Monterey Slip & Fall Lawyer
A slip and fall is one of the most common accidents to befall people in the United States. They can happen to anybody, anywhere, at any time. They can cause serious injury and are a leading cause of death for people over 65 years old. Over eight million people visit a hospital emergency room every year due to a fall, making it the most common reason for a trip to the ER. Regardless, the fact that slip and fall injuries are common does not excuse property owners from their duty to provide safe premises to prevent slip and fall accidents that are otherwise avoidable. On the contrary, property owners can and should be held liable when their negligence or irresponsibility is the reason a slip and fall occurs. The Allen Law Firm is here to help injury victims recover compensation when they’ve been injured because of another party’s negligence. Contact our experienced Monterey slip & fall lawyer today for a free consultation.
Premises Liability Under California Slip & Fall Law
California’s negligence statute, found in California Civil Code section 1714, says that everyone is responsible for injuries to others caused by their willful acts as well as their lack of ordinary care or skill in the management of their property, except so far as the victims brought the injury on themselves through their own willfulness or lack of ordinary care. Property owners can therefore be liable for injuries caused by property defects or dangers:
- That the property owner created
- That the property owner knew about but did not fix or warn about
- That the property owner should have known about but failed to discover through reasonable inspection
Owners, managers, and employees of grocery stores, retail shops, hotels and other properties must take reasonable steps to keep their premises safe, including their outdoor grounds, sidewalks and parking lots as well as inside the building. This duty can include promptly cleaning up spills or picking trash or merchandise off the floor; installing and maintaining adequate lighting and floor mats; making sure steps or ramps are clearly marked; repairing defects such as broken steps, missing handrails or torn carpeting, and putting up warnings about any dangers that exist but haven’t been repaired.
Recovering Compensation After a Slip and Fall in Monterey
A slip and fall accident can cause painful, debilitating injuries that put you in the hospital or keep you at home and out of work for days, weeks or months. They can also cause permanent disability or catastrophic injury, as well as fatal injury as noted above. Some of the most common and most serious injuries to result from a slip and fall include:
- Muscle tears, strains and sprains
- Sprained ankles and wrists
- Broken bones, including ankles, wrists, and arms
- Fractured hips
- Facial lacerations
- Scarring, disfiguring injuries
- Neck and back injuries, including a broken back and spinal cord paralysis
- Head injuries, including concussions and traumatic brain injuries
After a slip and fall accident, the negligent property owner should be liable to you for all your legal damages, meaning the costs of the injury you are forced to endure. Slip and fall damages include current and future medical bills, lost income for time missed from work or due to employment disability, pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, loss in quality of life, loss of ability to care for and support family members, and more.
Slip and fall accidents can be some of the more difficult cases to pursue. Often the property owner will allege they did not have a reasonable amount of time to become aware of the hazard and fix it before the accident, or they might say the danger was so obvious no warning was needed. Another common tactic is to claim that the accident victim was not being careful enough or paying enough attention to avoid slipping and falling. Any amount of negligence attributed to the victim will reduce how much compensation you can recover from the property owner. It’s therefore essential to make sure you get an experienced lawyer on your side who can not only prove the property owner’s fault but also challenge or disprove any allegations that your own negligence caused or contributed to the accident. At the Allen Law Firm, we invest the time and resources needed to be successful in your case and maximize the compensation you can receive.
Contact the Allen Law Firm Today
The Allen Law Firm is committed to obtaining justice and compensation for accident victims while working to make the communities in and around Monterey, Santa Cruz and Salinas as safe as they can reasonably be. Let us help you if you’ve been injured on another’s faulty or dangerous premises. Call our experienced Monterey slip and fall injury lawyer today.
