Maison Law represents slip-and-fall injury victims and helps them secure the recovery support they need. If you took a fall due to the negligence of a business owner or a corporate entity, contact a skilled Ridgecrest Slip-And-Fall Lawyer and schedule a free consultation. It’s a no-risk way to determine what your injury is worth and how to hold a negligent store or property owner responsible.
Slip-And-fall Accident Dangers in Ridgecrest
A slip-and-fall accident can happen in any public place where you are invited in. This includes busy stores like Walmart and Stater Bros Supermarkets. A young customer may dribble juice along the potato chip aisle. You might come along an hour later and have your feet taken out from you when you slip and fall on a puddle.
You could suffer a hip fracture or a broken wrist when you hit the floor. You could also bump your head against the tile and suffer a Traumatic Brain Injury. Bathrooms in any business could also have wet floors that cause you to take a hard fall. Parking lots are common places for trip-and-fall accidents that might leave you with a knee injury or facial fractures.
You or a family member may walk down a set of stairs at your apartment complex and step on some candy left on a step and take a devastating tumble.
A Ridgecrest slip-and-fall lawyer determines who should take responsibility for these accidents and injuries and then fights to get you the support you need to make a full recovery.
Who Can Be Held Liable for My Slip-And-Fall Accident
Property and business owners can be held responsible when you are hurt at their stores or business offices. California law requires that all store owners and businesses welcoming in customers show a “duty of care” to all visitors. This means they must act to keep obstacles pickup up and mopped up before anyone can come along to take a serious fall.
They must monitor their business properties for the dangers that their employees or customers create. They must remove these obstacles in a reasonable amount of time. If you come along and slip backward on rainwater near the entrance to a store that should have been mopped and marked with a “wet floor” sign, you can hold a proprietor fully responsible.
The same responsibility applies to landlords who must maintain their properties so they are safe for their tenants and visitors.
Your lawyer would identify every party that could be forced to contribute to your recovery costs. These and other parties are often liable for slip-and-falls:
- Store Owners and Operators
- Property Owners
- Restaurant Owners
- Business Owners
- Corporate Chains
- Landlords or Property Management Companies
- The City of Ridgecrest
The City of Ridgecrest could be liable if you fall in a public place due to a negligent act. This could be at a public park or a city government building. If you are hurt by the carelessness of a city employee, contact a Ridgecrest attorney as soon as possible. City governments have laws in place to protect them from being sued. There are often very tight deadlines for filing an accident claim with the city. If you miss the deadline, you miss out on trying to get help with your medical bills.
The Protection of a Skilled Ridgecrest Slip-And-Fall Lawyer
Unfortunately, insurance companies covering businesses and properties won’t make it easy for you and your family to secure the support you need. Large corporations running supermarket chains like Albertsons will also have corporate lawyers ready to cast doubt on your slip-and-fall injury and even blame you for what happened.
Your slip-and-fall lawyer will investigate your accident and use any photos you took at the scene to build a strong case that corporate lawyers can’t deny.
A lawyer safeguards your interests when a local owner or a corporation tries to use these tactics and others to get away with rejecting your plea for help:
- Claim you were clumsy: Insurance adjusters and corporate lawyers will claim you were not watching where you were going when you fell. Maybe they’ll insist you were looking at your cellphone. Your lawyer would fight back against these claims and make sure you received the maximum recovery help that was available.
- Blame your shoes: Stores could point to your shoes and say they didn’t have enough traction and had a worn sole causing your accident. You should hang on to the shoes you were wearing during an accident, and stop wearing them, just in case they are needed as evidence.
- Went someplace you weren’t supposed to: Adjusters may claim you were in an area not meant for the general public. These areas should be clearly indicated and not easy for customers to mistakenly wander into, so store proprietors can still be at fault if this is the case.
- Ignored safety warnings: Corporate attorneys may claim you didn’t pay attention to wet floor signs and other posted warnings before your fall. If you’re shopping and focused on products you may not be aware of a small sign on the floor. You shouldn’t have to be monitoring for these warnings with each step you take.
Your lawyer also monitors the settlement offers you receive. If it’s a “lowball offer” that doesn’t cover all of your medical bills and other hardships, you’ll be advised to reject the offer. Your lawyer then demands what’s fair and can threaten a company with a very public lawsuit if they don’t do the right thing. Companies usually opt to keep victims happy with a settlement offer rather than risk having to go to court to defend themselves.
What Kinds of Things Can I Receive Compensation for After a Slip-and-Fall?
Your lawyer also keeps a full account of every bill you pay and the hardships you endure through recovery. Every damage must be on this list so that it qualifies to earn compensation.
These and other hardships will be calculated in order to determine the size of your slip-and-fall settlement check:
- All current medical expenses and those expected in the future.
- The lifelong expenses associated with a permanent disability.
- Compensation for the physical pain suffered and perhaps chronic pain for a lifetime.
- Compensation for emotional trauma. The anxiety, depression, and PTSD that may arise after a frightening slip-and-fall and during a difficult recovery. A patient’s enjoyment of life may be affected if mobility and freedom are lost.
- All wages and benefits lost at work while the patient is unable to perform job duties.
- Travel costs accumulated to attend doctor visits while immobile and unable to drive.
- Wrongful death benefits. Support for families after a loved one has died from injuries suffered in a slip-and-fall accident. Victims often survive an initial fall only to pass away due to health issues caused by having to remain bedridden and immobile.
Contact a Ridgecrest Slip-And-Fall Attorney
After a slip-and-fall accident, you have two years from the date of the accident to file an accident claim. Act as soon as possible to allow your lawyer the best chance to secure fresh evidence such as surveillance video and witness testimony.
Speak with a skilled Ridgecrest slip-and-fall lawyer serving all of Kern County. You should be able to focus on your recovery without worrying over the hospital bills piling up and the paychecks you’re missing while out of work.
Allow Martin Gasparian, the founder of 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 pay for recovery and get back on your feet physically and financially.
There’s no obligation for a case review, but if you decide we can help you earn more, you won’t need any upfront money to hire us. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement award you receive.
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