Fayetteville Slip And Fall Lawyer

Were you injured in a slip and fall accident in Fayetteville?

At MacRae & Whitley, LLP, we provide plaintiff-focused slip and fall representation grounded in more than 50 years of trial work in Cumberland County.

If you fell on a wet floor, a broken step, or an unlit walkway that someone else was responsible for maintaining, you may be dealing with serious injuries you should have never experienced. Our firm has handled premises liability claims in Cumberland County for more than 50 years. We have tried serious injury cases before local juries for decades. Our Fayetteville, NC slip and fall lawyer can review what happened and explain your options. Reach out for a free consultation.

Slip and Fall Lawyer Fayetteville, NC

A slip and fall lawyer represents people injured on property that was not kept reasonably safe. That includes stores, restaurants, apartment complexes, office buildings, and private homes. The attorney’s job is to prove the owner or occupier knew, or should have known, about the hazard and did nothing reasonable about it. Then seek compensation for the losses you incurred due to the incident.

Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury death in North Carolina, and the statewide death rate from falls rose 59.6 percent between 2010 and 2019, according to NC DPH falls data. A Fayetteville slip and fall attorney looks past the word “accident” and asks whether the fall was preventable.

Types of Slip and Fall Cases We Handle in Fayetteville

Falls happen in predictable places for predictable reasons. Unmopped spills, loose mats, missing handrails, ice that was never treated. Our slip and fall lawyers in Fayetteville, NC have handled claims arising from every one of them.

• Grocery store and retail falls. Spilled liquids, produce on the floor, and freshly mopped aisles with no warning sign cause a large share of the falls we handle. Store surveillance footage is often overwritten within days, so we send preservation letters immediately.
• Restaurant and bar falls. Kitchen grease tracked into dining areas, dim lighting near steps, and crowded floors create hazards that staff should catch. We obtain incident reports and interview employees before memories fade.
• Apartment complex falls. Landlords who ignore broken stair treads, loose railings, or burned-out lighting in common areas can be held responsible when a tenant or guest is hurt. Maintenance requests and prior complaints become key evidence.
• Parking lot and sidewalk falls. Potholes, uneven pavement, and untreated ice injure people walking from their cars to the door. We investigate who controlled the surface, which is not always the business you were visiting.
• Hotel and short-term rental falls. Wet pool decks, poorly lit exterior stairs, and bathroom fixtures that give way lead to claims against property managers and owners alike.
• Workplace falls. When a fall at work is caused by a third party such as a property owner or outside contractor, a claim may exist beyond workers’ compensation. BLS injury data shows nonfatal falls, slips, and trips requiring at least one day away from work occurred at a rate of 22.6 cases per 10,000 full-time private-industry workers in 2024.
• Construction site falls. Unguarded openings, unstable scaffolding, and debris-covered walkways are common causes. We identify every contractor and subcontractor whose negligence contributed.
• Falls at schools. Children injured on unsafe playground surfaces, wet hallways, or broken equipment have claims that require careful handling because of the parties involved.
• Falls causing brain injury. A fall that ends with a head striking concrete can produce a traumatic brain injury with symptoms that emerge over weeks. We work with treating physicians to document the full extent of the harm.
• Fatal falls. When a fall on dangerous property takes a life, surviving family members may pursue a wrongful death claim. We handle these cases with the care they demand.

Why Choose MacRae & Whitley, LLP as my Slip and Fall Lawyer in Fayetteville, NC?

Decades of Premises Liability Trial Work in Cumberland County

James C. MacRae, Jr. joined our firm in 1989 after serving as an Assistant District Attorney in Cumberland County. He graduated from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1988 and has spent more than three decades trying personal injury and wrongful death cases, and he is admitted before every state court in North Carolina, each federal district court in the state, the Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Gregory T. Whitley has practiced with the firm since 2008 after earning his law degree from Campbell University School of Law, and he serves on the boards of Fayetteville Technical Community College and Methodist University. Both are members of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, the state’s plaintiff-side trial bar. Our personal injury lawyer in Fayetteville, NC brings their courtroom experience to every slip and fall case they represent.

Proven Results

Our Fayetteville, NC slip and fall attorneys have seen millions of dollars recovered for clients through settlements and verdicts, including:

• $4,500,000 settlement in premises liability case arising from apartment fire
• $2,000,000 settlement for a motor vehicle accident
• $1,500,000 jury verdict in a motor vehicle accident case

The apartment fire case was a premises liability matter, the same area of law that governs a fall claim. Every consultation is free. We represent injured plaintiffs only and never defend insurance companies or property owners.

What Is Important to Understand About a Slip and Fall Case?

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Slip and Fall Cases

Liability in a fall case depends on negligence. The property owner or occupier owed you a duty to keep the premises reasonably safe, breached that duty by allowing a hazard to exist, and that breach caused your injury. North Carolina also applies contributory negligence, which means an injured person found even slightly at fault can be barred from recovering anything.

Property owners raise it in almost every fall case, arguing the hazard was open and obvious or that you were not watching where you walked. The defense carries the burden of proving it under N.C.G.S. § 1-139, but the rule is unforgiving, and it is why one percent of blame matters so much in this state.

Compensation, once liability is established, can include:

• Medical expenses, past and future, including surgery, rehabilitation, and assistive devices
• Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Permanent injury or scarring
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Punitive damages in cases involving willful or wanton conduct, capped by N.C.G.S. § 1D-25 at three times compensatory damages or $250,000, whichever is greater

Important Aspects of a Slip and Fall Case

Two things decide most fall cases: notice and evidence. Notice means the owner knew or should have known about the hazard. Evidence is how you prove it. Our slip and fall attorneys in Fayetteville start gathering both right away.

• Photographs of the hazard taken before it is cleaned up or repaired
• Surveillance video, which many businesses overwrite within days
• Incident reports and witness names gathered at the scene
• Weather reports when rain, ice, or snow contributed to the condition
• Medical records tying the injury to the fall, including herniated discs and other injuries that surface later

Avoiding mistakes after a fall, such as giving a recorded statement to an adjuster or posting about the incident online, protects the value of the claim.

What Is the Slip and Fall Case Timeline?

Most fall claims resolve within one to two years, though contested liability can extend that. North Carolina gives you three years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit under N.C.G.S. § 1-52, and that clock does not pause while you negotiate with an insurer. A slip and fall lawyer in Fayetteville tracks that deadline from the first meeting.

• Investigation and evidence preservation in the first weeks
• Medical treatment until you reach maximum improvement
• Demand package to the insurer detailing liability and damages
• Negotiation, then litigation if the offer is inadequate
• Settlement, mediation, or trial in Cumberland County Superior Court

What to Bring to Your Slip and Fall Consultation

Bring whatever you have. Missing items don’t prevent our Fayetteville slip and fall lawyers from evaluating the case.

• Photographs or video of where you fell
• Any incident report, plus the names of employees or witnesses you spoke with
• Medical records, discharge papers, and bills received so far
• Letters or emails from the property owner or its insurer

The consultation is free and confidential. We will review the facts, explain how contributory negligence and the statute of limitations apply, and tell you whether we believe the claim has merit.

Reach Out to MacRae & Whitley, LLP to Schedule a Consultation

A slip and fall attorney in Fayetteville, NC can begin preserving evidence while it still exists. Our firm offers a free initial consultation, we represent injured people only. At MacRae & Whitley, LLP, we have served Cumberland County families for generations. Contact us to schedule a time to talk.