If you slip or fall and hurt yourself in California, you are entitled to compensation for your medical expenses and related costs of the accident. To learn more about this type of personal injury case, you need to speak to a slip and fall lawyer California professional. You’ll realize more success and avoid future disputes by discussing your accident with a legal advisor.
How a Slip and Fall Lawyer California Professional Can Help You Submit a Claim
When you speak to a lawyer for fall and slip injuries, you’ll need to give him or her full details of your claim – where it happened, what happened (why you slipped and fell), and provide evidence.
You should visit a doctor on the same day of the accident to show you were treated and you incurred medical costs for the therapy. Even if you don’t believe your injury is serious, you should always have a doctor examine and treat you.
In some slip-and-fall claims, patients develop injuries several days, or even up to six months after the accident. If you go to a doctor, you can follow up on your treatment if you have further medical problems.
Gather the Evidence to Support Your Case
This evidence includes medical reports, medical bills, pictures of the accident site, witness testimonies (if they’re available), and other related details. The more evidence you can produce, the easier it will be to show and prove negligence.
Don’t Wait to Submit a Claim
For you to submit a claim, your slip and fall lawyer California advisor needs to hear from you and file the claim within two years. Therefore, to successfully submit a claim, the state’s statute of limitations (SOL) says you can file a lawsuit two years from the date of the accident. If you try to file a claim after two years, the court will reject it.
Therefore, to ensure you get the legal help you need, you need to contact a lawyer for fall and slip lawsuits within a two-year time frame. Your lawyer will also have to prove negligence in the case, or that your accident resulted from the defendant’s oversights or lack of reasonable care.
Show that the Other Party Was at Fault
To prove negligence in a slip-and-fall, the lawyer must show four elements, as follows:
- The defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care
- The defendant breached his or her duty of care
- This breach caused the victim or plaintiff to slip or fall and get hurt
- In turn, the victim or plaintiff can show that they were injured because of the breach or negligence of the other party
Contact a Slip and Fall Lawyer California Advisor ASAP
Because California has a two-year statute of limitations for slip-and-fall lawsuits, you should contact a lawyer as soon as possible. This is helpful, as the incident is still fresh on your mind. That way, you can communicate the events of the mishap more easily.
If you happen to slip, trip, or fall through no fault of your own, you should contact a lawyer before you do anything else. He or she can give you the advice you need to get the money you deserve for this type of personal injury claim.
Don’t talk to the other party’s insurance company first, as doing so may prevent you from getting the money you need to pay your medical bills and other related expenses – both now and in the future.
How Slip and Falls Occur
Usually, a slip-and-fall, when a third party is at fault, happens because of their oversight or disregard for public health or safety. This may take one of the various forms.
For example, someone may trip and fall in a parking lot at night because of insufficient lighting. It is up to the owner of the parking facility to ensure the safety of the people using the parking lot. Therefore, a poorly lit lot can form the basis for a lawsuit.
In some cases, slip-and-falls occur because of slippery floors or pavement. If a property owner does nothing to warn customers or visitors about the slippery surface, they may eventually have to answer to a lawsuit.
In some instances, people have fallen from heights because of a lack of a barrier or a broken railing. In both these instances, the defendant had not made the proper accommodations or maintained the site to prevent the injury.
A common slip-trip-and-fall happens when a sidewalk is uneven or it has broken pavement. In this case, the owner of the sidewalk did not regularly repair and maintain the walkway so people could walk on it safely. Here, again, is another example of how someone’s negligence can lead to a fall.
Call Belal Hamideh Law About Your Slip and Fall Lawsuit Today
If you have been injured from a slip-and-fall accident, you need to discuss your case and injuries with a slip-and-fall lawyer California legal advisor now. Don’t wait. The clock is ticking. You only have two years to file for compensation for personal injury. Call Belal Hamideh Law at (562) 526-1224 now.