No one expects to be the victim of a slip and fall accident as the result of a property owner’s negligence. In most cases, victims are somehow caught completely unaware of a dangerous or hazardous area and their feet simply slip from underneath them, resulting in serious injuries or even death.
If you suffered a slip and fall accident, you might face substantial medical bills, loss of wages due to an inability to return to work, as well as pain and suffering. Consider visiting with a Culver City slip and fall lawyer from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 223-5115 who can answer your questions and help you better understand your legal rights.
Questions to Ask Following a Slip and Fall Accident
Several factors must occur in order for a victim to have a strong case to file a claim against a property owner following a slip and fall accident. A victim will need to provide evidence to an insurance company to illustrate that the property owner failed in their legal duty and responsibility to ensure that their property was safe for visitors. Some questions to consider following your slip and fall accident include the following:
- Did the property owner do everything possible to ensure that their property was completely safe?
- Did the property owner know there was an unsafe area on their property?
- Should the property owner have known that there was an unsafe area on their property?
- Did the property owner attempt to warn guests or customers of the dangerous area on their property through signs or cones on the ground?
- Did the property owner attempt to fix the dangerous area without finishing and left it unsafe for visitors or customers or otherwise fail in the attempt?
- If the property owner had attempted to make the property safe, would the victim still have slipped and fallen?
- Did the victim have a legal right to be on the property? (Although under California law, even trespassers have legal rights under the case of Beard v. Atchison, decided in 1970.)
- Would a reasonable person walking in the same exact area have the same risk to slip and fall as a result of the unsafe or hazardous condition?
These are difficult questions to navigate, and visiting with a Culver City slip and fall lawyer can help you better understand how these questions can help your specific slip and fall accident case.
Proving a Slip and Fall Accident Case in California
In order to establish a strong slip and fall accident case in the state of California that affords a victim the legal right to pursue compensation for their injuries and losses, a victim must prove the following:
- A dangerous, hazardous or unsafe condition existed on the property
- The property owner actually knew or should have known that a dangerous condition existed on their property
- The property owner had substantially enough time to correct or repair the unsafe condition prior to the slip and fall accident
- The unsafe condition or hazard directly caused the victim to slip and fall and suffer injuries and losses
There is not an exact definition of “dangerous condition,” however, most courts have found that property damage such as uneven walkways, broken staircases, poor lighting, liquid spills left for long periods of time, crumbling or cracked common areas, or the failure to remove snow and ice may be examples of dangerous conditions. In order to better determine if the conditions that led to your slip and fall accident would receive the legal label of a dangerous condition, consider visiting with a Culver City slip and fall lawyer from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to help you better understand your legal rights given your unique set of facts and circumstances.
For a free legal consultation with a Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer serving Culver, call (800) 223-5115
Places a Slip and Fall Accident Can Occur
Slip and fall accidents can happen in any location, however, when they are the result of a property owner’s negligence, the following are some typical examples of places they may occur:
- Uneven pavement or cracked pavements
- Common areas such as walkways, sidewalks, and parking lots or garages with poor lighting
- Slippery common areas resulting from ice, snow, or inclement weather conditions
- Retail locations that have slick floors
- Any area that has rugs or carpets that are not secure
- Staircases that do not have proper maintenance on stairs or handrails
With one million people visiting emergency rooms each year as a result of slip and fall accidents, according to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), the truth is that any location can have areas that are dangerous for visitors or guests. If a victim of a slip and fall accident can prove that the property owner knew or should have known that the unsafe area that caused the slip and fall existed, the victim may have a strong case to receive compensation for their injuries and losses.
Culver Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer Near Me (800) 223-5115
Consider Visiting with a Culver City Slip and Fall Lawyer
If you suffered injuries or losses as a result of a slip and fall accident, it is important to note that in the state of California, you only have two years from the date of the accident to file a claim with a court, according to California Code of Civil Procedure (CCP) §335.1. This may seem like a long amount of time, however, a considerable amount of time is often needed in order to build a strong personal injury case with evidence.
Consider visiting with a Culver City slip and fall lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 223-5115 to learn more about your next steps and the amount of compensation you may have a legal right to receive as a result of a property owner’s negligence.
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