Riverside Slip and Fall Attorneys

Riverside’s hilly terrain provides a scenic backdrop, but also leads to slip and fall accidents suffered by both tourists and residents alike. Slip and fall accidents are common, everyday occurrences. Fortunately, most slip and fall accidents do not lead to injuries or require trips to the emergency room, but some do lead to serious injuries that require immediate medical treatment and prevent adults from going to work and kids from going to school.

Under California law, you have the right to take legal action against someone whose negligence or intentional harm causes you to suffer injuries. A civil lawsuit to seek compensation for damages can help ease the economic burden of a serious slip and fall injury, whether you ultimately reach a settlement or the court rules in your favor.

If you have suffered injuries in a slip and fall accident on property other than your own, contact the experienced Riverside slip and fall attorneys at Gomez Trial Attorneys online or at (619) 237-3490 for a free case evaluation to discuss the details of your injuries, the way they have impacted your life, and the best course of action to recover damages.

Slip and Fall Accident Statistics

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older adults are the most vulnerable population for slip and fall accidents. In fact, slip and fall accidents are the top cause of injuries and death in older adults. About 30 percent of California’s elders over age 65 experience slip and fall accidents each year. Additionally, the California Department of Health estimates over 90,000 adults age 50 and over end up in California’s hospitals each year for treatment after an unintentional fall. Older adults, however, are not the only group that suffers slip and fall accidents. Dangerous falls resulting in injuries can happen to anyone at any time.

You or a loved one might fall when you are shopping at the mall, picking up groceries after work, dining at your favorite restaurant, or at any other location. California landowners have a legal duty to keep their properties safe for visitors and warn them of any dangerous conditions. Careless property owners who do not fix issues, remove hazards, or warn visitors of dangers open themselves up to financial responsibility when someone suffers injury from a slip and fall accident on the property.

Slip and fall accidents can lead to severe injuries that cause victims chronic pain and discomfort for life and a host of other physical issues. Slip and fall accident victims and their families sometimes suffer emotionally and financially in the wake of an injury. Lost wages, increasing medical expenses, and emotional distress can bankrupt families, who sometimes have difficulty meeting their most basic needs.

Our Results in Slip and Fall Accident Injury Claims

The award-winning legal team at Gomez Trial Attorneys has been advocating for injured victims for decades, including clients who have suffered injuries in slip and fall accidents. The firm’s experience in the negotiation, settlement, and litigation of personal injury cases has resulted in millions of dollars in compensation for clients from settlements and verdicts in favor of the plaintiff. Recent case results for slip and fall accident claims range from more than $750,000 to over $16 million.

Examples include:

• $16.2 million jury award
• $7.5 million jury award
• $2.1 million settlement
• $2 million jury award
• $2 million settlement
• $1.25 million settlement
• $1 million settlement
• $780,000 jury award

The above results are only examples of slip and fall accident claim outcomes and do not guarantee a specific financial result for your case. Each claim has underlying facts that increase or decrease its value, making it impossible to predict outcomes. The skilled slip and fall attorneys at Gomez Trial Attorneys have the knowledge, experience, and resources to build a case against the landowner responsible for your slip and fall injuries, giving you the highest chances of receiving maximum compensation for your injuries.

Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents

A variety of dangerous situations and hazards can lead to slip and fall accidents. Additionally, slip and fall lawyers include all types of unintentional falls under the umbrella of a slip and fall accident, such as a trip and fall.

Examples of hazards and scenarios that often lead to slip and fall accidents and injuries include:

• Old buildings with worn carpet, broken tiles, rotted hardwood floors, and other loose floor coverings
• Loose or worn handrails and steps
• Wet product spills or use, including water, food, oil, floor cleaner, and floor wax
• Dry product spills or use, including sand, soil, powders, granules, and sawdust
• Poorly maintained sidewalks, driveways, walking trails, and other pathways
• Uncleared trash and debris in storefronts, parking lots, and driveways

Determining Liability in Riverside Slip and Fall Accident Cases

The most crucial aspect of prevailing in your slip and fall accident case is proving that the property owner is financially liable for your injuries, which means proving negligence to the insurance company or court. Just because you slipped and fell on another person’s property does not automatically mean that he or she is liable. California law holds people responsible for their own actions and injuries if a property owner maintains normal care of the property.

Determining liability and proving negligence in slip and fall cases is sometimes simple for lawyers and insurance companies. However, sometimes claims have underlying facts that may prove confusing and require the expertise of a skilled lawyer.

Your attorney will have to prove the following to receive a settlement or court-awarded damages for your slip and fall accident injuries:

• The defendant owns the property where you suffered your accident and injuries and owed you a certain level of care.
• The defendant acted with negligence by not properly maintaining the property or warning you of known hazards.
• The defendant’s negligence caused you to suffer a slip and fall accident.
• You suffered injuries and damages as a result of the accident.

An injured individual must prove negligence for a court to hold a property owner financially liable for damages. Each of the points listed above requires a deeper examination to prove negligence and determine liability.

Some factors that lawyers, insurance companies, and courts further examine include:

• The likelihood of a person to slip and fall given the particular location and circumstances
• The potential severity of an injury given the circumstances
• The property owners knowledge or lack of knowledge about the dangerous condition that led to the slip and fall accident
• The location of the property
• The financial cost for the property owner to fix the problem or otherwise eliminate the hazard
• The amount of control the property owner has over the condition that led to the accident

Seeking Compensation After a Riverside Slip and Fall Accident

California law permits you to bring a lawsuit against a negligent property owner in civil court if you suffered injuries in a slip and fall accident on the owner’s property.

If you reach a settlement with the owner’s insurance provider or if the court rules in your favor, you may receive compensation for some or all of the following losses related to your slip and fall accident injuries:

• Medical treatment costs, including ambulance service, emergency room visit, doctor visits, hospitalization, X-rays, surgery, follow-up care, medication, and travel to and from the hospital
• Estimated future treatment costs when a slip and fall accident leads to a permanent injury requiring ongoing treatment and continuous care
• Rehabilitation costs for physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, speech therapy, or any other specialized treatment that helps accident victims cope with the physical and emotional struggles related to their injuries
• Expenses for assistive devices, such as wheelchairs, crutches, and walkers
• Lost wages from missing work due to the slip and fall accident, injuries, hospitalization, and rehabilitation
• Lost future wages when a slip and fall accident victim cannot return to work or seek new employment because of permanent injury
• Home modification costs required to make a slip and fall accident victim’s home more accessible
• Physical and emotional pain and suffering
• Loss of consortium with a spouse
• Decreased quality of living
• Punitive damages in extreme cases of intentional harm or egregious negligence

If you have tragically lost a loved one as a result of fatal slip and fall accident injuries, you should seek compensation for damages for your loss, depending on your relationship with the deceased. California law allows eligible survivors to take legal action against the negligent property owner through a wrongful death lawsuit and/or bring a survivor action on behalf of the loved one who died. Both actions are complex claims that require an experienced slip and fall attorney who has also handled wrongful death claims.

Eligible family members might receive compensation for the damages above, as well as compensation for funeral or memorial services and cremation or burial. The law also allows for compensation related to the damage the loss has done to relationships. For example, minor children sometimes receive compensation for the loss of parental guidance and support, and widows and widowers sometimes receive compensation for loss of companionship. Your Riverside slip and fall lawyer will answer your questions regarding California’s wrongful death laws and guide you and your family on the best path forward.

Insurance Company Strategies to Deny or Devalue Slip and Fall Claims

Insurance companies are in business to make money and are only concerned about their bottom lines. These companies will take every action and use every tactic possible to deny your claim or devalue your claim to avoid making a large payout.

If you sue a negligent property owner after suffering injuries in a Riverside slip and fall accident, you will likely witness the insurance company employ one or more of the following strategies:

• Suggesting your injuries are far less severe than your doctor or you claim
• Arguing that you had pre-existing injuries and that the slip and fall accident did not cause your pain or discomfort or that you did not actually fall
• Arguing that you succumbed to distractions, such as another person, your cell phone, or something else that caused you to miss the obvious danger in your path
• Arguing you fell while you were in a prohibited section of the property or that you were trespassing and suffered an injury because you disobeyed the rules
• Providing evidence that the property owner adequately warned you about the dangerous condition on the property that led to your injuries
• Providing evidence that no hazard or dangerous condition was present on the property
• Suggest you were wearing improper footwear for the occasion, causing you to fall
• Arguing that any other reasonable adult would have avoided the hazard and not suffered a fall under the same circumstances

Skilled slip and fall attorneys know the strategies that insurance providers use to avoid liability and typically anticipate particular tactics for a specified case. Slip and fall lawyers investigate claims, gather evidence, and search for previous evidence of negligence to build a strong case against a negligent property owner, providing you with the highest likelihood of maximizing your compensation.

Contact Gomez Trial Attorneys Today

Our dedicated, knowledgeable, and compassionate team of personal injury lawyers have represented a variety of accident victims, and we truly understand the difficulties you face in the wake of a slip and fall accident. Suing the property owner will not undo the physical pain your or your loved one might be suffering, but it can help ease any economic struggles that your family is experiencing.

An experienced slip and fall lawyer from Gomez Trial Attorneys can guide you through the insurance claims process and file a lawsuit on your behalf. Contact us today online or by calling (619) 237-3490 to schedule a free case evaluation and discuss the events that led to your slip and fall accident, your specific injuries, and your long-term prognosis. We take cases on a contingency fee basis, so you do not have to pay anything upfront or out-of-pocket. We are waiting to hear from you, so reach out today.