
There are many falling accidents that happen in California and many casualties file for compensation from liable parties. For a victim to get compensated, he or she must prove the accident occurred because of someone else’s negligence. If you were involved in such an incident, a South Gate slip and fall lawyer can help you explore your legal options.
Property owners are legally mandated to protect their visitors or customers who enter their premises from harm. Common causes of tripping incidents in premises include spills, uneven floors, broken furniture, loose carpeting, missing railings, plumbing leaks and exposed cords. Property owners can prevent any tripping incidents by inspecting and maintaining their premises.
If you had an accident in a building, you can recover damages by establishing four things in court; that the defendant owned or controlled the building, he or she failed to maintain the property, you were harmed by tripping on their property and the property owner’s negligence caused the accident.
The party at fault is considered negligent when they know or should have known about a dangerous condition in the premises that they control or own. Moreover, if they failed to protect their visitors from the hazard or did not put up any warning signs, they will be held liable. One example of negligence is when a store owner washes the floors and fails to put up the ‘wet floor’ sign despite it being a dangerous hazard.
Compensatory damage for such incidents includes medical bills and pain and suffering. In some cases, the victim may be awarded punitive damages. Punitive damages may be awarded if the defendant tampered with evidence or his or her recklessness caused life-altering injuries or death. Punitive damages further punish the party at fault.
Even though casualties have the ability to sue property owners, there is a period within which they should do so. The statute of limitations states that people have up to 2 years to file the lawsuit after the incident occurs. However, the period may be extended under special circumstances such as if the injured party is a minor or was out of the state for a certain period of time.
You can work with an attorney to prove that the defendant caused the accident through evidence like video footage, doctor’s treatment notes, testimonies from witnesses and accident reconstruction experts. A great attorney will know how to gather evidence, store it safely and use it wisely to strengthen your case.
Conclusion
If you or someone you are close to sustained injuries in someone else’s property, ensure they receive treatment or medical check-up in hospital. Afterwards, you should call an attorney to help you explore your legal options and get professional advice on how to proceed. A professional legal expert will work with you to ensure you recover damages. Moreover, an experienced attorney has probably already worked on other similar cases and won, gathering enough experience to increase chances of winning your case too. So, don’t hesitate to reach out to professionals for legal help.