Slip and fall injuries most commonly occur in a home setting, but they can happen just about anyplace you can walk. We rarely think of grocery stores, hotels, workplaces, public parks, other people’s houses or apartments, or sidewalks as being potential sites for an accident. But the causes of slip and fall injuries are many and varied, from spilled liquids to poor lighting to uneven walking surfaces and beyond.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in the U.S., and one in five falls results in serious injury, including head injuries and broken bones. While not all falls are serious, any slip and fall accident requiring medical attention or causing loss of income can be costly as well as painful. And if the accident was due to someone else’s negligence, shouldn’t you be entitled to compensation?
The Santa Ana personal injury lawyers of OnderLaw are here to help. Call our office for your free consultation. We can review the circumstances of your case and advise you about whether your case may lead to compensation, and if so, what steps to take next.
If you’ve suffered injuries in a slip and fall accident and want to pursue compensation for medical bills, wages lost from missed work, pain and suffering, or any other losses, you’ll need a personal injury lawyer experienced in these kinds of accidents. You should seek out quality legal help as quickly as possible, so your attorney can advise you in every step of your claim.
A good lawyer will quickly determine whether negligence was a factor in the accident and identify the responsible party. That party could be a property owner, renter, building manager, employee, or another person or entity. You’ll need legal help to guide you through the often complex process of pursuing a personal injury claim. You shouldn’t have to go it alone, especially while recovering from an injury. A savvy attorney knows how to deal with insurance adjusters and their tactics, how to investigate your case, gather evidence, and build a strong case based on facts. Let us take the burden off your shoulders so you can focus on healing your injuries while we do the heavy legal lifting.
Slip and fall injury claims can often be settled without having to go to court. A settlement is usually preferable to both parties, since it avoids the expenses, in money, time, and inconvenience, of a courtroom trial. Not all cases will end with a settlement, though. If negotiations fail to satisfy both parties, the matter will end up in court. Whether your claim gets settled or ends up going through a courtroom trial, you’ll need a good attorney from the very beginning to defend your interests during the entire process.
If you’ve been hurt in a slip and fall accident in Santa Ana because of someone else’s negligence, OnderLaw is your best choice for compassionate and skillful legal help familiar with California law. OnderLaw ’s attorneys will put you first, and we’ll fight for every bit of compensation you deserve.
While any number of factors can cause or contribute to slip and fall accidents, the following are among the most common:
Under California law, property owners, managers, or anyone else responsible for maintaining a property have a “basic duty of care” in keeping that property safe. Findings of liability hinge on reasonability: whether or not the responsible party “used reasonable care” in preventing, discovering, or issuing warnings about conditions on the property that could cause harm or injury. If a property owner or manager knew or should have known about the hazard and did not remove it in a reasonable amount of time or post any warnings, then they will likely be found liable.
To establish the owner’s negligence, your lawyer must be able to demonstrate through evidence that the owner failed to provide a safe environment for visitors. Then they must prove that the unsafe environment led to the accident and that you were injured in that accident. Finally, there must be evidence that you sustained injuries that caused you losses of some sort as a result of the accident.
If your legal team can prove all of these points, then you’re well on your way to winning your claim.
Slips and falls cause eight million emergency room visits a year. Injuries can range from minor abrasions or bruises to very serious injuries and even death. Typical injuries that result from slip and fall accidents include:
Paralysis and death can also result from slips and falls, usually due to TBIs, spinal cord damage, or a fractured hip. In fatal cases where negligence is a factor, a wrongful death claim may be in order.
If your attorney can prove the negligence of the property owner, manager, or employee, you may be entitled to compensation for damages, which usually fall under one of the following categories:
You should be aware that the courts in California may find that you share a degree of responsibility for the accident, even if the owner was negligent. The opposing legal team may claim, for instance, that you should have known your footwear was inappropriate for the setting or that you were paying too much attention to your phone.
California observes the “pure comparative negligence” rule, which allows the court to assign percentages of negligence to both the owner and you. If the court finds that you were at least partially liable, the dollar amount of any ward you might receive would be reduced by the percentage of your negligence as determined by the court.
A qualified and knowledgeable lawyer, like ours at OnderLaw, will staunchly defend you against any frivolous accusations of negligence by the opposition, and they will work to secure the largest award possible for you, even if you do share some fault.
If you’re hurt in a slip or fall, the steps you take immediately after the accident are critical. Here’s what you need to do:
Seeing to your medical needs and documenting specifics is critical not only right after the accident but throughout your recovery and the course of your claim. Hiring a slip and fall accident lawyer should be one of the first steps you take after you’ve received initial medical attention.
OnderLaw has obtained over $3 billion in settlements and awards in personal injury claims in California and elsewhere since 2002. Our outstanding track record of success springs from our belief that people come first. We understand that every client is a person who not only needs legal assistance but also has to face the same daily challenges we all do. We’re here to make your claim as simple for you as possible, so you can heal from your injuries and attend to other business without the immense stress of having to pursue a personal injury claim on your own.
At OnderLaw, we’re experienced, compassionate, and very, very good at what we do. If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall accident in the Santa Ana area, call us now. We’re ready to get to work fighting for you.
