Orange County and Slip and Fall Injuries
Most Orange County residents are surprised to learn that a large number of people who are injured in slip & fall accidents seldom contact a personal injury lawyer. This is a disappointment, because victims of a slip and fall accident caused by the negligence of 3rd parties can be a serious incident, causing lost wages, pains and injuries, and additional expenses for care.
A personal injury lawyer from the Orange County slip and fall specialists at Pacific Attorney Group can help you get the compensation you have a right to, under California law.
A slip & fall accident is exactly that – an accident in which someone slips, trips and falls in the workplace, in a store, on someone else’s property. In cases like these, the owner of the property where someone was injured or killed in a slip & fall accident may be held liable for damages.
There are many dangerous conditions that could trigger a slip & fall accident, some of which you may have experienced: a spilled item in a grocery store aisle; a hole or tear in hotel carpeting; a malfunctioning mall escalator; poor lighting; cracked sidewalks, uneven stairs. Weather conditions can also lead to sometimes deadly trip & fall accidents – rain, snow, ice and even heavy fog.
Many of our Orange County clients are unaware of the number of slip and fall injuries that occur every day. Here are some of the most telling statistics regarding slip & falls in the United States, gathered from the National Safety Council and the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Slip and Fall Injury Statistics:
- Each year, more than 1 million people suffer disabling slip & fall injuries
- That amounts to 25,000 injures per day, or 175,000 per week
- Slip & fall accidents are the most common work-related injury, resulting in 95 million lost work days
- The most frequently injuries incurred from all are back, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and knee injuries.
- Slip & fall accidents are the single most common reason for visits to the emergency room.
- The average cost of a slip & fall injury is $28,000, including medical bills, physical therapy, and missed wages.
- Slip & fall accidents are the number two cause of accidental death and disability, second only to car accidents.
- 70 percent of slip & fall accidents occur on level ground.
- About 17,000 people die from their slip & fall accidents each year
- A death from an on-the-job slip & fall accident costs about $940,000, including compensation for the victim’s family’s loss and trauma.
Slip and fall cases and personal injury law
If you are seriously injured in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, personal injury law states that it is incumbent upon you to prove that a “dangerous condition” existed on the premises. In addition, you must also prove that the owner of the property knew about it.
This is where it gets tricky, and why you will need the help of an experienced slip and fall lawyer to get through this process. The Orange County personal injury lawyers of Pacific Attorney Group will help you pursue a legal claim for injuries suffered in these complicated situations.
Orange County slip and fall cases with Pacific Attorney Group
Pacific Attorney Group’s team of slip & fall accident lawyers understand that in order to handle the case it’s necessary to establish that the property owner knew dangerous conditions existed on his site, it must be shown that:
- The owner of the property created the dangerous condition
- And despite the condition, was negligent because he failed to fix or correct the condition
- Or that the condition existed for so long the owner should have had enough time to discover the condition and fix before the slip & fall accident occurred
Whether in the workplace or elsewhere, negligence on the part of the property owner must be proven.
Example of a slip & fall injury
Here’s an example of a slip and fall case; let’s say you and a coworker are heading to lunch one day and decide to take the stairs down to the lobby instead of the elevator. You’re engaged in conversation and not really paying attention to where you are going when you miss the first step. Suddenly, you’re tumbling down the steps and land at the bottom in a crumpled heap, in pain. Your leg is broken.
Because your own carelessness caused the accident, you cannot hold your company liable. However, if certain conditions existed – burned out lights made it too dark to see clearly, for example – you might have a claim.
Orange County slip and fall law and Pacific Attorney Group
The Orange County slip and fall accident lawyers of Pacific Attorney Group will identify those responsible for causing you harm. The liable parties can include the property owner and manager as well as others involved in creating the dangerous condition.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a slip and fall accident, please contact the Pacific Attorney Group today for a free consultation and case evaluation. We have won impressive verdicts and settlements for clients injured in all types of slip and fall accidents. We’d like to help you, too.
Contact Pacific Attorney Group for a FREE case review
If you or a family member has been injured in a slip and fall accident in Orange County or anywhere in California, call the personal injury lawyers at Pacific Attorney Group for a free consultation now.
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