems—especially serious for seniors. Big-box retailers and their legal teams will often try to blame the victim—we know how to counter these defenses. All of our premises liability claims is handled on a contingency fee basis—zero upfront cost. Recoverable damages include hospital costs, rehabilitation, lost income, future medical needs, and the lasting impact on your life. Call McKay Law now for a no-cost case review with a Ardmore, OK trip-and-fall lawyer who will fight to hold the negligent property owner accountable.
A trip-and-fall occurs when something on the ground catches your foot and sends you down. Different from slip-and-falls, where the foot loses traction, trip-and-falls happen when the foot is abruptly caught, usually causing the victim to fall forward onto outstretched 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 advocates for trip-and-fall victims in Ardmore 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. Slip-and-falls typically produce backward-impact injuries — back, hips, head.
Oklahoma recognizes three types of people on property, with property owners owing different duties to each:
Oklahoma uses a modified comparative negligence system (Okla. Stat. tit. 23, § 13). Recovery is available if your share stays at or below 50%, though the award is reduced by your share.
You typically have 2 years from the date of the fall to file (Okla. Stat. tit. 12, § 95). Cases on public sidewalks require GTCA notice within 12 months. Trip-and-fall cases demand fast action because video evidence vanishes fast.
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, work with treating doctors, and prepare every case as if it will go to trial.
A: Trips stop your foot and pitch you forward; slips slide your foot and drop you back.
A: Nothing upfront. No fee unless we recover.
A: Possibly, yes. Both private owners and government entities can be liable, with different procedures for each.
A: Standard argument. We push back with evidence about lighting, distractions, and the nature of the hazard.
A: No. Talk to a lawyer first.
A: Case value varies by injury severity, surgery, work loss, and lasting damage. Severity drives value.
A: Different rules apply. Notice must be given within one year, and damages are capped.
A: 2 years from the date of the fall (Okla. Stat. tit. 12, § 95). Government cases require one-year notice.
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 Ardmore trip-and-fall attorney treats the case for what it actually is.
The terms get used interchangeably in everyday speech, though the underlying physics and resulting injuries differ significantly.
Slips happen when friction fails — the foot goes one way, the body the other. People land on their backs, hips, or tailbones.
A trip is an unexpected stop of the foot. The body pitches forward.
These different falls cause different harm.
Trip injuries tend to include:
The triggers are distinctive:
The proof requirements track standard premises liability:
Minor irregularities don’t necessarily support liability. Many jurisdictions have established thresholds. Tiny defects may not support a case in some jurisdictions, while more substantial defects support claims clearly.
Actual or constructive notice drives most cases.
Unlike a fresh spill, trip hazards are typically not transient. Slip cases often struggle on the duration question. Trip hazards tend to have substantial history. This makes constructive notice easier to prove.
The defect must have caused the trip. Defense counsel may dispute this when the plaintiff didn’t see what they tripped on.
Medical proof of harm.
The most common defense in trip-and-fall cases. Defendants claim the hazard was visible and the plaintiff should have seen it. The doctrine has limits in many circumstances, especially when the plaintiff’s attention was reasonably elsewhere.
Defense counsel asserts comparative negligence. Comparative negligence may cut damages, they typically allow recovery to continue.
Defense counsel claims minor variations don’t support liability. How this argument plays out turns on the measurable extent of the hazard.
Defense argues the plaintiff had previously navigated the area. Prior familiarity doesn’t necessarily defeat a claim.
The hazard will likely be fixed quickly. Visual documentation with size reference provide the best proof.
Insist on documentation. Without an official report, the case becomes harder to prove.
Other customers, neighbors, or employees who saw the fall provide independent corroboration.
Prior incidents establish notice. Counsel can investigate prior incidents.
Symptoms often develop later. Prompt evaluation creates the medical record insurers need to see.
Trip-and-fall liability depends on where the fall occurred:
Recoverable losses include emergency room and hospital costs, long-term treatment, past and future income loss, permanent occupational limitations, pain and suffering, and effects on family where applicable.
Trip-and-fall attorneys charge no upfront fees. Case reviews cost nothing.
Property owners typically repair the defect once a fall is reported. Without photographs taken at the time, the case may not survive. Video proof disappears within weeks. OK’s statute of limitations — particularly the shorter deadlines for government property claims — adds further urgency. Contacting a Ardmore trip-and-fall attorney quickly protects the evidence and the claim.
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 demand reconstructive surgery. Property owners — whether they run a restaurant — have a legal obligation to maintain their walkways, parking lots, entrances, and floors in safe condition, and to warn visitors about hazards they can’t reasonably fix right away. When they skip that duty, people get hurt. At McKay Law, we dig into how the hazard came to exist, how long it had been there, whether anyone reported it, and what the property owner did — or didn’t 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 sign on with the McKay Law family, we act quickly to capture surveillance footage, incident reports, inspection logs, prior complaints, and witness statements before they can conveniently disappear. We pursue compensation for emergency room visits, surgeries, dental and reconstructive procedures, physical therapy, mobility aids, prescription costs, future medical care, missed paychecks, and the ongoing struggle that follow a fall that should have never happened. Contact us today at (866) 679-9651 or reach out online to set up your free consultation and get a firm that takes these cases seriously behind you.
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