Orange County Slip-and-Fall Lawyer

Slipping and falling sounds like such a minor incident, but when it happens to you, you quickly see how easily you can be hurt. If your fall was someone else’s fault, reach out to an Orange County slip-and-fall attorney.

One minute, you’re shopping, visiting a business, or visiting private property. The next, you’ve fallen, and you’ve been seriously hurt in the process.

When property owners don’t take care to notify visitors of dangerous conditions, falls are a common, painful occurrence. Worse, they can leave you with sky-high medical expenses and no way to cover them.

You may need an Orange County slip-and-fall lawyer to get you on the right path to proper compensation. You can expect some pushback from the property owner, but when you need help getting your life back and you didn’t cause your accident, you deserve full compensation. Our lawyers are familiar with these kinds of cases, and they know what you need to get back to normal.

Property Hazard Laws and Your Claim

Without the help of an experienced attorney, premises liability and personal injury law can make getting your settlement a little complicated. We’ll handle the picky legal details for you, but there are a few laws that you should be aware of before you begin your claim.

The Statute of Limitations

First, keep in mind that you may need to move quickly to get your compensation. While you do have two years to file under California law, acting quickly means that the evidence will be fresher. The sooner you act, the clearer your evidence can be in the eyes of the court.

Premises Liability

You should also keep in mind that, in most cases, the owner of the property is the one liable for your damages. Even if a store employee, for instance, caused the conditions that led to your accident, the property owner is, in most cases, responsible for any actions that may cause damages.

For example, suppose an employee was stocking shelves and dropped and spilled a bottle of laundry detergent. Unfortunately, the worker was in a hurry, so he neglected to put down a “Wet Floor” sign after mopping up. If you slipped and fell in this scenario, the store owner would likely still be responsible for the damages you have experienced.

Luckily, if you have evidence of the slippery or uneven flooring that caused you to slip or trip and fall, the owner’s liability should be relatively clear. And a slip-and-fall lawyer in Orange County can make sure your right to compensation is as clear as possible.

Negligence Laws

While the property owners will likely be found at fault, that doesn’t mean they have no chance to defend themselves. California recognizes “comparative negligence,” and while this can’t remove all the blame from the property owners, they may try to use this rule to devalue your claim. If you are found at fault to any degree for your accident, your compensation will be devalued to that degree.

Let’s return to the above example, but in this case, you were on your phone. Because you might not be using a reasonable degree of caution, you may be found 20 percent at fault. In that case, you would only receive 80 percent of your awarded compensation.

When you’re fighting for compensation after a slip-and-fall accident in Orange County, you may need a team behind you that will make sure your evidence is strong enough to prove you weren’t to blame for your own accident.

Construction Injuries

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, there were 1,102 fatal injuries in the construction industry in 2019 in private industry and government. These deaths represented 20.7 percent of total workplace fatalities in the United States (5,333). Falls, slips, and trips were the most frequent type of fatal event in the construction industry, representing 37.9 percent of all fatalities (418 of 1,102). This was a 22.9-percent increase in fatal falls, slips, and trips over 2018. Most fatal falls, slips, and trips are from falls to a lower level.

Your Slip-and-Fall Damages in Orange County

When making your case, you should also focus on the damages you have suffered. You need the compensation to get past your injuries, so be sure to keep up with both your economic and non-economic damages.

Indeed, while an Orange County slip-and-fall accident may not initially seem all that serious, it can be as life-altering as any other accident. After a slip-and-fall, you could suffer from any of the following damages, among others:

• Medical Expenses – The force of the fall can cause serious injuries, such as brain injuries, back injuries, or broken bones. If you’ve suffered from any of these, you know how quickly the medical fees will grow.
• Lost Wages – Even if your injuries are not long-term ones, rest may be part of your treatments, leaving you unable to work for a time. You and your family will feel this financial strain, so it’s important to include this damage in your claim.
• Future Therapy and Treatments – Many injuries, especially head trauma, are rarely fixed in a single hospital visit or with one treatment. If you have scheduled surgeries or needed treatments for your injuries, be sure to include these in your claim.

Talk to an Orange County Slip-and-Fall Attorney

When you’re injured in a trip-and-fall accident on another person’s property, life can feel especially unfair. After all, if the property owner neglected to handle or warn you about the dangerous conditions, you are suffering for his or her negligence.

Fortunately, you have ways to get you the help you need. Call an Orange County slip-and-fall lawyer, and Kohan & Bablove, Injury Attorneys can get you on the road to the full compensation you deserve. If you’ve suffered in an accident and are ready to move forward, or if you simply have some questions, give us a call at 1-844-404-2400 or complete the online contact form at the bottom of this page.

Citations

Fatal and nonfatal falls, slips, and trips in the construction industry, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report
https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/fatal-and-nonfatal-falls-slips-and-trips-in-the-construction-industry.htm