Slip and fall or trip and fall incidents can cause serious injuries. What’s more, these incidents usually occur without warning. One moment you are walking without an issue, then all of sudden you’re flat on your back in serious pain.
Recovering fair and just compensation for a slip and fall or trip and fall incident is no easy task. There are a number of steps that must be completed to assure you receive full and just compensation for your injuries. Our Tarzana slip and fall injury lawyers serve clients from start to finish and assure the process is as seamless as possible.
If you have been injured in a slip and fall or trip and fall, call our lawyers at LA Century law now for a free consultation regarding your Tarzana slip and fall matter.
How Can a Slip and Fall Lawyer Help Me?
A slip and fall or trip and fall lawyer can provide experienced legal representation and assist you to recover compensation for your injuries. Most slip and falls or trip and falls occur in large corporate stores or other deep-pocketed venues. These corporations and their insurance carriers do everything in their power to minimize your claim and potential recovery. With the proper representation, we will maximize the value of your case and assure your case is handled properly.
We will fully investigate your matter, retain experts, file legal documents, draft demand packages, and assist you with finding the proper health professional to assist you with your injuries.
At LA Century Law, we are a premier Tarzana slip and fall injury law firm. Our lawyers work for you to receive compensation for your injuries, damages and harms. It’s our goal to fight aggressively for your legal rights and truly make a difference for our clients.
What Is a Slip and Fall Accident?
When most people hear the words slip and fall, they think of slipping on a wet floor. That is a common way that slip and fall accidents occur. However, there are many accidents that fall into the category:
- An object left in a walkway, like pallets of products in the aisle of a store
- Inadequate railings or hand railings that fail when used
- Broken stairs, slippery stairs, stairs that are too narrow or otherwise poorly designed
- Falling from an elevated surface, which may occur when a guardrail is too low, or it breaks
- Inadequate lighting
- Too many people present in an area so they bump into each other
- Inadequate safety protocols when working from elevated heights
- Unsafe ladders
- Broken sidewalks, brush and debris in the walkway
- Slippery materials used on flooring like wax and cleaning products
- Cords and wires on the ground that aren’t secure
- Transient substances spilled on the floor
Slip and fall accidents occur in many ways. When another party has legal liability for causing an injury, the victim may claim financial compensation.
Can I Get Compensation for a Slip and Fall Accident?
You can get compensation for a slip and fall accident if the accident is someone else’s fault. It’s usually the owner of the property who allows a dangerous condition to exist.
To get compensation for a slip and fall accident, the following must be true:
- The defendant was in possession or control of the property
- A dangerous condition existed on the property. The defendant was unreasonable not to notice or fix the problem
- An accident occurred. The accident is the result of the dangerous condition
- Harm occurs to the victim. Usually, that means physical injuries and related harms
Legal fault for a slip and fall or trip and fall matter is established by determination as to what caused the individual to slip and fall or trip and fall. In California, there is a legal duty for persons who “own/lease/occupy/control” property to use reasonable efforts to discover dangerous conditions and provide adequate warning regarding these conditions to others so that others are not harmed.
Fault is generally established on a case-by-case basis. What is “reasonable” depends on the circumstances surrounding the incident.
For example, a spill in the aisle of a store should be cleaned up quickly. But a spill that is in a back room, away from customers, may not be as urgent. There aren’t different legal standards for why the person is on the property. However, when determining what’s reasonable, it may matter whether a person is trespassing or a social guest. All the circumstances are relevant to determine whether the defendant acted negligently.
What happens if I played a role in the accident?
California law recognizes that fault in an accident may be complex. It may be possible that there are multiple reasons that a fall occurs. Shared fault for an accident is called comparative negligence.
Some types of comparative negligence in a slip and fall accident are:
- Inappropriate footwear for the situation
- Not seeing or ignoring an obvious danger
- Rushing
- Looking down at your phone
- Not securing a ladder before using it
- Leaning over a railing that is too short or cracked
- Disregarding a sign or barrier
- Trespassing or not having lawful access to the area
- Not following safety instructions
You may still recover some compensation even if you were negligent. The process is to assign each party a percentage of fault based on their actions. Then, you can recover from others for the percentage that they are at fault. For example, if your damages are $100,000, and you are 25% at fault, you can recover for the remaining 75%, or $75,000.
How long do I have to claim for slip and fall in Tarzana?
The California statute of limitations applies to slip and fall claims in Tarzana. In general, that means a victim has two years to make a claim. If the victim is a child, the timeline may be extended. Claims against the government have a much shorter timeline, and a notice of claim must be submitted within six months. (Source: Code of Civil Procedure §335.1) However, in certain instances you may be required to file a “Claim for Damages” form within six months from the date of the injury.
What Compensation Is There for a Slip and Fall?
In Tarzana and throughout California, slip and fall victims may claim economic and non-economic damages. If the defendant’s actions meet certain criteria (extremely offensive behavior), punitive damages may be awarded.
Slip and fall damages cover the following categories:
- Medical bills both now and in the future
- Lost income
- Lost contributions to the household
- Property damage
- Disfiguration and disfigurement
- Brain damage and related complications
- Pain and suffering compensation
- Emotional anguish
California law does not limit slip and fall compensation. The victim may claim compensation for their actual damages. Receiving a fair payment for your claim requires recognizing which damages you can claim and proving them, along with proving all the elements of the case.
Slip and Fall Lawyers Near Tarzana
When you are looking for slip and fall lawyers near Tarzana, we invite you to contact LA Century Law for a consultation. Cases are often complex, and you need a legal team that works through all the steps of the case.
At LA Century Law, we’re proud of the success we’ve had for our clients. We’ve collected millions in compensation for people like you. Things you can expect when working with our law firm are:
- A no-fee guarantee. There is no charge for our services unless we secure compensation for you. We have a 99% success rate
- Representation from a law firm that is dedicated to representing individuals. We are experienced in slip and fall cases and the special challenges people face bringing legal claims
- Going deeper to get justice for you. For slip and fall claims, compensation may be paid out of homeowner’s insurance or a renter’s insurance policy
- Personalizing our representation to your needs. We have gotten justice for our clients through both settlements and trial verdicts
- Commitment to your claim. Our President, Ryan J. Daneshrad, Esq., founded LA Century Law to serve the legal needs of individuals and families
- The professional representation that has brought accolades from Lawyers of Distinction, the American Academy of Attorneys, Los Angeles Magazine and more
Taking New Cases – Call for a Consultation
Your claim begins with a consultation with our lawyers. We invite you to contact our Tarzana slip and fall accident lawyers today to talk about your claim.
We can begin working on your compensation today. Call or send us a message to schedule a consultation.
