MAXIMIZING RECOVERY IN SLIP AND FALL CASES

By: William M. Berman, Attorney at Law

CALIFORNIA PREMISES LIABILITY LAW – If you have been seriously injured as a result of a slip and fall or trip caused by a dangerous premises, you should contact an experienced personal injury attorney to evaluate your case. The basic premises liability law in California that applies to slip and fall cases is as follows: If the property owner was: (1) responsible for the unsafe condition, or (2) was aware of the dangerous condition of the property but did not try to correct it, or (3) the property owner should have known about the dangerous condition, the property owner will be liable.

Sometimes a dangerous premises is obvious and it is clear that the condition of the property caused the accident. For example, a slippery surface due to water or spilled food, a crack in the cement, defective flooring, or a misplaced parking stop can all cause accidents. In other cases the danger may not be as clear.  But the far majority of slip and fall accidents that occur are caused by dangerous conditions. An experienced personal injury attorney may be able to prove liability in a case where at first it appears that the injured person rather than conditions of the premises might have caused the accident. This can be accomplished through thorough investigation, and the use of experts to analyze the premises.

Slip and fall accidents can occur anywhere, such as a grocery store, shopping mall, school, office, or on a public sidewalk. Regardless of where the accident occurs, an experienced personal injury attorney may be able to help ensure that you receive the necessary medical care and treatment you need, while at the same time establishing liability against the owner and/or controller of the premises.

William Berman is an attorney at the firm Berman & Riedel, LLP, and specializes in handling injury cases, including slip and falls cases and other high-end personal injury and wrongful death matters.