Maison Law represents victims hurt in running accidents after taking a fall on broken and unsafe sidewalks. Our personal injury lawyers immediately go to work to hold property owners, business owners, and in some cases local city government responsible for every recovery cost. We want runners back on their feet again as soon as possible. Please contact us to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with a real California lawyer and find out what your injury is worth.
Do I Need a Lawyer After Falling on a California Sidewalk?
If you fall while running because of a damaged sidewalk and suffer a serious injury, it’s a good idea to speak to a skilled California attorney about your options. You might be off your feet for weeks, unable to work, all while you have medical bills piling up. You may need major support just to heal and avoid going into debt.
A lawyer could be necessary to help you figure out who can be held liable for the sidewalk’s condition and where you can seek support.
You may find out who is responsible for the upkeep of a sidewalk, but that doesn’t mean the person’s insurance representatives will easily offer up support. Insurance adjusters will do their best to blame you for your accident. They may say you were clumsy or distracted when you fell. They could also try to downplay your injury. Your Maison Law attorney would immediately fight back against these desperate attempts to avoid liability and then demand the most in compensation possible for your recovery.
Running Accident Sidewalk Dangers
Runners love to challenge themselves on long runs, but they don’t need the extra challenge of having to dodge threats created by uneven surfaces, cracked concrete, and potholes.
Sidewalks are often the safest path for runners trying to get a workout in their neighborhoods. They can stay out of the way of careless drivers, but they often encounter less-than-level running surfaces. Roots growing up through sidewalks can create major tripping hazards. Heat and cold can serve to crack concrete. What’s more, city crews can tear up sidewalks and never restore them back to the way they were.
It’s all a scary recipe for a runner going full speed to suffer a trip-and-fall accident to break bones and fracture ligaments. If this happens to you, it’s important to have an attorney you can trust to help you earn the money to pay for the best medical care available.
Common Runner Injuries in Sidewalk Falls
Runners can be out to score some heart-healthy benefits when they inadvertently take a fall. They can suffer a major injury and lose the ability to participate in the hobby they love for months to come.
The injuries that result often depend on what part of the body the victim lands on. Body parts like the face, the kneecap, and even a hip can suffer fractures and cuts. Runners often throw out their hands to catch themselves in a fall, leaving victims vulnerable to hand, wrist, and forearm breaks.
Harvard Health also warns of the dangers of sprains after catching a foot in a pothole. The twisting of the knee or a direct blow on the kneecap can lead to serious ligament damage. The four main ligaments of the knee that are often harmed are the Anterior Cruciate (ACL), Posterior Cruciate (PCL), Medial Collateral (MCL), and Lateral Collateral (LCL).
These are just a few of the common injuries treated by California emergency rooms after a runner’s accident:
- Knee injuries
- Ankle injuries.
- Broken Hip.
- Facial injuries.
- Oral injuries.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI).
- Concussions, a mild form of TBI.
- Back and spine injuries.
- Broken Arms.
- Wrist and hand fractures.
- Tailbone injuries.
- Cuts and skin abrasions.
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Prolonged pain and inflammation in an injured arm or leg.
Who Is Responsible for Sidewalk Falls in California?
There might be several parties who could argue over who’s to blame for your injuries if you are tripped up by a broken sidewalk. The liability can be confusing until your California premises liability lawyer checks over local laws and determines just who must accept responsibility.
For sidewalks in front of homes and businesses, the blame is often dependent on if anyone had complained about the sidewalk conditions before. It could also depend on if any runners or walkers had been previously hurt.
Under premise liability laws, once a property owner knows about a hazard, they are given a reasonable amount of time to fix the issue. If it’s determined that a reasonable amount of time has passed and someone is injured due to inaction, the property owner could be fully liable for recovery costs.
In general, your attorney will be investigating these parties and others to determine who can be held accountable for your injuries:
- Homeowners may be liable for the sidewalks outside their homes in some municipalities. Their homeowners insurance would be called upon to support you as you heal.
- Property or Business Owners could be liable for the sidewalks outside their businesses. They are certainly responsible for the safety of visitors, clients, and customers who are trying to enter a building or business. That liability can extend to those passing by. Victims would file injury claims with their commercial liability insurance providers.
- City and County Governments may also face liability for a runner’s trip-and-fall injury. Just like property owners, they are liable when a stretch of public sidewalk has been complained about and nothing has been done. Governments may be liable for tree root damage from city-planted trees. They are also responsible if damage to sidewalks created by city work crews isn’t repaired.
- Local Companies may also share in the liability. Construction crews, landscapers, and workers burying internet lines could all leave their employers liable for falls if a sidewalk is left in bad shape. Those holes and cracks should be marked with warning tape and signs if they must be left overnight. Then sidewalks should be repaired as quickly as possible. If not, and someone gets hurt, victims are fully within their rights to file an injury claim with the company or corporation.
Compensation Available After Falling on a Sidewalk
Your lawyer would file an injury claim with each liable party and maximize the support you received. Careless homeowners, business owners, and government departments shouldn’t be able to ignore any bill or loss you’ve endured since your injury.
These and other hardships should all be addressed in a running accident injury settlement check:
- Hospital and rehabilitation expenses.
- The costs experienced with a permanent physical disability such as a loss of mobility, brain damage, chronic pain, and other lifelong consequences.
- Emotional Trauma. Victims may experience a loss of enjoyment of life when they can’t do the things they love to do, like take long runs. Anxiety and depression are often associated with a difficult recovery. Family relationships can also be affected by a serious injury.
- Support for the physical pain you must deal with.
- Earnings and benefits you’ve lost while missing work.
- Travel costs. You should be reimbursed for the expense of making your many doctor’s appointments. You may have to travel out of state to see specialists and those travel expenses are covered.
Contact a California Running Accident Lawyer
If you have been seriously injured in a running accident due to a damaged sidewalk, don’t wait to explore your options. California allows victims up to two years to file an injury claim after a trip-and-fall. But waiting that long can hurt your case because evidence can be harder to locate the longer you delay. If you must sue a city department for your injury, you may have even less time to file a claim. Speak to a skilled California Trip-and-Fall Lawyer to stay aware of all deadlines.
Contact Maison Law for a free consultation after any injury involving a fall anywhere in California. Our case reviews come with no obligation. But if you decide we can help you earn more for your running injury, you won’t need to have any money to hire us. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement money you are awarded.
