Fontana Slip & Fall Accident Lawyer
Slip and Fall Accident Attorney Proudly Serving Fontana and All Of the Inland Empire
Slip and falls are a leading cause of unintended injuries in the United States. Most people do not get up, go to work or go about their day running errands or visiting friends or families with the forethought that they are going to sustain a serious injury due to a slip and fall accident. It does, however, happen. And it happens often. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 2 million people visit emergency rooms in the U.S. as a result of injuries from non-fatal falls. The numbers for falls in the elderly are particularly staggering. If you or a loved one has been involved in a slip and fall accident, you need trusted legal counsel. Contact a Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer at Banner Attorneys to see if you have a valid claim.
Premises liability is a legal concept that generally comes into play in cases where a person incurs an injury that was caused by some type of unsafe or defective condition on someone’s property. This can include public or private property. If a person slips, trips, or falls because of a dangerous or hazardous condition present, such as a wet floor with no caution sign, the property owner may be held responsible. Property owners can be held accountable for falls that result from poor lighting, missing handrails, dangerous debris, abrupt flooring changes, or a hidden hazard, such as a hole in the ground.
Fractures are the most serious consequences of falls and occur in 5% of all people who fall. Slip and fall accidents, however, can cause other significant injuries such as orthopedic injuries, back injuries, neck injuries, strains and sprains, and head and brain injuries. Many of these are serious and require significant medical attention and treatment and may result in lost time from work and thus lost income. In some cases, these falls can result in death, which may give rise to a wrongful death lawsuit. A Fontana Personal Injury Attorney, like the ones at Banner Attorneys, can help you sort out the details and advise you if you have a case with merit.
Proving Negligence
If you were injured on someone’s property, it is not enough to just say something happened to you. There are strict guidelines that you must adhere to when filing a claim. There are timeframes that must be followed such as the California Statute of Limitations and you are required to prove negligence. Very similar to the standards that govern a general personal injury claim, certain criteria must be met. In premises liability law, you must demonstrate the following:
- That the defendant owned, leased, occupied, or controlled the property;
- The defendant (property owners) failed to maintain the property, created unsafe conditions which caused the injury, or that the property owners knew about the dangerous premises or unsafe hazard but did not alert visitors or tenants to this fact;
- That the plaintiff was harmed; and
- That the defendant’s negligence was a substantial factor in causing the plaintiff’s harm.
If you experienced an injury in a slip and fall accident due to someone else’s negligence or carelessness, you may be able to file a lawsuit to seek appropriate compensation for the losses you sustained. These tort claims are intended to help seriously injured victims recover the costs of medical bills, lost earnings or other pain, disfigurement, emotional distress or permanent physical disability suffered as a result of the property owner’s negligence.
At Banner Attorneys, our Fontana Slip & Fall Accident Lawyers have been obtaining outstanding results in difficult accident cases for almost two decades. See some of our recent case results here.
Where Slip & Fall Accidents Occur
Slip and fall accidents can occur anywhere but here are some common places:
- Grocery stores
- Malls
- Apartment buildings
- Work
- Hotels
- Restaurants, bars, and nightclubs
- Municipal buildings
- Private residences
- Retail stores and other businesses
- Cruise ships
When out in a public location or you are on someone’s property, there are varying factors that can increase the risk of slips and falls. Common reasons for slip and falls can include:
- Slippery or slick floors, including spilled liquid or freshly mopped or polished floors.
- Changes in cosmetic flooring surfaces, for example, going from tile floor to carpet.
- Poor flooring structure such as cracks, holes or unlevel surface.
- Debris or foreign objects.
- Ice or snow on stairs, sidewalks or in parking lots.
- Uneven pavement or gravel.
- Cracked or uneven sidewalks.
- Stairs that are too steep or that have narrow tread.
- Broken handrails or missing handrails.
- Cracked, broken or missing curbs.
- Holes that are unseen, hard to see and not warned about.
It goes without saying that oftentimes slip and fall accidents can be prevented with proper maintenance and/or by the property owner exercising reasonable care to ensure their property is safe for visitors. If there are hazards that are unable to be fixed or corrected, it is the duty of the property owner to adequately warn about them in order to avoid accidents and subsequent injuries to patrons and visitors.
Get Experienced Legal Guidance From Our Fontana Slip & Fall Accident Lawyer
You or your loved one may be able to recover compensation if you are the victim of a slip and fall accident in Fontana or the surrounding areas. A skilled lawyer will be able to give you the best chance of maximizing your recovery. If you are a victim, you deserve to seek justice against the responsible party or parties. We can negotiate a settlement or file a lawsuit on your behalf to prove your fall claim in court. When pursuing either option, it pays to be represented by an experienced and compassionate slip and fall accident attorney. Let us be an advocate in your corner. Banner Attorneys has handled several slip and fall accidents throughout the Inland Empire and we are prepared to help you get your life back on track. We can do the heavy lifting in your personal injury case so that you can focus on getting better. Contact us today at (909) 681-1622 for a free legal consultation or simply fill out our convenient online form.