Maison Law protects Sprouts slip-and-fall victims in San Luis Obispo. If you or a loved one have been the victim of a slip-and-fall accident at Sprouts, our personal injury attorneys can get you the compensation you need. Contact Maison Law today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
Do I Need a Lawyer for a Sprouts Slip-and-Fall Accident in San Luis Obispo?
If you were injured due to the carelessness of a property owner, or business, it is recommended to speak with a reputable attorney about your legal options. Slip-and-fall accidents can become complicated, which is why it is important to have an accident attorney guide you through the legal process.
Slip-and-fall accidents are unfortunately common. According to the National Floor Safety Institute, slip-and-fall accidents account for over 1 million emergency room visits in the United States. These accidents are typically a result of premise liability. Premise liability is when a property owner fails to exercise reasonable care and someone gets injured because of it, as stated in California’s Civil Code 1714(a):
“Everyone is responsible, not only for the result of his or her willful acts but also for an injury occasioned to another by his or her want of ordinary care or skill in the management of his or her property or person, except so far as the latter has, willfully or by want of ordinary car, brought the injury upon himself or herself.”
It is the job of an accident attorney to prove the property owner was responsible for creating a premise liability by establishing the following:
- The property owner allowed a hazardous condition to exist on their property
- The property owner knew, through the exercise of reasonable care, that this condition existed
- The property owner failed to repair the hazard or warn others about the condition
What if I Was Partially at Fault for a Sprouts Slip-and-Fall Accident in San Luis Obispo?
If you are partially at fault for your slip-and-fall accident, you can still be compensated for your damages because California is a pure comparative negligence state. Comparative negligence allows an injured party who shares fault for their injuries to receive compensation, a legal action covered by the Comparative Negligence Law, which states:
“Under the pure comparative negligence rule, the state allows the plaintiff to claim damages for the 1% they are not at fault even when they are 99% at fault.”
However, in any personal injury accident, you should never admit fault. Fault will be determined through the legal process of investigations, interrogatories, depositions, and trials (if necessary). The most common at-fault parties in a slip-and-fall case include:
- Commercial businesses
- Property management companies
- Third-party property maintenance companies
In most cases, the property owner is at fault due to premise liability. But depending on the situation, any one of these parties, or all of them, can be found liable for your injuries.
The Statute of Limitations for Sprouts Slip-and-Fall Accidents in San Luis Obispo
An aspect slip-and-fall victims can overlook is the amount of time allotted for filing a personal injury lawsuit. In California, slip-and-fall accident victims have two years from the date of the incident to file a personal injury lawsuit against a person, or company.
However, sometimes injuries are not apparent right away. For example, let’s say you were shopping in Sprouts off Madonna Road. You’re walking down an aisle and you trip over a loose wire on the floor and hit your head against the floor. You’re a little shaken up, but you feel fine and continue to shop. Years go by without you noticing anything wrong until one day you start experiencing neurological problems such as memory loss, or difficulty concentrating. You see a doctor and they insist you must have experienced a traumatic head injury.
In this scenario, a California Law called the “discovery rule” would apply. This allows personal injury victims to delay the start time to the day in which they discovered their injury and still file a lawsuit.
Common Causes of Sprouts Slip-and-Fall Accidents in San Luis Obispo
Slip-and-fall accidents usually occur when a person, or business, has created a hazardous condition from a failure to provide a “duty of care” to others. According to the National Floor Safety Institute, slip-and-fall accidents are the third leading cause of unintentional death in the United States. The most common causes of slip-and-fall accidents include:
- Uneven flooring
- Missing stair railings
- Rotten steps
- Loose carpeting
- Wet walkways or aisles
- Icy sidewalks
- Exposed wires
What Kind of Settlement Can I Expect from a Sprouts Slip-and-Fall Accident in San Luis Obispo?
When it comes to slip-and-fall accidents, no case is the same. The circumstances are always different with every accident, but the extent of your injuries and the share of your fault will largely determine your settlement amount. These items can be calculated based on your economic damages, which include:
- Present and future medical expenses
- Loss of income, as well as the reduction in your earning capacity you’ve suffered from your slip-and-fall accident
- Cost of living with your injury, such as making your home disability accessible, purchasing a wheelchair or crutches, hiring a nurse or housekeeper
- Damage done to your property during the accident
The next thing would be to include your non-economic damages. These cannot be defined with a dollar amount because they include:
- Pain and suffering caused by your injuries
- Stress and anxiety due to the nature of your accident
- Your mental state after a life-changing accident
Contact a Sprouts Slip-And-Fall Lawyer in San Luis Obispo
If you or a loved one has been injured due to the carelessness of a person or a hazardous condition in Sprouts, the attorneys at Maison Law can get you the compensation you need. No upfront money is required and we don’t get paid unless we win your case. Contact Maison Law today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
