Do I Need a Los Angeles Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer?

Do I Need a Los Angeles Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer?

Jan 3, 2023

Slip and falls are one of the most common types of personal injury claims we encounter at Dordulian Law Group. Whether you find yourself at a hotel, supermarket/grocery store, Airbnb rental property, or even at someone’s private home, slip and fall injuries can occur unexpectedly. In many instances, these injuries can be severe, often requiring long-term medical care and even surgeries.

Should You Hire a Lawyer for a Slip and Fall Injury Case?

• What Should You Do After a Los Angeles Slip and Fall Accident?
• Can I Sue if I’ve Been Injured in a Slip and Fall?
• What Are the Most Common Slip and Fall Injuries?
• How Is a Slip and Fall Negligence Case Proven?
• What Damages are Recoverable After a Slip and Fall Injury?
• Common California Slip and Fall Accident Economic Damages
• Common California Slip and Fall Non-Economic Damages
• How Much is a Slip and Fall Injury Case Worth?
• How Much Time Do I Have to File a California Slip and Fall Injury Lawsuit?
• How Long Will My Slip and Fall Case Take to Settle?
• Do I Need a Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer?
• Get the Best Legal Representation for Your Slip and Fall Injury Claim

Below we will review everything you need to know about slip and fall injury civil lawsuits. We’ll include information on the most common types of injuries, what sorts of damages may be awarded, and review how to file a claim in pursuit of the maximum financial compensation you deserve.

What Should You Do After a Los Angeles Slip and Fall Accident?

The most important priority after a slip and fall is your health and well-being. Dordulian Law Group’s (DLG) experienced team of slip and fall lawyers strongly encourages all victims to undergo an immediate medical examination by a physician. There a number of reasons why it’s important to seek medical care after a slip and fall accident.

For example:

• In many cases, slip and fall injuries can be severe and symptoms readily apparent. However, some slip and fall injuries do not manifest immediate symptoms (despite being serious). Accordingly, seeking medical care to rule out any major issues or complications is always recommended.
• Undergoing a medical exam ensures that you have documentation of your injury (a paper trail, if you will). This can be important when filing a personal injury claim, as having medical records will demonstrate not only the severity of your injury, but also whether it progressed and entitles you to a more substantial financial damages award.
• Medical records can help prove that your injury occurred on a specific date/time, and that the ensuing financial losses such as hospital bills or lost wages are a direct result of someone else’s negligence. All of this can be extremely important when attempting to prove a slip and fall injury civil claim.

After receiving the proper medical care for your slip and fall injury, it is recommended that, if possible, victims document the scene through pictures or videos. While this might not be doable after suffering a serious injury, having a friend or other witness take photos or videos for you might be a wise course of action.

Furthermore, do not make a statement to the property owner or their insurance company without first speaking to a qualified and experienced slip and fall attorney. In addition, do not sign any type of documentation or agree to any type of settlement or cash payout without first reviewing all of your legal rights and options with a slip and fall lawyer.

Can I Sue if I’ve Been Injured in a Slip and Fall?

Suing for a slip and fall accident injury requires proving negligence or liability on the part of the property owner or management company. Liability in a slip and fall injury claim can take many forms.

For example:

• A spill in a grocery store aisle that was not properly cleaned (or proper signage placed to warn patrons of the potential danger)
• A construction site with dangerous areas that does not have proper boundary markers or danger zone warning signs
• Broken or uneven stairs
• Loose, broken, or missing handrails on stairways and/or ramps
• Electrical cords or other obstructions along the floor where an individual may be walking

It’s important to remember that property owners and managers are required by law to maintain a safe environment for all. This is referred to as a “duty of care” in personal injury law. When that duty of care is breached and an injury occurs as a direct result, you may be eligible to recover financial compensation through a slip and fall lawsuit.

What Are the Most Common Slip and Fall Injuries?

Slip and fall accidents can result in a range of injury types. Some of the more common slip and fall injuries we encounter at DLG include:

• Broken or fractured bones
• Neck and back injuries
• Cuts, scrapes, and lacerations
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Concussion (MTBI)
• Paralysis
• Internal organ damage

For a more in-depth list of typical slip & fall injuries and how they occur, please visit our recent blog post: What are the Most Common Slip and Fall Injuries?

How Is a Slip and Fall Negligence Case Proven?

In California slip and fall civil lawsuits, your attorney must be able to prove that your accident was due to negligence or carelessness. Moreover, an experienced slip and fall lawyer will need to prove the four elements of negligence in a personal injury claim:

1. A duty of care was owed: When you hear about a ‘duty of care’ in personal injury law, it’s typically in reference to a person or entity owing another person the responsibility to exercise reasonable care. For example, a business owner or property management company has a duty of care to provide a safe and secure environment for customers/patrons. This includes rental properties like Airbnb and Vrbo.
2. The duty of care was breached or violated: There must be proof that the defendant breached his or her duty of care. A breach can refer to any action that falls within the defendant’s duty of care. Moreover, if an average person would have acted in a different manner under “reasonably similar circumstances,” the defendant may be found liable of breaching his or her duty of care if a slip and fall injury occurs.
3. The accident or injury was due to the duty of care being breached: The defendant’s negligent action or carelessness needs to have actually caused your slip and fall injury. A Los Angeles slip and fall lawyer will work to prove that your injury “more likely than not” would not have occurred if the defendant had maintained his or her duty of care (e.g. a safe and secure property location).
4. Damages were incurred as a result of the duty of care being breached: In a slip and fall accident claim, you must be able to prove that the defendant’s negligence led to compensable losses. Below we will review some examples of the types of damages that may be recovered in a slip and fall injury lawsuit, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and pain & suffering.

What Damages are Recoverable After a Slip and Fall Injury?

If your slip and fall injury involved negligence or carelessness, economic and non-economic damages may be awarded after your accident. The specific damages that you may recover can vary depending on the unique circumstances of your slip and fall (e.g. severity of your injuries, extent of the property owner or manager’s liability, the property’s history of injuries or negligence, etc.).

The most common examples of slip and fall injury damages in civil lawsuits are broken down below according to type.

Common California Slip and Fall Accident Economic Damages:

• Medical expenses
• Emergency department treatment
• Physical Therapy
• Rehabilitation
• Lost Wages
• Lost Earning Capacity

Common California Slip and Fall Non-Economic Damages:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma
• Reduced quality of life
• Scarring or other serious injury
• Compensation for loss of a limb or disfigurement

Hiring a DLG slip and fall lawyer can help ensure your personal injury claim is maximized, and that you recover all applicable damages after an incident due to negligence. Our Personal Injury Division is led by Sam Dordulian, a former Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County with more than 25 years of experience helping injured victims secure the maximum financial compensation they deserve.

To learn more about how important it can be to have an experienced DLG California slip and fall accident lawyer handling your case, please visit our recent blog on how pain and suffering damages are calculated in personal injury civil claims.

How Much is a Slip and Fall Injury Case Worth?

The value of your slip and fall injury case will depend on a number of factors, such as:

• The severity of your injuries
• How those injuries will impact your quality of life/ability to work
• The degree of negligence on the part of the defendant
• Whether or not you have medical documentation to support your claim
• Whether there are witnesses or others to support your version of events
• Whether you filed your claim within the two-year statute of limitations

Slip and fall injury cases can lead to substantial financial damages awards when negligence is clearly involved and the injury leads to medical care. However, even if your slip and fall injury is minor, it is recommended that you consult with an experienced attorney to determine whether or not you may be entitled to financial compensation. In many cases, financial damages may be awarded, even for minor slip and fall injuries.

How Much Time Do I Have to File a California Slip and Fall Injury Lawsuit?

The standard statute of limitations for California slip and fall injury civil claims is two years from the date of the accident. While there are some exceptions to this rule – including claims against government entities, which have a much shorter six-month statute of limitations – slip and fall injury victims are encouraged to file claims immediately after an accident.

Doing so can help ensure that evidence is preserved and your claim has the best chance of reaching a successful conclusion. Waiting for several months to file a slip and fall injury civil lawsuit can make the task of proving liability more difficult for your attorney.

How Long Will My Slip and Fall Case Take to Settle?

Slip and fall injury cases may settle quickly, without ever having to even file an official claim. This often occurs when an injury is clearly due to negligence and could have been avoided – such as a slip and fall at a grocery store due to a spilled liquid.

In cases where negligence is more difficult to prove, or injuries are more severe and will require significant financial compensation, your claim may take a bit longer to settle. At DLG, when you sit down for a free and no obligation consultation with one of our proven Los Angeles slip and fall lawyers, we will provide you with an estimate for how long your case will take to settle as well as an overall value for your claim.

Do I Need a Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer?

Proving liability in a California slip and fall accident case requires skill and experience in order to secure the maximum financial compensation you truly deserve. Fighting to recover intangible and hard to quantify damages such as pain and suffering or emotional trauma can be challenging, and that’s where DLG’s experienced slip and fall injury lawyers can help.

We have the proven results you need for peace of mind throughout every step of the slip and fall accident claims process. We won’t settle for anything less than a maximum financial damages payout for your slip and fall injury lawsuit.

Slip and fall injury claims often fall under what’s known as premises liability law. Dordulian Law Group was recently recognized for having secured one of the Top 20 Premises Liability Verdicts in California, with a $3.25 million damages award for a client who suffered a spinal cord injury when a bench collapsed in the lobby of a medical center.

Additionally, hiring a DLG slip and fall accident lawyer to handle your injury claim can be in your overall best interest for a number of reasons. In fact, personal injury victims who hire private attorneys often secure greater financial compensation for their claims.

For example, the Insurance Research Council (IRC) recently conducted a study which confirmed the following personal injury claim statistics:

• Settlements for injured claimants were 40% higher when they had secured private legal representation.
• The average insurance payout was 3.5 times higher for injured victims who hired private attorneys (when compared to those representing themselves).
• 85% of all money paid by insurance companies for bodily injuries is received by victims who have secured representation from a private personal injury attorney.

With DLG, your slip and fall accident injury consultation is always free, confidential, and without any obligation. We’ll review the facts of your case and provide you with all available legal options to ensure your rights are protected and the maximum financial damages award you deserve is pursued. We serve injured slip and fall accident clients throughout California as well as the United States.

Some of the local areas DLG serves include:

• Los Angeles
• Glendale
• Torrance
• North Hollywood
• Burbank
• Pasadena
• San Diego
• Bakersfield
• Sacramento
• Fresno
• Riverside
• San Francisco
• Granada Hills
• Simi Valley
• San Fernando Valley
• Antelope Valley

Get the Best Legal Representation for Your Slip and Fall Injury Claim

DLG’s founder and president, Sam Dordulian, has more than 25 years of experience and over 100 jury trial victories. And our team of dedicated attorneys has expansive experience successfully litigating slip and fall and premises liability cases. We will fight hard to obtain the maximum financial compensation you deserve.

Ready to file a claim and pursue justice through a financial damages award? Our expert attorneys are available online or by phone now.

It’s important to file your slip and fall injury claim as soon as possible to preserve any evidence you may need to prove your case. We will work with medical experts and other investigative professionals like our in-house Chief Investigator with 30 years of experience in the LAPD, Detective Moses Castillo. Our team will help gather and preserve crucial evidence that will strengthen your slip and fall injury claim.

DLG’s Los Angeles slip and fall lawyers have secured more than $100 million in settlements and verdicts for clients while maintaining a 98% success record. With our No Win/No Fee Guarantee, there is never any upfront cost for our expert slip/trip and fall legal representation, and you never pay a dime until we successfully secure a maximum financial damages award for your claim.

Contact a DLG Los Angeles slip and fall lawyer today at 818-322-4056 to arrange for a free consultation.

Don’t miss the deadline for filing your slip and fall injury civil lawsuit. Injured victims who fail to file claims within the statute of limitations typically waive their right to seek critical financial compensation for damages.