If you live in Merced, an average day can have you running all over the city. The need to stock up on groceries or a fast-food run may take you to the Merced Marketplace. A shopping trip might lead you to the Merced Mall or the other stores along Olive Avenue.

These stores, businesses, and eateries are all eager to slide your credit card, but they owe you more than just a good bargain. Under California law, they owe you a “duty of care” to provide a safe visit across their parking lots and through their aisles.

When owners and operators allow a hazard to hurt you or a family member, they are financially liable under premises liability laws. You should expect help through injury recovery, but you’ll also have to expect a store or restaurant to try to wiggle out of taking the blame.

Contact a Merced Slip-And-Fall Attorney for a Free Consultation

A fall at any public location like a business, a park, or even a government building might leave you with a serious injury. You should expect help with your medical bills and much more, but holding a big company or a government department accountable can be difficult without proper legal help.

It’s vital that you at least know about every benefit available to you and what your injury may be worth. To get a good idea of what you should expect and demand after a fall, schedule a free case evaluation with Maison Law of Merced. This consultation comes with no obligation to you and is completely confidential.

Trip-And-Fall Dangers in Merced

Slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall hazards aren’t something you’d ever notice, until unfortunately, you are on the ground, the pavement, or laid on the hard floor.

They involve dangers to your balance and stability such as invisible water on floors or boxes in aisles. Proprietors and property owners are responsible for fixing the issues and messes they create. They are also accountable for monitoring for the hazards their visitors leave behind so that you can’t be hurt.

These are just a few of the potential threats you could slide or trip on:

• Spills and Leaks – Any liquid on those shiny floors proves ultra-slick. Another customer may have dropped a soda. A bathroom floor may have a soapy residue.
• Tripping Hazards – Potholes in parking lots send people into trip-and-falls, often to land on a knee. Boxes in aisles and store displays are also threats to snag your foot. A curled-up rug will wrap around your foot. Crumbling sidewalks must be repaired.
• Stairwells – A stair-step may be crumbling. A loose handrail can send people into a devastating tumble.
• Park Hazards and Holes – Dips in grassy areas in a Merced park like Applegate Park & Zoo might send you into a slip-and-fall. Public bathrooms could be suffering from a leak that takes your feet out from under you.

These are just a few of the businesses and public places you might face any one of these hazards:

• Supermarkets, Gas Stations, and Restaurants
• Home Depot, Walmart, and Target
• Workplace
• Schools
• Parking Garages, Courthouses, Public Parks, and Fun Parks
• Apartment and Residential Complexes

What to Do After a Slip-And-Fall in Merced

The best way to keep a business or property owner from slipping away without taking responsibility for your injury is to build a strong case against them from the very start.

You’ll want to collect details that prove your case in the moments after your incident. Lining up testimony your Merced slip-and-fall lawyer can use later is critical.

If you are strong enough after your accident, try to gather strong evidence on the scene:

• Call 911. Have your injuries checked out by paramedics.
• Take pictures of the obstacle that caused your fall and any visible injuries.
• Alert managers so they can prepare an incident report.
• Get contact info from witnesses.
• Save damaged clothing and property. Don’t throw out your shoes.
• See your physician. Save medical receipts.

One thing to avoid is giving statements on the scene or on the phone with an insurance representative later. Don’t admit any fault in your accident and don’t talk about how badly you are injured.

An insurance adjuster will be asking you for a recorded statement. They want you to say something they can twist later to hurt your case. Allow your personal injury lawyer to represent you on these calls.

What Kinds of Things Can I Be Compensated for After a Fall?

A painful slip-and-fall injury can quickly deplete your savings, even when your health insurance is paying for a portion of your care. If a business owner or property owner caused your accident, you shouldn’t have to pay any deductibles or deal with your own insurance company. The company, corporation, or local business owner should be fully liable.

To make sure every expense you encounter is covered by those at fault, you must list these hardships in a claim for damages. Your Merced trip-and-fall lawyer will be including every damage you and your family have suffered, including some you may not have thought of.

These are just some of the hardships that can factor into your injury claim:

• Doctor, hospital, and physical therapy expenses now and those expected in the future.
• Travel costs for your medical appointments and the added costs for transportation if you must remain off your feet.
• Non-economic damages. This includes the physical pain you suffer through. Emotional distress such as a loss of enjoyment of life and the loss of intimacy with a spouse is also factored into settlement totals.
• Money for past and future lost income at work.
• Property damage.

Common Injuries After a Trip-And-Fall in Merced

Slip-and-fall mishaps usually leave a victim falling backward or sideways. Trip-and-fall accidents often send victims falling flailing forward.

The floor or pavement is often where the most damaging impacts occur. However, hitting the corner of a shelf, a gas pump, a table, or a shopping cart on the way down can also inflict dangerous blows.

These are some of the most common injuries treated in the emergency room at Mercy Medical Center in Merced:

• Brain Injuries – A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is described as brain dysfunction caused by an outside force. A strike to the head in a fall can cause a severe concussion. Memory loss, a loss of control of body parts, and seizures are possible.
• Cranial Fractures – A powerful blow to the head can break the skull. Brain swelling and bleeding from the nose, ears, and around the eyes are common. Neurosurgery could be the prescribed treatment.
• Spine Damage — Spinal cord and spinal structure injuries affect mobility and control of bodily functions.
• Broken Bones and Dislocations — Tailbones and hips can take the brunt of a backward or sideways fall. Hip fractures often lead to severe pain around the thighs and groin. In a trip, wrists and hands are vulnerable as victims extend their arms to try to arrest their fall.
• Facial Damage – A trip may also sprawl victims out to land flat on their faces. Cheekbones, noses, and jawbones can take the blow. Teeth might also be damaged.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer After a Merced Slip-And-Fall Accident?

Allowing a Merced Slip-And-Fall lawyer to represent your case will keep you from missing important deadlines critical to the success of your case. If your incident happened on property belonging to the City of Merced there will be deadlines approaching sooner and additional steps to earn compensation. Your attorney will be key in securing support through a complex accident case involving the government.

Your lawyer will also conduct an investigation into your fall to gather evidence and keep track of all potential witnesses. Any evidence you contribute along with your lawyer’s inquiry leads to a strong case that insurance companies will have a hard time disputing.

Your attorney is also a much-needed safeguard when you might go up against corporations that own and operate grocery stores, department stores, malls, restaurants, and other businesses. Insurance companies and their corporate lawyers will attempt to make you doubt your case and your injury.

They work to make you feel vulnerable and desperate in the hopes you’ll accept any insufficient offer they make.  A skilled lawyer has experience going up against large corporations and doesn’t back down when a client isn’t being treated fairly. Your lawyer is responsible for handling all of these frustrating steps in injury claims so that you are free to focus on healing and rebuilding your life.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim after a slip-and-fall in Merced?

Two years. California allows victims up to 24 months to file their injury claims. It’s important to talk to a lawyer and start the claims process as soon as possible. The sooner your claim is submitted, the sooner you can get a check and pay your recovery bills.

Can I still receive compensation if I was partly to blame for my fall?

Yes. You may have been looking at a cellphone when slid on debris on the floor, but that doesn’t mean a property owner is off the hook. The victim and owner can share a percentage of the blame. You could still earn an award minus whatever percentage of blame you were assigned.

Can I sue over an injury at a Merced apartment complex?

Yes. If a landlord or property management company’s negligence led to your injury, you could file a claim. This is true if you live there or if you were visiting someone.

Contact a Merced Slip-And-Fall Accident Lawyer

After a slip-and-fall accident, be sure to discuss your case with an experienced slip-and-fall attorney serving Merced victims. Reach out before talking with any insurance representatives. You and your family have rights after an accident that insurance companies won’t be informing you of.

Allow Maison Law to go to work on your case to secure the most compensation possible for your recovery. Contact us today for a free case evaluation to find out how we can help you. If you decide you’ll need our help, we require no money upfront. We don’t get paid until after we’ve won your case.