Slip and Fall Lawyers
Property owners have a legal duty to keep their premises safe. If you suffered a slip-and-fall injury due to hazardous conditions, you may be entitled to compensation. Our Slip and Fall Lawyers can help you hold negligent property owners accountable! Call Hillguard Injury Lawyers now for a free consultation!
Get a free consultation today and discover how we can help you recover the compensation you deserve.
Slipped and fell?
Slip and Fall Accidents Are No Laughing Matter
There are more than one million slip and fall or trip and fall accidents per year in the United States, and nearly twenty thousand of those accidents produce an injury resulting in a fatality.
Just because slip and fall or trip and fall accidents are extremely common, it doesn’t mean that they should be taken lightly.
If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall or trip and fall, you need to seek legal advice right away. Only the best slip and fall and trip and fall lawyers know how to properly investigate an accident and determine who all the responsible parties are.
Who Is Responsible in Slip and Fall or Trip and Fall Accident
In California, anyone who owns, leases, occupies, or otherwise controls a property owes a duty of care to protect all those who enter their property from harm. Understandably, this can make determining who is at fault for a trip and fall or slip and fall accident a little tricky. In a slip and fall accident involving a wet floor in a grocery store, it’s simply enough to assume that the at-fault party is the grocery store themselves.
But, what about a broken or uneven sidewalk? Here, it’s a little more involved. While the local municipalities own the sidewalks, California state law gives landowners the the responsibility of maintaining the sidewalks that front their property.
According to Streets and Highways Code Section 5610:
The owners of lots . . . fronting on any portion of a public street . . . shall maintain any sidewalk in such condition that the sidewalk will not endanger persons or property and maintain it in a condition which will not interfere with the public convenience in the use of those works or areas . . .
Cal. S&H Code § 5610
Thus, the duty of care would fall on the local municipality, such as the City of Los Angeles, and the owner of the property.
Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents
There are various causes of trip and fall or slip and fall accidents in California but some are far more common than others. The location of the accident dictates the likelihood of the hazard. We’re all familiar with tripping on an uneven or broken sidewalk. Broken or even sidewalks are almost always due to movement underneath the ground. Tree roots grow underground and slowly but surely end up cracking the pavement, and lifting up or sinking a portion of the sidewalk.
Another example is a slip and fall in a supermarket, grocery store, or convenience store. For these locations, the most common cause of a slip and fall accident is a wet floor. Likely, the floor is wet because because it was recently mopped or because an employee or other customer spilled a liquid of some kind.
A trip and fall that happens in or around an apartment building would involve an entirely different set of circumstances. Here, common causes of trip and fall accidents involve loose carpeting, uneven stairs, broken or missing stair railings, and broken, missing, or otherwise inadequate lighting in the stairwell.
Proving Negligence for a Slip and Fall or Trip and Fall
Slip and fall or trip and fall accidents are considered premises liability. Therefore, even after you’ve identified the everyone that may have some responsibility for your slip and fall or trip and fall, you must prove that the their act or omission (failure to act) was negligent before you can hope to receive monetary compensation for your injuries and damages. Proving negligence for a premises liability case requires three elements:
That a dangerous or hazardous condition existed on the property;
That the responsible party knew, or by exercising reasonable care should’ve known, that the dangerous or hazardous condition existed; and
The responsible party failed to repair it, protect against it, or give adequate warning of it.
What Can I Get Paid For?
Like all personal injury actions, plaintiffs are entitled to recovery all compensatory damages resulting from the trip and fall or slip and fall accident. These damages include both economic and non-economic damages. Examples include but aren’t limited to:
Medical bills
Lost wages, if you missed time off work
Lost earnings capacity, if you’ll not be able to earn money in the future
Pain and suffering
How Hillguard Injury Lawyers Can Help
Unlike other firms, with us you’ll always have access to your attorney. We’ll ensure you receive the best medical care available, and you’ll receive regular follow-ups from our expert staff who’ll be checking in on you to see how you’re recovering from your injuries and to keep you up-to-date with your case’s progress.
Get maximum compensation
Receive expert medical treatment at no out-of-pocket cost
Speak directly with your attorney
Pay nothing at all unless we win
Free no-obligation consultation
We will come to you
We’re Here to Help
If you or a loved one has been injured in a slip and fall or trip and fall accident, you need the best Los Angeles slip and fall lawyers to get you the compensation you deserve. That’s what Hillguard Injury Lawyers offers.
Make the right decision. Don’t pick a firm too small to get the job done, or too big to care about your case. Hire the Los Angeles trip and fall lawyers at Hillguard Injury Lawyers and let us fight for you!
We treat every client like family. From start to finish, our Los Angeles slip and fall lawyers provide personalized attention, guiding you through every step of the legal process to achieve the best possible outcome.
Slip and Fall Accident FAQ
Do I have a case if I slipped in a store?
You could potentially have a legal case from slipping in a store, but it hinges on whether negligence can be proven. A store can face liability under premises liability laws if they do not clean up spills, fix hazards or provide appropriate warnings. Strengthen your claim by documenting the scene with photos and reporting the incident to store management before seeking medical attention. Your slip and fall personal injury attorney will establish if the store’s negligence resulted in your accident and pursue payment for medical expenses and lost wages along with compensation for pain and suffering.
What evidence should I collect for a slip and fall accident?
To effectively support your slip and fall accident claim you need to collect the correct evidence. Your first step should be to document the dangerous condition that caused you to fall by capturing images and videos of things like wet floors or poorly lit areas. Collect contact details from witnesses because their testimonies may help your case. Reporting the incident to store management or the property owner proves essential and you should ask them to provide you with a written report. Get medical help without delay regardless of how small your injuries appear and document every treatment you receive and any related costs. Keep your clothing and shoes intact because they might function as evidence. With your evidence, a personal injury attorney will aid you in demonstrating negligence and pursuing the compensation you deserve.
Can I sue if I was partially at fault for a slip and fall accident?
California law allows injured parties to file lawsuits and obtain compensation even if they share some of the fault for their injuries. California uses comparative negligence laws that enable you to claim damages corresponding to your degree of fault. California utilizes pure comparative negligence which allows you to obtain damages regardless of your fault level but reduces your compensation by your own fault percentage. If you hold 30% of the fault you are eligible to claim 70% of the total damages. Consulting with an attorney is essential to determine how your specific case will be affected by these laws.
Related: Is a store legally liable for a customer injury in California
Related: How long slip-and-fall cases take
