Slip and Fall Accidents
Attorney in California

Spills in aisles, freshly mopped floors without warning cones, produce or liquid tracked across walkways, leaking refrigerator cases. Liability turns on the store's inspection and 'sweep log' routine — Ortega v. Kmart lets you prove notice from how long the hazard sat unaddressed.

Dropped food and drinks, greasy kitchen-adjacent floors, wet entryways on rainy days, poorly lit dining areas. Restaurants owe a heightened duty in high-spill environments and are expected to inspect frequently.

Potholes, broken pavement, unmarked curbs, wheel stops, oil slicks, and poor lighting. Falls on public sidewalks may involve a city or county — those claims require a government claim within six months under Gov. Code § 911.2.

Missing or loose handrails, uneven steps, worn treads, and code-violating riser heights. Building-code violations support negligence per se, shifting the case strongly in the injured person's favor.

Unlit common-area stairwells, broken steps, defective railings, and unrepaired walkway hazards a landlord knew about. Landlords owe tenants and their guests a duty to inspect and repair common areas.

Rain-slicked entrances, un-matted lobby floors, and water tracked in from outside. Businesses are expected to deploy mats, cones, and increased inspection when conditions are wet.

Items falling from high retail shelves, or falls caused by merchandise and displays obstructing aisles. Common in big-box stores where high stacking creates foreseeable hazards.

Exposed extension cords, torn carpeting, raised floor mats, open cabinet doors, and stocking debris. Often reflect cumulative neglect — the owner had ample time to fix the condition.

Every property owner and occupier is responsible for injuries caused by a lack of ordinary care in managing their property. This is the foundation of every California slip-and-fall claim.

California Supreme Court held that an injured person can prove the owner had constructive notice of a dangerous condition through circumstantial evidence — chiefly that the hazard existed long enough that a reasonable inspection would have found it. You do not need a witness to the owner's actual knowledge.

Abolished the old invitee/licensee/trespasser categories. Property owners owe a uniform duty of reasonable care to all foreseeable visitors, judged by the foreseeability of harm.

California is a pure comparative negligence state — you can recover even if you were 90% at fault, with your damages reduced only by your own percentage of fault. An 'open and obvious' or 'you weren't watching' defense reduces, but never bars, recovery.

Each defendant pays non-economic damages (pain and suffering) only in proportion to its own share of fault, while remaining jointly liable for economic damages such as medical bills and lost wages.

Slip-and-fall personal injury claims must generally be filed within two years of the fall. Miss the deadline and the claim is barred — preserve evidence and consult counsel well before it runs.

Falls on city, county, or state property (public sidewalks, government buildings, transit) require a written government claim within six months — far shorter than the two-year deadline for private property.

Bruising, sprains, mild orthopedic strain treated with a course of physical therapy. Settlement covers medical bills, lost wages, and modest pain and suffering. Most resolve without litigation when notice evidence is preserved.

Disc injuries managed conservatively, shoulder impingement, knee injuries, wrist fractures. Future-care and chronic-pain components add value.

Disc herniation requiring fusion, rotator cuff repair, knee or hip surgery, or surgically repaired fractures. Commercial general liability coverage typically supports full recovery.

Falls striking the head can produce TBI with cognitive, memory, and personality effects that emerge weeks later. Neuropsychological evaluation drives substantial value; we never settle before TBI is fully diagnosed.

Spinal cord injury, multiple fractures, or permanent disability requiring lifetime care. Life-care planning and lost-earning-capacity analysis support seven- and eight-figure recoveries.

Surviving heirs recover under CCP § 377.60 — common in stairway collapses, falls from height, and falls producing fatal head injuries in elderly victims.

Ortega v. Kmart lets us prove constructive notice from the absence of a reasonable inspection routine and the length of time the hazard existed. We pull sweep logs and footage to show how long the spill sat — most 'no notice' defenses collapse under that evidence.

Under pure comparative negligence (Li v. Yellow Cab), an open-and-obvious hazard reduces your percentage of fault but never bars recovery. Owners must also anticipate that shoppers are foreseeably distracted by merchandise and signage.

California foresees that visitors look at products, carry items, and watch for other people. Distraction is reasonable and affects only comparative-fault allocation — we routinely resolve these cases at 70–90% plaintiff recovery.

We send preservation letters within 24–48 hours. When footage is destroyed after notice, California courts impose spoliation sanctions — adverse-inference instructions that often decide the case.

Falls frequently produce TBI and disc injuries whose symptoms emerge weeks later. We refuse early settlement until you reach maximum medical improvement and every damage component is documented.

Under the eggshell-plaintiff rule, defendants take you as they find you. Aggravation of a pre-existing condition is fully compensable; we document the difference between your pre-fall baseline and your post-fall condition.