GLENDALE SLIP & FALL ACCIDENT LAWYER

Millions of people in the United States suffer severe injuries from slip and falls every year. Over 3 million older people are treated for fall injuries annually in emergency rooms. According to the National Safety Council, falls were the third leading cause of preventable death in 2020.

If you recently sustained a personal injury in a slip and fall due to someone else’s negligence, the experienced slip and fall accident lawyers at The Shirvanian Law Firm can help you pursue compensation. We can investigate the circumstances that led to your injuries, talk to witnesses, and collect evidence supporting your case.

Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and fall accidents can occur from poorly maintained properties that lack regular inspection from their owners. For example, defective staircases, torn carpeting, and loose floorboards can cause slip and fall injuries.

Other common causes of slip and fall liability in California include:

Cluttered Floors

After working with boxes, store owners and employees must always ensure that floors are free of debris. If the property owner leaves stray cables, electric wires, and other materials on the floor, visitors can trip and suffer injuries. Slip and falls can also occur if store employees do not secure products and boxes to prevent them from falling onto customers.

Defective or Damaged Sidewalks

Property owners are responsible for reasonably maintaining sidewalks that could injure a pedestrian. Unrepaired defects, such as cracked concrete, loose stones, gaps, and uneven surfaces, can lead to you tripping and falling over the sidewalk.

Inadequate Lighting

An owner should provide sufficient lighting on their property for customers to see where they are going and watch out for hazards. Without proper lighting, surfaces that aren’t hazardous in broad daylight can be dangerous at night. If you fall because of poor lighting in an area, you may have a case against the property owner.

Lack of Warning Signs on Wet Floors

When walking in stores, restaurants, or other public spaces, people can lose their footing on slippery substances like water, soda, or ice. To prevent slip and fall incidents, owners and managers must display wet floor signs to let customers know that a hazardous situation is nearby so they can move away and take precautions to prevent injuries.

A lack of warning signs and maintenance of a wet surface can cause a slip and fall.

An experienced slip and fall accident lawyer from The Shirvanian Law Firm can examine the accident site. We can interview witnesses, such as bystanders, who can confirm the defect that caused the slip and fall incident. Your lawyer can also search for surveillance cameras that are pointing in the direction where you fell and review the footage.

Injuries From Slip and Fall Accidents

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that 1 in 5 falls result in serious injuries, from broken bones to head injuries. These injuries can lead to long-term pain and financial hardships for you and your family. Slip and fall accident injuries can include:

Broken Bones

Slipping and falling can easily cause minor fractures and severe injuries, requiring surgery and time off from work for recovery. For example, slip and fall victims with a limited range of motion due to long bone fractures were less likely to return to work and unable to support themselves.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries from a fall can result in fractured vertebrae, slipped and herniated discs, and pinched nerves. The extent of damage to the spinal cord determines whether a spinal cord injury is incomplete or complete.

For instance, a complete spinal injury causes paralysis below the level of injury, resulting in paralysis of all four limbs or the lower half of the body.

Spinal cord injury patients face excessive financial difficulties because they cannot work due to their limited mobility and incontinence problems. As a result of physical rehabilitation and hospital stays, their medical bills are high, and they may be unable to earn enough to pay for the accident-related expenses.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can result from falling and hitting the front, back, or side of your head. Incurring a TBI can result in costly in-hospital expenses, ranging from $2,130 to $401,808. However, the long-term effects of TBIs can result in personality changes that can make a TBI survivor unable to work and function in society.

Families are left to deal with the stress and emotional burden of a brain injury when their loved one’s cognition, mood, and behavior change. These changes often adversely affect close relationships and marriages, increasing psychological distress and social isolation for those living with TBIs.

The Shirvanian Law Firm is passionate about holding property owners liable and helping victims achieve justice with fair compensation. If you have expensive medical bills resulting from your accident, our experienced attorney can help you get a fair settlement to cover all your expenses. We will fight to recover maximum compensation for your injury-related medical bills and pain and suffering.

Learn How to Recover Damages for Slip and Fall Accidents

Along with your lawyer, you must prove that someone’s negligence contributed to the accident to recover damages. These four elements are crucial to file a slip and fall claim:

• The property owner owned, leased, occupied, or controlled it
• The owner negligently used and maintained the property
• You suffered harm
• A substantial factor in your harm was the owner’s negligence

For instance, you suffered a slip and fall at a grocery store due to a wet floor. If there was no wet floor sign at the time of the incident, the store owner can be found negligent and be held liable for your injuries.

Slip and Fall Lawsuit FAQs:

Who is Liable in a Slip and Fall Accident in California?

An individual who owns, leases, occupies, or controls a property has a duty of care to protect visitors from injuries. If a visitor suffers harm due to a condition on their property and the owner fails to repair it, they are liable for the slip and fall accident.

When is a Property Owner or Occupant Considered Negligent?

The property owner must be negligent in their care of the property for you to file a slip and fall lawsuit. A few key factors determine the owner’s negligence in your accident, including:

• There was a property condition that posed an unwarranted risk of injury to visitors
• The owner knew or should be aware of the condition if they exercised reasonable care
• The owner failed to fix, protect against, or give sufficient warning about the condition

How Do I Prove a Slip and Fall Accident in California?

You can obtain compensation for your injuries and financial damages by presenting solid evidence proving that the property owner was negligent. These pieces of evidence include:

• Surveillance video footage of the incident
• Safety and cleaning logs
• Attending physician’s medical statements of your condition
• Witness testimonials
• Photos taken by you or a witness of the accident scene
• Accident reconstructionist’s testimony detailing the dangerous condition

What Damages Can I Recover From a Slip and Fall Accident?

You can recover these types of financial compensation:

• Economic damages, including current and future medical expenses, rehabilitation, and lost wages
• Non-economic damages such as emotional distress, loss of consortium, loss of enjoyment of life, permanent scarring, and disfigurement

What is the Statute of Limitations For a slip and Fall Injury Claim?

The slip and fall statute of limitations in California is two years. California law allows the suspension or tolling of the statute if your child is under 18 and suffered an injury from a slip and fall. When your child turns 18, they have two years to file a lawsuit.

Are Slip and Fall Cases Hard to Win?

Slip and fall cases can be challenging to win since you must provide sufficient proof of negligence against the property owner. Crucial factors that can influence your slip and fall claim include:

• The severity and cost of your injuries
• Loss of income during recovery
• Whether you can return to work
• Emotional effect of your injuries on your enjoyment of life and relationships
• Quality of the evidence in your case

Your ability to prove that the owner’s negligence resulted in your injuries is critical to a successful outcome of your case.

Speak with a Glendale Personal Injury Lawyer

The Shirvanian Law Firm can assist you if you suffer a slip and fall at a business or private property in California. Our lawyers have the knowledge and experience to determine and calculate all possible damages in your case and help you seek a fair settlement.

Work with a California slip and fall accident lawyer with offices in Glendale, Riverside, Bakersfield, and Riverside, California, to help pursue a claim against the negligent property owner. We work on a contingency fee arrangement so you can work with us to maximize your compensation without worrying about upfront fees.

Contact us today for a free, no-obligation and confidential case evaluation.