Slip and Fall Accident Attorneys

What is a Slip and Fall Accident?

A slip and fall accident occurs any time you trip, fall, or slip in a place where you should have sure footing. Dordulian Law Group encounters these cases every day, and we are prepared to fight for your rights no matter how the accident occurred. Common causes of slips and falls include:

• Damaged carpets, hardwoods, or tiles
• Broken stair platforms and handrails
• Slippery surfaces
• Poor lighting
• Potholes and cracks in the road or sidewalk
• Debris or obstacles in your path

You may feel as though a slip and fall should rise to the level of a serious accident to be worthy of a Long Beach slip and fall lawyer’s time. However, any slip, trip, or fall accident can involve compensable injuries. Something as simple as slipping on a wet floor and spraining a muscle may result in compensable damages. Share any information you have about the accident during your free consultation, and focus on your recovery while we build a compelling case.

Can You File a Lawsuit After a Slip and Fall Accident?

If you suffered a slip and fall as a result of another’s negligence – whether a property manager failed to maintain a staircase, or a parking lot was not properly de-iced after a storm – you are likely eligible to recover financial compensation for various types of damages.
However, the owner of a property or business is not definitely liable for every accident occurring on their premises. For example, if a supermarket owner warned you about a spill by posting signage reading, “Caution: Wet Floor,” but you failed to see the sign because you were fixated on your phone, the property owner would likely not be liable for your injuries in this specific instance. Conversely, if a property owner failed to
replace lights in a parking lot, they may be liable if you tripped, fell, and suffered an injury due to poor lighting conditions.

In California, when a slip and fall accident occurs, the court will look at whether or not the property owner used reasonable care to maintain a safe property. Reasonable care could include fixing observed hazards, limiting customer access to high-risk areas, providing warnings to guests, and conducting regular inspections. Grocery stores typically require employees to walk the floor periodically and inspect areas for spills and other potentially hazardous situations. This policy could be used in a slip and fall civil claim as evidence of reasonable measures to keep a property safe.

How Much Are Slip and Fall Lawsuits Worth?

The value of your lawsuit depends on the severity of the accident, the extent of your injuries, and any resulting losses. DLG has decades of experience successfully handling a wide range of lawsuits in the slip and fall subset of personal injury law.

Our experienced attorneys can help you pursue a financial award for your personal injury case. Contact us online or by phone for a free consultation today.

Some of DLG’s Recent Slip and Fall Wins

• “A recent premises liability lawsuit stemming from a slip and fall resulted in a $3.25 million damages award for one of our clients. While the property owner wanted to settle for only a few thousand dollars, we demonstrated the total value of our client’s injuries and recovered due compensation for her injuries, lost income, and pain and suffering.
• “We also recovered $1.95 million in a work fall case after our client sustained a major head injury via a slip and fall.
• “Additionally, we won a case at trial involving a teenager who was impaled by exposed parts of a trampoline set while playing in an industrial trampoline park. The judgment helped the client recover $1.105 million dollars after the property owner initially offered a paltry $5000.

When insurance companies try to lowball injured victims who may not have a full understanding of the law, or may understandably be preoccupied with their own physical recovery, Dordulian Law Group is here to fight on their behalf, turning a $5,000 offer into a multimillion dollar settlement. Don’t settle for anything less than the DLG advantage if you’re injured due to someone else’s negligence or ill intent.

It is not uncommon for clip and fall cases to result in million dollar damages awards. The city of Los Angeles recently paid $3 million to settle a lawsuit after a pedestrian slipped and fell on the sidewalk. A similar lawsuit saw a woman receive $415,000 after a slip and fall, and yet another lawsuit paid the victim $1.5 million after she slipped on the curb while entering a Costco.

How Does Dordulian Law Group Pursue Your Slip and Fall Case?

After a slip and fall accident, it’s important to note whether someone or something caused the incident. When Dordulian Law Group takes your case, a Long Beach slip and fall lawyer can determine if the defendant had a duty of care to keep the property or facility in good condition. It is the responsibility of the property owner or manager to take all necessary steps to prevent accidents.

When a property owner does not keep up with repairs or maintain a property, they are violating their duty of care. Generally, we can use your medical records, eyewitness accounts, and any photographs you may have taken of the accident scene to help prove the date the event occurred.

We then piece the evidence together, demonstrating your injury was due to the negligence or misconduct of the property owner.

Are Slips and Falls Common in California?

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles data on accidents and injuries in the workplace, and its 2019 data for California indicates there were 88 reported slips, trips, and falls at work across the state. These statistics do not include unreported injuries and all those injured in public spaces, injured while not on the job, or inside private homes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that approximately 33% of seniors 65 and older fall every year, with many sustaining compensable injuries. Data from the CDC also indicates that slip and fall accidents cause frequently cause brain trauma.

The service industry accounts for 60% of falls, according to data compiled by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Due to a wide swath of major cities in California, and the sheer size of the service industry, slip and falls are a persistent issue throughout the state.

Common Slip and Fall Injuries

Slip and falls can result in a wide array of injuries. Injuries causing head trauma are most concerning, along with broken bones, spinal injuries, severe lacerations, and/or amputations. These injuries are common during slip and falls, and are frequently eligible for financial compensation.

At Dordulian Law Group, we recommend that you discuss any slip and fall injury – whether minor or catastrophic – with a Long Beach slip and fall lawyer from Dordulian Law Group. A simple slip and fall down a few steps might result in a sprained ankle, torn ligaments in your wrist, or broken fingers and toes. Going to the hospital for medical care helps you confirm any of these injuries and provides what can serve as legal documentation you were hurt on the date of the incident when you file a civil claim.

If you, for example, break your finger during an accident, you could be out of work for months. You could even lose your job. In such cases, you may be eligible for compensation – even though the initial injury was relatively minor.

Does a Criminal Trial or Civil Trial Provide Compensation?

A criminal trial does not provide compensation for your injuries and/or losses. Moreover, criminal trials in slip and fall cases are quire rare. A criminal trial allows the city, county, state, or federal government to bring charges against criminals guilty of alleged crimes, and punish them accordingly. The criminal trial faced by a person or business that caused your accident does not affect a civil trial.

A civil trial allows you to seek financial compensation as justice for your injuries. Work with your dedicated Long Beach DLG attorney after a slip and fall accident to file a claim towards recovering all available financial damages. The civil court manages lawsuits arising from any situation, and the burden of proof is not as high for the plaintiff. When a criminal faces charges, the prosecution must prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the defendant is guilty. A civil court asks if it is “more likely than not” that the defendant was negligent or engaged in misconduct. The civil court allows you to seek punitive damages and, depending on the scope of your claim, can hear cases against multiple defendants.

What is the Statute of Limitations in California For Personal Injury Lawsuits?

According to the California Court’s website, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. There may be extenuating circumstances or exceptions, such as a case where someone’s negligence does not come to light until after the statute of limitations expires. When that is the case, you have one year from the time you discover the negligence to file a lawsuit. However, it should be noted that laws pertaining to deadlines for filing slip and fall claims can be complex and often difficult to decipher. Having a Dordulian Law Group slip and fall lawyer on your side will ensure your claim is filed timely and you preserve your right to recover financial compensation via the legal process.

Claims against government divisions must be filed within six months, and you should receive a response in 45 days. For government claims (when slip and fall accidents occur on government property), it is recommended that you reach out to one of our skilled attorneys immediately to ensure you do not miss the filing deadline, or your case is denied for a filing discrepancy.

Will Your Insurance Pay Slip and Fall Claims?

Your health insurance policy might pay for some of your injuries and medical care, but these policies rarely cover the total amount of financial losses. Your health insurance requires you to cover your deductible, which can be quite expensive, and you may exceed your lifetime maximum for coverage depending on the severity of your injuries. Once you have exhausted this type of coverage, it can be difficult for you to pay for your ongoing recovery. Filing a lawsuit, however, is an excellent option for potentially recovering all the damages you incurred, including emergency medical care, current medical needs, and future treatment plans.

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