What the police report or apartment incident report says matters less than people think. In West Virginia, a report may note "slipped" or "no obvious hazard," but your claim usually turns on three bigger factors.

1. What dangerous condition caused the fall, and how long it was there. For a Morgantown apartment claim, the key question is whether the landlord or property manager knew or should have known about the hazard and failed to fix it. After heavy rain or flash-flood conditions, that could mean a flooded entry, slick stairwell, broken drain, loose mat, poor lighting, or storm debris left in a walkway. A one-time spill is different from a recurring problem tenants already complained about. Photos, maintenance requests, texts, prior tenant complaints, and security video usually matter more than a short report.

2. Your medical proof, especially pregnancy-related care. If you were pregnant, the claim is not just about bruising or back pain. It also includes fetal monitoring, OB visits, ER evaluation, ultrasound costs, and follow-up care that were reasonably needed because of the fall. Ruby Memorial or Mon Health records can help connect the fall to contractions, abdominal pain, bleeding, or precautionary monitoring. If the insurer says "the baby was fine, so no claim," that is not the test. The question is what care the fall made necessary.

3. Whether they can blame you. West Virginia uses modified comparative fault. If you were 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing. If you were partly at fault, your recovery can be reduced. So shoes, warning signs, lighting, whether the stairwell was flooded, and whether you had a safe alternative route all matter. Property owners love the "you should have seen it" argument; it works better for them when there are no photos.

The deadline is usually 2 years from the fall under West Virginia personal injury law.