Property owners in Sterling Heights have a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe. When they fail to do that, and someone gets hurt as a result, they may owe compensation for the injuries they caused.
A Sterling Heights slip and fall lawyer at Goodman Acker reviews the facts of your fall, identifies who was responsible for the hazard, and builds a premises liability claim on your behalf.
Many people who fall on someone else’s property talk themselves out of calling a lawyer because they assume it was their own fault. That assumption costs people money.
We handle these cases throughout Macomb County, and our Sterling Heights office at 13854 Lakeside Circle is minutes from many of the commercial areas where these injuries happen most often.
If you fell on unsafe property and you are not sure whether you have a case, call 248-483-5000 for a free, honest assessment.
How Does Goodman Acker Handle Slip and Fall Cases in Sterling Heights?
We approach every premises liability case by looking at what the property owner knew, when they knew it, and what they did or failed to do about it.
That analysis drives the entire case, and it requires an attorney who understands how Michigan property liability law actually works in Macomb County courtrooms.
One Team From Start to Finish
When you hire Goodman Acker, we assign one attorney, one paralegal, and one assistant to your case. That team stays with you until the matter resolves.
You get direct phone numbers, and you talk to the same people every time you call. We do not rotate your file between departments or hand you off to someone unfamiliar with your situation.
Premises Liability Experience Backed by Results
Our attorneys have recovered a $2.1 million verdict for a tenant struck by a falling brick, a $400,000 trial verdict for a deliveryman who fell on a staircase, and a $365,000 jury verdict for a woman who slipped in a bathroom at a movie theater and broke her hip.
Although past results do not guarantee future outcomes, those cases reflect real courtroom experience with property liability claims.
We handle every premises liability case on a contingency fee basis. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. That fee structure means you take on zero financial risk by picking up the phone and calling us at 248-483-5000.
What Must You Prove in a Michigan Slip and Fall Claim?
A slip and fall claim in Michigan requires proof that the property owner or occupier failed to maintain reasonably safe conditions and that their failure directly caused your injury.
Michigan premises liability law under MCL 554.139 places a duty on landlords to keep residential premises in reasonable repair. For commercial properties, Michigan common law imposes a similar obligation to protect visitors from known or discoverable hazards.
Winning a slip and fall case typically requires proof of four elements:
- The property owner or occupier owed you a duty of care based on your status as a visitor on their property
- A dangerous condition existed on the premises, such as a wet floor, broken railing, or icy walkway
- The property owner knew about the hazard, or a reasonable inspection would have revealed it
- The hazard directly caused your fall and your resulting injuries
Falling on someone else’s property does not automatically create a valid legal claim. The strength of your case depends on showing that the owner had a reasonable opportunity to fix the problem and failed to act.
Where Do Slip and Fall Injuries Happen Most Often in Sterling Heights?
Slip and fall accidents in Sterling Heights happen most frequently in high-traffic commercial areas and multi-unit residential properties. The city’s mix of retail corridors, restaurant clusters, and dense apartment communities creates steady foot traffic across surfaces that property owners must maintain.
Retail and Commercial Properties
The Van Dyke Avenue corridor, the Lakeside Mall area, and the big-box shopping centers along Hall Road all generate significant pedestrian volume.
Wet entryways during rain and snow, cluttered aisles, uneven flooring transitions, and poorly maintained parking lots are recurring issues at these locations.
Residential Complexes and Apartment Buildings
Sterling Heights has a large number of multi-unit apartment and condominium complexes. Common hazards in residential settings include broken stairwell handrails, cracked sidewalks,
inadequate lighting in hallways and parking structures, and failure to treat icy walkways during Michigan winters.
Restaurants and Grocery Stores
Spills near drink stations, grease on kitchen pass-through areas, and produce debris in grocery aisles cause falls that may result in serious orthopedic injuries.
When employees know about a spill and fail to clean it up or place a warning sign, that delay may serve as evidence of negligence.
What Is the Open and Obvious Doctrine in Michigan?
Michigan’s open and obvious doctrine was a legal defense that property owners frequently raised in slip and fall cases.
Under this doctrine, a property owner could argue that they owed no duty of care for a hazard that an average person would have noticed and avoided through ordinary care.
For over two decades following the Michigan Supreme Court’s 2001 decision in Lugo v. Ameritech Corp., Inc., this defense allowed property owners to get many premises liability cases dismissed before they ever reached a jury.
That changed on July 28, 2023, when the Michigan Supreme Court overturned Lugo in the consolidated cases of Kandil-Elsayed v. F & E Oil, Inc. and Pinsky v. Kroger Co. of Michigan.
The Court ruled that the open and obvious nature of a hazard no longer eliminates a property owner’s duty of care. Instead, courts now consider the visibility of a hazard as part of the breach and comparative fault analysis.
How This Ruling Affects Your Sterling Heights Case
Property owners and their insurers still raise the open and obvious argument in slip and fall cases. An icy sidewalk, a visible pothole, or a wet floor may all trigger this defense.
But under the current legal standard, the obviousness of the hazard goes to the question of shared fault rather than eliminating the property owner’s liability altogether.
Factors that may reduce the strength of an open and obvious defense include:
- Poor lighting that made the hazard difficult to see
- Distractions created by the property layout, such as a checkout counter near a wet floor
- Weather conditions like black ice that obscured the danger
- The hazard’s location in an area where visitors had no reasonable alternative path
Premises liability cases in Macomb County often turn on this issue, which makes early evidence gathering and strong legal arguments about the hazard’s visibility particularly important.
What Compensation Might a Sterling Heights Slip and Fall Case Recover?
Compensation in a Michigan premises liability case depends on the severity of your injuries, the length of your recovery, and the strength of the evidence tying the property owner’s negligence to your fall.
Michigan law divides personal injury damages into economic and non-economic categories.
| Type of Damages | What It Covers |
| Past Medical Expenses | Emergency room visits, imaging, surgery, hospital stays |
| Future Medical Costs | Ongoing rehabilitation, physical therapy, follow-up procedures |
| Lost Wages | Income missed during recovery from the fall |
| Lost Earning Capacity | Reduced ability to earn income due to lasting physical limitations |
| Pain and Suffering | Physical pain, emotional distress, reduced quality of life |
| Scarring or Disfigurement | Visible physical changes resulting from the injury or surgery |
Slip and fall injuries often involve fractures, torn ligaments, herniated discs, traumatic brain injuries from hitting the ground, and hip or knee damage that requires surgical repair. The long-term cost of those injuries frequently exceeds what an early settlement offer reflects.
How Does Comparative Fault Apply to a Slip and Fall in Michigan?
Michigan’s modified comparative negligence rule (MCL 600.2959) reduces your compensation by your percentage of fault if a jury finds you partly responsible for the fall.
If your fault exceeds the combined fault of all other parties, you lose the right to recover non-economic damages such as pain and suffering.
Property defendants use comparative fault arguments aggressively in slip and fall cases. Common arguments include:
- You were wearing inappropriate footwear for the conditions
- You were looking at your phone instead of watching where you walked
- You ignored a visible warning sign or barricade
- You chose to walk through an area you knew was hazardous
These arguments do not automatically disqualify your claim, but they may reduce your recovery. Strong evidence that the property owner created or ignored the hazard, combined with proof that you acted reasonably under the circumstances, helps counter these defenses.
FAQs for Sterling Heights Slip and Fall Lawyers
Do I have a slip and fall case if there was no Wet Floor sign?
The absence of a warning sign may support your premises liability claim, but it does not guarantee one on its own.
Michigan law looks at whether the property owner knew or reasonably should have known about the hazard and whether they took appropriate steps to address it.
A missing warning sign is one piece of the overall picture that your attorney examines alongside maintenance records, surveillance footage, and witness accounts.
How long after a fall do I have to file a lawsuit in Sterling Heights?
Michigan’s statute of limitations (MCL 600.5805) generally gives you three years from the date of your fall to file a premises liability lawsuit.
Claims against government entities, such as a fall on a city-maintained sidewalk, may require notice filings on a much shorter timeline.
Contacting an attorney soon after your fall protects both your filing rights and the evidence supporting your claim.
What if I fell in a parking lot during the winter?
You may still have a premises liability claim after falling on ice or snow in a Sterling Heights parking lot. Michigan property owners and commercial tenants have a duty to maintain reasonably safe conditions, including treating icy surfaces within a reasonable time.
Whether you have a viable case depends on factors like how long the ice was present, what the property owner did to address it, and how the comparative fault analysis applies under current Michigan law.
Does it matter whether I was a customer or just visiting when I fell?
Yes, your legal status on the property affects the duty of care the owner owed you. Michigan law recognizes different categories of visitors, including invitees (customers and business visitors), licensees (social guests), and trespassers.
Property owners owe the highest duty of care to invitees, which includes most people who enter a store, restaurant, or commercial building.
What if the property owner claims they did not know about the hazard?
A property owner may still face liability even without actual knowledge of the hazard. Michigan premises liability law also applies when the owner should have discovered the dangerous condition through reasonable inspection and maintenance.
If a grocery store spill sat on the floor for 30 minutes without cleanup, for example, a jury might find that the store should have caught it sooner.
What type of evidence helps prove a slip and fall claim?
Evidence that can strengthen a Sterling Heights premises liability case includes photographs of the hazard taken as close to the time of the fall as possible.
It may also include surveillance camera footage from the property, incident reports filed with the business or property manager, witness contact information, and medical records showing the injuries you sustained.
The sooner you gather this evidence, the stronger your position becomes.
Do I need a lawyer for a slip and fall, or is it something I handle myself?
Hiring a slip and fall attorney in Sterling Heights is not legally required, but premises liability claims involve property owner defenses, comparative fault arguments, and insurance tactics that are difficult to counter without legal experience.
Property insurers routinely deny or undervalue these claims, and the open and obvious defense, while no longer a complete bar to liability, still gives them a built-in argument that requires specific legal strategy to overcome.
Speak with a Sterling Heights Slip and Fall Lawyer About Your Claim
A fall on unsafe property may leave you with fractures, torn soft tissue, or head injuries that take months to heal. The property owner’s insurance company is already building a defense, and every day that passes without preserving evidence makes that defense stronger.
Goodman Acker’s premises liability attorneys take these cases on a contingency fee basis from our Sterling Heights office.
We review your situation at no cost, give you a direct assessment of whether you have a viable claim, and explain exactly how the process works before you commit to anything.
Call 248-483-5000 to get a clear answer about your fall and your options under Michigan law.
LEGALLY REVIEWED BY BARRY J. GOODMAN
Barry J. Goodman has devoted his professional life to keeping courthouse doors open for victims seeking justice. Always a tireless advocate for his own clients, Goodman sees his responsibility as a Detroit personal injury attorney in a broader sense as well. [ Attorney Bio ]
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