Each year hundreds of thousands of patients have been brought to the emergency room at hospitals throughout the United States due to injuries as a result of slip and fall accidents. Even a minor slip and fall accident carries a significant risk of physical injury and even death. These accidents can not only result in prolonged hospitalization and the need for nursing and physical rehabilitation but also leave victims with thousands of dollars in medical bills and other expenses originating from the accident.
If you or your loved one were injured in a slip and fall accident on someone’s property and the accident was not your fault, you might be entitled to financial compensation for your physical and financial damages. If you successfully prove liability on the part of the property owner, you might be able to win monetary compensation through a lawsuit against the party responsible for the accident. Proving liability, therefore, is one of the most important parts of any slip and fall case.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents result from unattended safety hazards at public or private property, including residential properties, hotels, restaurants, educational institutions, hospitals, airports, offices, etc. Conditions like poor lighting, broken stairs, fluid spills, loose carpets, tripping hazards, etc., can lead to slip and fall accidents that might result in serious bodily harm. Some of the most common slip and fall injuries include broken bones, bleeding (internal or external), bruises, lacerations, contusions, concussions, etc. Although most of these injuries are partially or completely recoverable through medical or surgical care, some injuries can leave victims with lifelong complications, including immobility, incapacitation, etc.
Determining Liability in Slip and Fall Cases
All slip and fall cases are governed by the Premises Liability Law, which states that to successfully obtain financial compensation for your damages, you must prove that the accident resulted from unsafe conditions at the public or private property belonging to someone else. You must also prove that the owner of said property had or should have had knowledge of the unsafe conditions at the property, and the fact that they did not take adequate measures to minimize the public safety risk that led to the slip and fall accident.
Comparative VS. Contributory Negligence
In some cases, you might share part of the responsibility for the slip and fall accident. In such cases, comparative and contributory negligence comes into play. If you live in a state that follows comparative negligence, you can still receive financial compensation for your damages, despite sharing part of the responsibility for the accident. In this case, the amount of financial compensation you receive through the lawsuit might be reduced in direct relation to the percentage of your fault. If you live in a state that follows contributory negligence, you will not be able to receive compensation for your damages if you were even one percent at fault for the accident.
Consulting a Lawyer
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident at someone’s property, an experienced Los Angeles slip and fall lawyer can help you obtain successful monetary compensation for your physical and financial damages. A lawyer there will help keep you organized while you focus on getting better from your injuries and professionally handle your slip and fall lawsuit, maximizing your chances of winning the case.
