Slip and Fall Accident
Slip and fall are one of the most common causes of injury. You may be walking down the isle of a super market, or a driveway or going up the stairs of a private property and all of a student you slip and fall on a substance / hazardous condition that you had not noticed. These are all common situations that could result in a serious slip and fall accident resulting in significant injury.
A property owner has an obligation to keep their premises free of hazards and defects that could cause a slip and fall that results in injury. When a victim encounters a hazardous condition or defect, their safety at risk and more often than not the resulting injuries are serious.
Grocery store operators have an obligation to ensure that the floors are not wet and that it doesn’t have items on which a patron could slip or fall. While this is the duty under the law, the store owner does not always adhere to this duty which result in serious injuries. In fact, many operators are obligated to sweep the isles and clean up any hazardous substances and when they fail to do so they could be found negligent and liable for your slip and fall injuries.
Premises Liability vs Slip and Fall
A broad category under which slip and fall accidents occur is known Premises liability is a broad category under which slip and fall accidents are placed. The various injuries that are sustained on another’s property include trip and fall, slip and fall, and other property hazards that could cause injuries:
- Broken locks
- Sidewalk defects
- Obstacles that could cause someone to trip
Under California law, public entities, cities, counties and the state have an obligation to maintain public properties to provide safe condition for the public. This covers sidewalks, public buildings, landmarks and parks.
In addition Slip and Fall Accidents can arise from a wide variety of occurrences such as:
- Wet and slippery floors from liquid or other substances
- Uneven or crumbling sidewalks
- Potholes
- Defective stairs
- Broken or inadequate lighting in hallways or pathways
Why You Need An Experienced Slip & Fall Attorney
Slip and fall cases require a good understanding of construction and city codes to determine whether the establishment you were at properly adhered to those regulations and guidelines. For example, some codes may require railings to be provided to keep people from falling and will specify what type of railing must be used. Moreover, retail establishments are required to sweep their isles and areas to make sure substances and other objects and spills are adequately cleaned up with proper signs. Therefore having an experienced slip and fall attorney to assist you with your slip and fall accident can make all the difference in proving liability and getting compensation you deserve.
Slip and fall cases can be convoluted. Most of the time it requires experts that understand the different aspects of the case including the property condition standards and how they can maintain a safe environment for their customers. As experienced slip and fall attorneys we are here to help you get the compensation and care you deserve. Contact us or give us a call today at (888) 243-2050 so that we can evaluate your case for free.
Steps To Take When Injured
The first step is to make sure you provide quick notice to the responsible party of your slip and fall. This will allow proper documentation and often times establishments will provide an incident form to document your slip and fall injury and will preserve any objects or findings from the scene.
Second, make sure you obtain all witness information, if any, so that the witness can be contacted by our investigator as well as the insurance adjusters. Moreover, take any pictures of the object or substance that caused your fall with a camera or cell phone at the scene.
Third, you should obtain insurance information so that a claim can be properly filed for your slip and fall accident. To prove that the property owner was at fault, expert testimony is needed. For example, if a visitor fell in a grocery store, we would have an engineer test the floors and determine how slippery the floors are with and without substances on them.
Lastly, seek adequate care to make sure you are recovering from your slip and fall accident.
Other important things to obtain include:
- Getting the names and phone numbers of anyone who witnessed the fall
- Name of the store manager as well as the supervisor on duty
- Documentation of any medical treatment, including costs, time away from work, and amount of treatment needed in the future.