Riverside Slip and Fall Lawyer

If you’ve been involved in a slip and fall accident, you need an experienced Riverside slip and fall attorney on your side. Contact us for a free consultation at 800-818-1818 today.

Slip and fall accidents can be painful, and expensive. If you slipped and fell on someone else’s property, you may be tempted to walk it off and pretend it never happened. However, walking away could prevent you from receiving any compensation to cover your injuries and other damages.

Instead, you can hold a negligent property owner liable for your slip and fall accident injuries. For over 35 years, The Dominguez Firm has successfully been helping Riverside slip and fall accident victims obtain the compensation they’re entitled to. Let us do the same for you.

Types of Slip and Fall Accidents

Most slip and fall accidents occur on private property when an owner fails to secure a safe environment for visitors. Usually, visitors slip and fall on slick or uneven flooring or when tripping over an unexpected hazard.

Here are a few common causes of slip and fall accidents:

• Icy, snowy sidewalks
• Wet floors
• Raised floors when stepping into and out of elevators
• Walkways cluttered with merchandise
• Loose floorboards or carpeting
• Broken tiles

Common Injuries in Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and fall accidents tend to produce at least minor injuries in victims. However, fall victims sometimes experience severe injuries that require weeks or months of recovery.

The most common injuries in Riverside slip and fall accidents include:

• Broken bones
• Bruises
• Lacerations
• Concussions
• Wrist injuries
• Knee and ankle injuries

However, these accidents can also produce serious injuries. In some cases, injured victims experience:

• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries (LCTs)

Depending on the accident’s circumstances and the victim’s pre-existing health conditions, slip and fall cases may even lead to fatal injuries, resulting in possible wrongful death claims. The elderly are particularly susceptible to serious injury or death in slip and fall accidents.

If you experienced a serious injury, working with a qualified Riverside slip and fall accident lawyer can help you secure compensation to cover medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages.

Who Is Liable in Slip and Fall Accident Cases?

Slip and fall accidents are a type of premises liability case. As a result, you can look to premises liability laws in California to determine who is responsible for these accidents.

California Civil Code 1714 states that everyone is responsible for injuries on their property, save for a few exceptions. In other words, according to California law, property owners are responsible for maintaining safe premises for visitors.

However, property owners are not responsible for all types of accidents on their premises. To hold a person liable in these personal injury cases, you must be able to prove the following:

• The property owner owed you a duty of care to ensure a safe environment and remove environmental hazards.
• The property owner had enough time to learn about and remove or bring awareness to a potential hazard yet failed to do so.
• You experienced an injury on the property.
• The injury occurred due to the property owner’s failure to remove the hazard.

For example, let’s say you were shopping at a grocery store and slipped and fell on a puddle of milk. The puddle had been sitting there for over an hour, and several employees had walked by and failed to clean it up.

In this case, you could hold the grocery store reasonably responsible for the accident. The employees were aware of the dangerous conditions in the store but did not remedy them, leading to an accident.

Still, proving liability in this type of personal injury claim is often more challenging than in a car accident claim. Our experienced slip and fall lawyers can help you gather evidence to prove negligence and hold the liable party accountable.

Contact us for a free consultation today.

Types of Visitors in a Slip and Fall Accident Case

Premises liability claims typically recognize three types of visitors to a property, detailing the level of responsibility property owners have to each type:

• Invitee: A person the property owner explicitly invited over, such as a friend, neighbor, or family member
• Licensee: A person who legally entered the property for their own purposes, such as to purchase groceries or receive a service
• Trespasser: A person who entered the property illegally

Generally speaking, trespassers don’t have grounds for a claim. Nonetheless, there are some exceptions. First, if the injured trespasser was under the age of 18, their parents could present a claim for them. Also, if the property had no clear signage indicating it was private property, you could have a claim if you unintentionally trespassed and were injured. Also, the owner must inform you that you’re trespassing and give you a chance to leave. If they don’t, and worse, retaliate against you, you could sue them and they would likely also face criminal charges.

How to Receive Compensation in a Slip and Fall Case

If you suffered a severe slip and fall injury on another person’s property, you have the right to receive compensation from the negligent property owners. It’s important to not negotiate with the insurance company directly. Contrary to what their commercials would have you believe, they are not looking to make you a generous offer for your injury. Instead, they will try and pressure you to accept a low offer right away, regardless of how much your medical bills are.

Simply by having a personal injury attorney represent you changes how insurance adjusters handle your claim. They know they can’t employ the same tactics they would if they were dealing with a consumer directly. Let The Dominguez Firm slip and fall attorneys deal with the insurance companies while you concentrate on feeling better.

What To Do After a Slip and Fall Injury

Slip and fall injuries can be serious. Some victims may think they can shake themselves off and not seek medical attention. However, if your accident resulted in an injury, here are the steps to take to improve your chances of receiving the best compensation possible:

1. Seek medical attention: If you are in serious pain or believe you suffered an injury, seek immediate medical attention. Doing so can prevent your injuries from worsening and give you medical documentation to present to the insurance company.
2. Gather and save evidence: If you are physically able to, take photos of your injuries and save the clothes you were wearing in a plastic bag. Do not wash them. Also take photos of any hazards that led to your fall, such as a broken step, lack of signage or spill.
3. Collect witness information: If there were any witnesses, be sure to collect their contact information.
4. Contact a slip and fall attorney: Finally, you should contact personal injury lawyers as soon as possible. Slip and fall attorneys can walk you through the steps to secure compensation for your slip and fall claim.

How Can a Slip and Fall Lawyer in Riverside Help You?

If you were injured while on another person’s property, you need a personal injury law firm on your side. Personal injury law firms in Southern California can:

• Investigate your slip and fall accident thoroughly.
• Handle every aspect of your claim, including making sure you receive quality medical care.
• Take care of all legal filings and documentation.
• Provide services on a contingency fee basis, that is, be paid from a percentage of your final verdict or settlement.

At The Dominguez Firm, our slip and fall attorneys in Riverside County, CA, have what it takes to assist you with your accident case. Contact us today at 800-818-1818 for a free consultation.