Were you or someone you love injured in a slip and fall accident in Bakersfield? Was this accident caused by another party’s negligence, and did it leave you with severe injuries? If so, you should consider contacting the Bakersfield personal injury attorneys of OnderLaw.

We specialize in personal injury claims and lawsuits and have a proven record of obtaining significant compensation for our clients. Call us today for a free consultation, and let us review your slip and fall accident to see whether a personal injury claim or lawsuit is right for you. Call today.

Why Do I Need an Attorney for My Slip and Fall Accident?

Hiring a good attorney to assist with your injury claim isn’t just an expensive extravagance. It can mean the difference between obtaining a just and fair settlement for your injuries or getting nothing at all.

A slip and fall accident that ends in serious injury can throw your entire life into turmoil. You may be feeling angry, frustrated, or anxious about dealing with insurance adjusters that seek to minimize your injury and protect their customer from liability. You may be feeling financial stress after losing time at work or paying out-of-pocket for medical treatment for your injury. You may feel depressed because no one seems to care how hard this is for you and your family.

Hiring an experienced attorney can alleviate the stress in your life and lift some of the burden off your shoulders. We handle any and all business related to your claim, from fielding phone calls from insurance adjusters to investigating your accident and gathering the evidence necessary to prove your case. We are more than a source of legal knowledge. We are your advocate, your confidant, and your support during this difficult time. We take on the hard work, leaving you to recover from your injuries or help your injured family member to do the same.

Why Hire OnderLaw for My Slip and Fall Accident?

You have many choices for legal representation in Bakersfield, so why choose OnderLaw?

In short, you should choose us because we have experience, we get the job done right, and we treat our clients like they deserve to be treated.

We’ve been doing this for nearly two decades. We’ve helped thousands of clients get compensation for all types of injuries, from sprained ankles to wrongful death claims. We know how the system works, and we know how to make it work for you.

We treat all of our clients with the dignity, compassion, and respect they deserve. You’re not just another case to us. We provide a level of service that you won’t get anywhere else because we understand the burden a debilitating injury places on you and your family. We believe that relieving your burden is about more than just getting you compensation. It’s about giving you peace of mind.

These basic tenets of competence, compassion, and care for our clients have yielded excellent results. The numbers don’t lie: we’ve obtained over $3 billion in settlements and awards. We can’t guarantee a win for your case, but we can guarantee that we will work tirelessly to get you the help you need.

Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents in Bakersfield

Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere at any time, and they are a common cause of serious injury in the United States. In fact, slip and fall accidents are one of the three major causes of injury-related death in this country. Together with accidental poisoning and motor vehicle accidents, slip and fall deaths account for 83% of all preventable injury-related deaths.

There are several common causes for slip and fall accidents, including the following:

  • Unsafe or uneven flooring. According to the National Floor Safety Institute, floors and flooring materials contribute directly to more than two million falls each year. This can refer to holes in floors, loose rugs, torn carpeting, slippery or wet floors, potholes, uneven sidewalks, debris on the floor, uneven floorboards, or cracked pavement.
  • Worn or improper footwear. A large portion of slip and fall accidents, 24% according to the NFSI, are due to either improper or worn-out footwear. This can apply to anything from wearing high heels on a construction site to wearing worn athletic shoes that slip when they shouldn’t.
  • Inclement weather. Weather conditions cause a large number of slip and fall accidents. Icy, wet, or snowy conditions can make even the shortest trip from your door to your car a hazardous undertaking.
  • Lack of training. Slip and fall accidents represent the largest cause of missing days from work, and 85% of workers’ compensation claims are due to slip and fall accidents. If an employer doesn’t train its employees to stay safe on slippery surfaces, they can sometimes be held liable for injuries.
  • Nursing home abuse. Slip and fall accidents disproportionately affect the elderly population more than young people, and in a nursing home, they are considered entirely preventable and a form of nursing home abuse.

Property Owner/Manager Responsibilities in California

Property owners and managers in California have specific responsibilities with regard to how they keep the properties they control safe for visitors or occupants. These responsibilities, laid out in California’s Civil Code 1714 and California’s Civil Jury Instructions No. 1000, are called premises liability laws. They require that owners or managers uphold “ordinary care and skill in the management of his or her property.” This means that they must keep a property safe from hazards. These laws apply regardless of whether the slip and fall accident occurred on public or private property.

In order to prove the property owner or manager was at fault for your accident, you need to prove that they were somehow negligent in caring for the property. You must prove one of three things: the property owner or manager caused the hazardous condition, they knew about the hazardous condition and did nothing to correct it, or they should have known about the condition.

If you can establish one of these three elements, you should have a valid claim for compensation.

Common Injuries from Slip and Fall Accidents in California

Some of the more common injuries from slip and fall accidents include:

  • Broken bones
  • Abrasions
  • Sprains and strains
  • Bruising
  • Lacerations
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Soft tissue injuries
  • Head and neck injuries

Compensation for Slip and Fall Accidents

Compensation in personal injury claims usually comes from the responsible party’s insurance company. The amount you may be able to obtain varies widely depending on the severity of your accident and the resulting injuries. The general rule of thumb is the more severe your injury, the more you should demand in compensation.

You can be compensated for several different types of losses, or damages, you suffer as a result of the accident. Some of these damages relate to the financial cost of treating or living with your injury, and some relate to the injury itself. Your attorney can guide you through determining which damages you may be eligible to recover.

Economic damages are any losses with a verifiable monetary loss. Essentially, if you have a financial loss you can prove was due to the injury, you may be compensated for it. There are many examples, such as:

  • Medical bills
  • Lost wages
  • Property Damage
  • Lost opportunity
  • Transportation to medical appointments

Non-economic damages relate to the injury itself and not the monetary loss associated with it. These losses concern the damage to your well-being and peace of mind due to the injury. Some examples include:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Mental anguish
  • Emotional distress
  • Loss of enjoyment of life

What to Do if You Suffer a Slip and Fall Accident

Here are some helpful steps to take immediately after a slip and fall accident to protect yourself and start building your claim:

  1. Get medical attention. Your health and safety are paramount, so even if you don’t think the accident caused a severe injury, get a full medical evaluation as soon as possible.
  2. Report the accident to the property owner or manager. Report the accident, in writing, as soon as is practically possible to the owner or manager. Make sure to keep a copy of the report for your records.
  3. Gather documentation and evidence. Start gathering evidence of the owner or manager’s negligence right away. Take photos of the condition that caused your accident, the general property condition, and any injuries sustained. Obtain any written records, such as accident reports or medical records. Get the contact information of any eyewitnesses. Keep the clothing and shoes you were wearing the day of the accident in the condition they were on that day.
  4. Don’t discuss the accident. Don’t accidentally accept or assign blame for the accident. Don’t discuss the cause with any other involved parties, as even an apology can be taken as admitting fault.
  5. Retain legal counsel. Get the help of a qualified attorney immediately.

Call OnderLaw Today

If a slip and fall accident that wasn’t your fault injured you, don’t wait any longer to contact us. Call today for a free consultation, and let us present you with all the options available to you for getting compensation. California has a strict statute of limitations for personal injury claims, so time is a factor. Call today.