Palmdale Premises Liability Attorney Serving the Antelope Valley
A slip and fall is no laughing matter. To the contrary, such an accident can cause serious injuries, including back, neck and spine injuries, head and brain injuries, facial lacerations, and a broken hip, wrist or ankle. Many slip and fall injuries require extensive periods of rehabilitation and physical therapy, sometimes including surgery and the insertion of pins, braces or other devices. Survivors of slip and fall injuries may be disabled for a lengthy period or even permanently, and in some cases, such as a hip fracture in an elderly victim, a slip and fall injury leads to a steady decline from which the patient never recovers. The attorneys at Kistler Law Firm understand the serious nature of premises liability injuries, and they fight to get the maximum compensation for victims injured from the negligence or carelessness of a property owner.
Duties of Property Owners under California Law
California landowners and businesses have a duty to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition for the safety of persons who come onto their property. This includes invited social guests or customers as well as people allowed onto the property for a business purpose of the owner or the person, such as a delivery person, vendor/supplier or salesperson.
The duty to maintain the premises implies that property owners have a duty to inspect their property regularly and be aware of any unsafe or dangerous conditions. If such a condition does exist, the owner should promptly fix the danger or put up an adequate warning to the public. In grocery stores, restaurants and department stores, where things may be spilled or knocked to the floor frequently, a regular inspection routine would be expected.
Common causes of slip and fall injuries include the following:
- Cracked or broken sidewalk
- Food or drink spill
- Torn or mislaid carpeting
- Unmarked step
- Broken or missing handrail
- Burned-out light bulbs
- Open elevator shaft
- Boxes in aisles
- Boxes falling from shelves
Help is Available
Even though the cause of a slip and fall injury may seem obvious, it is often challenging to establish the negligence and liability of the owner of the premises. For instance, in order to prove the owner knew or should have known about the danger but failed to fix it in a reasonable time, you have to be able to establish when the condition first existed. While this can be difficult, experienced slip and fall attorneys like Paul Kistler know how to investigate an accident and what steps to take to establish owner liability. If you have been injured due to some dangerous condition on public or private property, contact Kistler Law Firm to discuss your claim.