Slip and fall accidents can change a person’s life in an instant. If you have recently fallen on someone else’s property and suffered catastrophic injuries, you know that all too well. You may be facing ever-increasing medical expenses and, at the same time, be unable to work.
Our firm, Omega Law Group Accident & Injury Attorneys, can help you navigate the legal process after you’re seriously hurt. An El Monte slip and fall lawyer from our office can be your advocate and seek the maximum compensation for your losses.
Our lawyers have been serving injury victims in California since 2016, securing high–dollar settlements in serious injury cases. A free consultation allows you to learn how our El Monte personal injury lawyers can help you.
Causes and Consequences of Slip and Fall Accidents
A number of circumstances can lead to slips and falls, including the following:
- Torn or ripped carpets
- Uneven flooring
- Debris-strewn flooring (i.e., papers or boxes cluttering someone’s path)
- Electrical cords
- Cracked sidewalks
- Spilled liquids (like detergents, oils, soaps, or drinks)
- Loose handrails
- Defrosting freezers (that cause water to puddle around them)
- Potholes
- Rolled-up mats at entryways
Even a fall from a short height can cause serious and lasting injuries, such as broken bones, spinal cord injuries, and brain injuries (e.g., concussions).
These injuries can require expensive medical treatment and leave you unable to work. They can also impact your capacity to engage in activities you enjoy.
What to Do After a Slip and Fall Accident
The rush of adrenaline that floods your body after a slip and fall can confuse you, making it challenging to know what steps to take after an incident like this. You should prioritize:
- Reporting what happened
- Collecting any evidence you can
- Seeing a doctor after your accident, even if you don’t feel pain
- Contacting a personal injury lawyer
Be careful who you speak to after suffering a slip and fall, as anything you say and do can adversely impact your ability to file a claim and make a financial recovery.
Getting an El Monte personal injury attorney involved early will protect your interests.
How Our Slip and Fall Attorneys in El Monte Will Take Care of Your Case as You Recover
Your recovery can be time-intensive enough without having to add navigating filing a claim to your plate. This is where our legal team can be of great assistance to you.
Our slip and fall lawyers in El Monte can take care of the following on your behalf so you can focus on getting better and hopefully returning to work:
- Investigating your case
- Conversing with insurers
- Taking your case to trial if necessary
When you work with our personal injury attorneys, you can rest comfortably knowing that we know California law regarding incidents like these. We know which statutes of limitations apply and how to prove liability, which is necessary to secure compensation.
Responsibilities Property Owners Have to Prevent Falls
Premises liability refers to landowners’ legal obligation to ensure their properties are safe for guests. Property owners who fail to fix or contain dangerous property conditions may be negligent and liable for injuries to others.
While there are certain exceptions to this rule, this generally means that a property owner must do the following to minimize the chance of a slip and fall occurring:
- Not unnecessarily create a potentially dangerous environment on their premises.
- Quickly address unsafe property situations that they’re made aware of.
- Notify others of a hazardous situation (i.e., a “Wet Floor” sign) to minimize their injury risk.
Property owners do not owe all visitors the same duty of care. The exact effort they must make depends on the visitor’s legal status:
- Invitees are guests on the property for commercial purposes, like customers. Landowners have the highest duty of care to invitees and must regularly inspect for hazards to fix.
- Licensees are guests on the premises for personal purposes, like a houseguest. Licensees must be warned about dangerous conditions, but landowners don’t have to regularly inspect.
- Trespassers are visitors on the property without permission. Landowners don’t have a general duty of care to trespassers.
If you’re unsure about your legal visitor designation, its impact on the responsibilities a property owner owed you, and the two types of compensatory damages you may be eligible to receive, one of our personal injury attorneys in El Monte can assess your case to better understand the rights you have.
Damages You Can Recover if a Slip and Fall Accident Injured You
Our personal injury attorneys can send a demand letter and negotiate with insurance companies to recover the emotional, physical, and other financial losses you sustained, such as:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages and other lost income
- Non-economic losses (e.g., pain and suffering, emotional distress)
California law follows a pure comparative negligence law to assess compensation after accidents. Under pure comparative negligence, you can recover compensation, no matter how much fault you share.
The catch is that any compensation you recover is diminished according to your percentage of fault. For example, if you were 30% at fault, then any final settlement would be reduced by 30% to account for shared liability.
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How Long You Have to Pursue a Slip and Fall Claim in California
The statute of limitations, which is the timeline for taking legal action after a personal injury incident, is outlined in the California Code of Civil Procedure (CCP). CCP § 335.1 outlines how individuals who’ve suffered slips and falls can file a claim or lawsuit up to two years post-injury.
Once the statute of limitations expires, any legal claim to damages becomes null and void. There are ways to “stop the clock” and exceptions to the two-year rule, which your slip and fall lawyer can advise you of.
Let Our El Monte Slip and Fall Lawyers Help You Recover Compensation for Your Losses
When a slip and fall accident seriously hurts you, the thought of having to take on compiling records and bills or dealing with insurance companies is understandably far down on your list of priorities. Instead, your recovery takes precedence.
You can trust the attorneys at Omega Law Group to competently handle your case. We will request any evidence necessary to prove property owner liability.
We can negotiate with insurance companies to secure the compensation you deserve. We also work on a contingency fee, so if we don’t win, you won’t have to pay.
Meeting for a free initial consultation with a personal injury lawyer is the first step toward holding the party whose actions harmed you liable for what happened. Let’s meet so you can see what it’s like to have an advocate guiding you through the legal system instead of having to do it alone.
