Slip and Fall claims have a unique body of controlling law. These types of claims are also known as “premises liability’ claims. In order to have a successful claim, the claimant must prove the landowner knew, or should have known, about a dangerous condition that caused injury. Our slip & fall accident lawyers have successfully met this burden of proof time and time again. While it may not always be obvious a landowner knew of a dangerous condition (for example, maybe they were not present at the time of the accident) often times business practices, past accidents, maintenance requests or logs are sued to prove the land owner should have known of a dangerous condition, and failed to act.
Very commonly, after a slip and fall our lawyers see back and spinal injuries, knee and hip injuries and head trauma. They can occur anywhere: A restaurant, grocery or supermarket, private home, apartment building, parking lot, shopping mall, school, office, government agency or a public sidewalk.
Often times injuries from a trip and fall can be quite severe. Unlike a car accident where there is some protection, someone falling on cement, down stairs or onto another hard object, had no protection. Contact our Los Angeles slip & fall accident lawyers today before evidence may disappear. Even if you think you may not be able to prove the land owner knew of a dangerous condition, we will examine the circumstances for you.
Generally speaking, slip and fall accidents occur due to improper maintenance, improper inspection, poor lighting, poor repair, failure to post warnings.
Some slip and fall accident occur when the landowner actually creates the condition and fails to warn. Typical example would be an employee who mops the floor, leaves it wet and fails to provide a warning cone. A more subtle example may be an employee who uses too much polish on a floor and creates a slippery condition.
Other trip and fall claims may occur where a landowner fails to perform reasonable inspection and a fall occurs as a result of a dangerous condition. For example, our lawyers have handled cases where a staircase collapsed because of dry rot, or a walkway was dangerous because the sprinklers over sprayed for months leaving slick mold on the walkway and another example was a balcony collapsing because of termites.
Common areas where slip and falls occur:
+ Wet floors
+ Uplifted pavers & walkways
+ Defective stairs
+ Rooftops
+ Poorly lit areas
+ Concealed ground defects
+ Objects protruding into walkways
Slip and fall cause a significant number or serious injuries and unintentional death in homes and communities.
When Slip & Falls typically occur:
+ Visiting a home or business
+ Participating in a group event
+ Visiting a public property or walking on sidewalks
+ Dining establishments
+ Shopping malls
+ The grocery store
+ Small and large parking lots
+ Walking in poorly lit areas
After a slip & fall injury, contact our Los Angeles slip-and-fall lawyers as soon as possible. Our attorneys have handled thousands of slip/trip and fall claims to successful conclusion. But, time may be of the essence to preserve evidence, so don’t delay.
A large percentage of slip and fall claims arise in grocery store settings. The high volume of traffic, the typically polished linoleum floor and multiple areas for potential injury all contribute to the large number or store related slip and fall claims, including injuries caused by:
+ Water on the floor
+ No matt at an entrance in the rain
+ Water leaking from cooling units
+ Defects in the parking lot like cracked cement
+ Food or liquid spilled and not cleaned up
+ Poorly merchandised stock falling from shelving
Be sure to get medical care as soon as possible. Documenting injuries close in time to the fall is very important.
If you are able, do the following:
+ Document the cause of your slip & fall
+ Take the name and number of witnesses
+ Photograph the scene
+ It may be necessary to complete an incident report in certain cases
+ Keep the name of all employees you spoke to after a fall, if it occurred at a business.
+ Call Our Slip & Fall Lawyers For Immediate Help
Time is likely of the essence. The difference between a successful claim or no claim at all may be the difference between hiring a lawyer early vs. later. We are ready to get going…..
Government, or public property claims, are especially unique. The laws applicable to government claims are distinct from laws applicable to private property claims. Filing deadlines are short, and filing procedure is different. Further, filing requirements are different between city, county and state levels. Further complicating a public property claim will occur when a private property owner causes a dangerous condition on public property but neither the city or private property owner take steps to repair. A common example is a private property tree root uplifting a public sidewalk.
Our highly experienced slip and fall lawyers will handle all of the nuances in your particular case. We can’t advise strongly enough that you not attempt to handle your slip / trip and fall case alone.
While every case is different, general categories of financial recovery after a slip and fall are part and future medical bills, lost wages and lost future earning power, pain and suffering, rehabilitation care and other economic losses. Call our attorneys for a more case specific analysis of your case.
Once we accept your case, we will do so on a contingency basis, with a no fee until we win guarantee . Attorney fee’s are only paid if and when money is recovered on your behalf.
The law is well settled. Landowners have to take reasonable care in the maintenance, operation and inspection of their property. If the landowner fails to do so and a hazardous condition causes an injury trip/slip and fall, the landowner may be held responsible. In addition to the above, the law requires the person making the slip and fall claim prove the landowner knew or should have known of the dangerous condition. In some instances this may be readily obvious, in other instances it may be shown through the claims process.
Another possibility is that the condition occurred regularly. For example, if seasonal rain drips into a rented apartment, and the landlord was told of the leaks or should have known of them prior to the leak but failed to act, the landlord may be held liable for injuries as a result of slipping on that water on the floor.
It’s not just landowners who may be responsible in a trip-and-fall injury accident, there may be other people that caused the injury or are partially responsible.
For example, service people, workmen, construction crews, city maintenance may all come onto a private property and leave a condition that is hazardous and causes a slip/trip and fall injury.
Understanding who may be at fault requires experience and knowledge. Our Southern California slip-and-fall attorneys will investigate and determine who may, or may not, be responsible for your slip/trip and fall accident.
Slip and fall cases can be some of the most challenging for Plaintiff’s. The lawyers must not only prove that the hazard existed but also that the owner new about it and did nothing. Defense lawyers also often use a defense that the Plaintiff wasn’t paying attention or that the condition was open and obvious.
With over 90 years of collective experience, our legal team possesses the passion, knowledge and history of success to prove you with top legal representation.
Our reputation is well established as honest and straight forward. We are:
After a slip and fall accident, we highly suggest you not deal with the insurance company. It’s not designed to help you. When you hire the slip and fall lawyers at Phillips and Pelly, we will handle all aspects of your case so you can focus on healing.
Take advantage of our Free Case Evaluation. Call or go to the Free Case Evaluation button and provide basic information, and we will be happy to call you back when you like.
If you decide to hire us, we will begin working immediately on your behalf to secure the maximum compensation to which you and/or your family are entitled under the law.
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As one of Southern California’s longest standing serious injury law firms, Partners John Phillips and Oliver Pelly focus on creating the ultimate client experience. For the client, this means open and available communication, explaining the process so the client has a roadmap, involving the client throughout and giving straightforward, honest, legal advice as the case develops. Just some of our awards are:
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