Maison Law and our team of Salinas premises liability lawyers can help you with a claim if you’re hurt on a sidewalk. It’s never a good situation when things complicate your injuries before you even reach the claims process. But that’s exactly the situation you’ll find yourself in with a sidewalk accident. Our team can guide you through the entire process from start to finish. Set up a free consultation today to get started.
Why Would I Need a Lawyer?
This is probably one of the first questions you have—and it’s a fair one. You weren’t doing anything unusual. You were just walking. Maybe heading into a shop along Main Street, outside your apartment near North Salinas, or along a route you’ve taken plenty of times before without thinking twice. Then all of a sudden, you’re on the ground and in pain. At that point, you’re not thinking about potential legal options, but as the adrenaline wears off and pain sets in, you probably will start thinking about how a lawyer can help you. With that, our team will:
- Look at your situation and what your best options are
- Help you gather tough-to-get information and evidence
- Figure out who was responsible for that piece of sidewalk
- Handle all the negotiations with the government or insurance companies
The honest truth is this: not every sidewalk injury needs a lawyer. Some falls don’t lead to lasting injuries. Others heal up with medical care and time. With so much confusion and finger-pointing, it’s helpful to have someone on your side that can cut through the noise.
How Could I Get Hurt on a Sidewalk in Salinas?
When people think about sidewalk injuries, they usually picture a simple trip and fall. That’s common—but it’s far from the only way people get hurt in these situations. A lot of the time, injuries happen when you:
- Trip over cracked or lifted concrete slabs
- Step onto a patch of sidewalk that looks flat but dips underfoot
- Slip on loose gravel, dirt, or agricultural debris tracked onto walkways
- Lose balance where sidewalks slope at driveways or curb cuts
- Miss surface damage because fog, shade, or low light hides cracks
- Run into poles, signs, or tree roots that slowly encroach on walkways
- Have to walk around hoses, cords, or equipment left across the sidewalk
- Hit uneven pavement while using a wheelchair, stroller, or walker
- Step into the street to avoid an obstruction and gets hurt
- Stumble into someone nearby, causing multiple injuries
What these situations usually have in common isn’t carelessness. It’s a sidewalk that wasn’t maintained the way you reasonably expect—especially in older neighborhoods, busy commercial areas, or near ongoing construction and utility work. But once it happens, it’s about getting information.
What Evidence Will I Need for a Sidewalk Injury Claim?
A huge challenge with sidewalk injuries is that conditions change fast once you get hurt. Cracks get patched. Edges get ground down. Hazards disappear. If you’re able, gathering a few details early can protect your options later. Helpful evidence often includes:
- Photos or video showing cracks, height differences, missing chunks, or uneven repairs
- Wider shots that show lighting, visibility, and nearby landmarks
- Shoes, clothing, or personal items damaged in the fall
- Names and contact info for anyone who saw what happened—or knew the sidewalk was a problem
- Any reports made by police, city workers, or property management
- Notes you make yourself about how the fall happened while it’s still fresh
You don’t need to document everything perfectly. Most people are sore, shaken, or embarrassed after a fall. Even a few photos or a short note on your phone can help show what the sidewalk looked like before it changed. And once it changes, proving what caused your injury becomes much harder.
Who’s Responsible When I’m Hurt on a Sidewalk?
Sidewalk cases in Salinas get complicated once you start asking who was actually responsible for the sidewalk where you fell. One stretch might be maintained by the City of Salinas. A few steps later, responsibility could shift to a business, an apartment complex, or a private property owner. In some areas, county or state agencies may be involved. But ultimately, it comes down to one question:
- Did the person or agency responsible for the sidewalk know—or reasonably should have known—about the dangerous condition and fail to fix it within a reasonable amount of time?
Depending on where your injury happened, responsibility may fall on:
- The City of Salinas, for many public sidewalks
- Monterey County or the State of California, for certain roads or routes
- A business owner or property management company
- A private property owner
Most of the time, responsibility for the accident is going to fall on multiple of these parties. And this is where finger-pointing comes in. One sidewalk might technically be city property, but the upkeep is the responsibility of a nearby business. One way or the other, though, you have options.
What Kind of Claim Do I File After I’m Hurt on a Sidewalk?
This is another big issue with this kind of injury: where the accident happened and who’s responsible for it are going to dictate how the claims process unfolds. The easiest way to look at it is to separate public and private sidewalks.
- Public sidewalks. If the injury happened on a public sidewalk, California law usually requires claims against cities or counties to go through the California Tort Claims Act first. This process has strict rules and short timelines:
- A formal Notice of Claim generally must be filed within six months of the injury and you have to have more than $10,000 in damages.
- The city, county, or state then has 45 days to respond to your claim.
- If the claim is denied—or you get no response—you can move forward with a lawsuit.
Missing a deadline can end a claim before it really begins, even when injuries are serious.
- Private sidewalk. If the sidewalk was part of private property—which makes a business, apartment complex, or private owner responsible, the process is more familiar. You generally have two years from the date of injury to file either:
- An insurance claim
- A personal injury lawsuit
No matter which option applies to you, your damages are going to focus on how the injury is affecting your life. But with a claim, you can recover:
- Medical expenses and future care needs
- Lost income or reduced ability to work
- Damage to personal items like shoes, phones, or glasses
- Ongoing pain or physical limitations
- Emotional distress
- Reduced quality of life or companionship
Every sidewalk injury looks a little different. What really matters is the evidence available and how clearly it shows that the walkway wasn’t reasonably safe at the time you were hurt. That’s a lot to try to carry on your own, but our team will be there to stand beside you.
Free Consultations After Sidewalk Injuries in Salinas
The last thing you expect to happen when you’re walking along a sidewalk in Salinas is an accident that leaves you injured. Yet, even a small crack or hole can lead to exactly that. When that happens, our Salinas premises liability lawyers at Maison Law will be there to help you. We can guide you through a claim and make sure you get back on your feet. Set up a free consultation today to get started.
