Loose floorboards are a trip and fall risk factor that may cause a significant injury, even one that may prove to be deadly. Property owners have a duty of care to ensure that hazards such as loose floorboards are clearly marked and promptly repaired, and if they fail to do these things they may be guilty of negligence.
If you or a loved one suffered one or more injuries because of loose floorboards in Los Angeles, California, you may be entitled to compensation through a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. Call our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 794-0444 to find out how a Los Angeles loose floorboards lawyer may be able to help.
A Fall may be a Life-Altering Accident
Slipping or tripping and falling may inflict injuries with lingering effects, even throughout the rest of your life. Injuries that may result from a slip or trip and fall accident include:
- Fractured skull
- Traumatic brain injury
- Brain damage
- Broken bones in your hands, arms, or both
- Broken hip
- Broken bones in your legs and feet
- Internal bleeding
- Spinal cord injury
Any of these injuries may prove to be fatal in a worst-case scenario, and may cause symptoms that:
- Cause you significant pain or discomfort
- Restrict the type of work that you can do, if you can work at all
- Restrict your mobility
- Cause you substantial mental distress
- Require expensive medical treatments or rehabilitation to address
- Limit your independence
Certain risk factors may make you or your loved one prone to tripping or slipping, or may put you at a greater risk of suffering an injury from a fall than the average population. Some of these risk factors may include:
- Having limited mobility that requires you to use a walker, cane, or other forms of mobility assistance
- Being legally blind or having poor vision
- Having a physical condition that increases the possibility of you being injured
- Having poor balance
Property owners should consider how serious the outcome of a trip or slip and fall accident may be and take precautions to spot and repair possible hazards on their premises. Loose floorboards are among the hazards that may result in a slip and fall or trip and fall accident.
California Law may Hold Property Owners Responsible for Loose Floorboards
According to California Civil Code Division 3, Part 3, §1714, a property owner is legally responsible for taking “ordinary care” of their property so as to prevent injuries by those explicitly or implicitly invited onto their premises.
The 2017 Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions outlines other questions that may be relevant in an injury or wrongful death lawsuit involving loose or otherwise dangerous floorboards. Some of these considerations include:
- Whether the defendant named in your lawsuit either owned, occupied, rented, leased, or otherwise controlled the property where you were injured.
- Whether the defendant failed to maintain a level of safety on the property that may be considered negligent.
- Whether you suffered harm as the result of danger on the property borne out of negligence.
If one or more defendants in your case had some legal obligation to maintain the property, failed to do so, and you were injured because of this, you may have reason to bring a lawsuit. Our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm may be able to provide the assistance of a Los Angeles loose floorboards lawyer, so contact us for a free consultation.
Loose or Damaged Floorboards may be Grounds for a Lawsuit
If a property contains one or more loose floorboards, or walkways that pose a threat of tripping or slipping for some other reason, then the owner, manager, or another person responsible for the property may be liable for any harm that comes.
If you or a loved one were the ones harmed by the dangerous premises, you have suffered:
- One or more injuries
- Lost income because of your injury
- Direct financial costs related to your accident
- Psychological harm
Civil courts exist to help those who have suffered losses, but are not necessarily the victims of criminal acts. If you or a loved one have suffered any of the above losses, or any other losses caused by dangerous premises, you may consider bringing a lawsuit in civil court. A lawyer may be able to help you do this.
The Duties a Lawyer may Handle
Should you elect to have a lawyer on your side during a lawsuit, they may be able to:
- Provide advice as to who should be named as defendants in your case
- Provide general legal advice
- Protect your rights throughout their time as your lawyer
- Collect and organize evidence for your lawsuit
- Negotiate a settlement if possible
- If necessary, guide your lawsuit through the trial phase
- Calculate and request compensation you may be entitled to
Depending on the nature of your accident and injuries, and the fallout that you have experienced, your awards could include coverage for:
- Your accident-related healthcare costs
- Lost income
- Any decrease in your earning power caused by your accident
- Pain and suffering
Every personal injury lawsuit is unique, and the facts of your accident may play a role in determining what sort of compensation you may be entitled to.
For a free legal consultation with a Loose Floorboards Injuries Lawyer serving Los Angeles, call (800) 794-0444
Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm
The team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm may be able to help protect you from further harm as you seek compensation you may be entitled to. We work on a contingency-fee basis, which means that you pay no out-of-pocket costs, and we only get paid if you do.
Call the team from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 794-0444 to learn how a Los Angeles loose floorboards lawyer may be able to work on your behalf.
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