Slip & Fall Accident in Bakersfield, CA

BAKERSFIELD SLIP AND FALL ATTORNEY

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At Tim D. Wright, our attorneys recognize the serious impact that a slip and fall accident can have on an individual's life. The victim of a slip and fall can sustain painful injuries, face high medical costs for emergency and long-term treatment and be unable to work and earn income for an extended period.

However, if the accident resulted from the negligence of a property owner, a slip and fall victim might have legal options available to him or her. The individual might be eligible to pursue a legal claim that can result in payment of all medical expenses as well as compensation for the victim's lost wages, pain and suffering and more.

If you or a loved one has been hurt in a slip, trip and fall in Bakersfield or elsewhere in California, you can talk with a lawyer from Tim D. Wright, today and learn more about the choices available to you.

SHOULD YOU HIRE A LAWYER AFTER A SLIP & FALL ACCIDENT?

You may be worried about your ability to afford an attorney to handle your slip and fall claim. However, at Tim D. Wright, we will charge no legal fees or case costs unless we get a financial recuperation for you. We don't want cost concerns to prevent you from getting the legal aid you deserve.

We believe an attorney can play a vital role in your claim, specifically when dealing with insurance companies. The reality is that the insurance providers will attempt to pay as little compensation as possible for the physical, emotional and financial damage you have endured. An attorney will be focused on protecting you as well as your interests.

A Bakersfield premises liability attorney at Tim D. Wright, will:

• Extensively investigate your slip and fall and build the toughest case possible
• Consult with experts who will help us to understand why your slip and fall occurred, who should be held accountable as well as what medical care and treatment you will need to recover from your injuries.
• Submit all claims on your behalf in a timely and proper manner.
• Aggressively pursue a settlement that completely compensates you for your losses or take your case to court (if necessary).
• Structure any kind of award you obtain to ensure that it maximizes your reimbursement and guarantees you will receive the medical care you need in the future.

We are a law practice that is passionate about pursuing outcomes that will truly make a difference in the lives of our clients in Bakersfield and across California.

WHAT MUST YOU PROVE IN A SLIP & FALL CLAIM?

A slip and fall accident is a type of premises liability case. It can be brought against any type of property owner or inhabitant, including a private homeowner, store or other business or a local, state or federal government.

To recoup damages in an California slip and fall case, you typically need to demonstrate:

• A condition on the property presented an unreasonable risk of injury to you. Hazards that might cause a person to slip, trip and fall consist of:

• Broken or uneven pavement on sidewalks or in parking lots
• Snowy, icy or wet floors and walkways
• Ripped, torn or loose rugs and carpets
• Liquids spilled on floors
• Broken or uneven stairways
• Poor lighting in hallways, stairwells, or outside walkways
• Holes in the ground or objects sticking out of the ground
• Broken, missing or loose handrails
• Defective escalators or elevators

• The property owner knew or, in the exercise of ordinary care, should have known of both the condition and injury possibility. Essentially, the owner or inhabitant had "actual notice" based on seeing the slip and fall risk or creating the risk or "constructive notice" based on the hazard existing long enough that the owner or occupier should have seen it.
• The property owner might have reasonably expected that you would not have discovered or understood the risk or would fail to protect yourself against the danger. For instance, you would not have known that an office building lobby was slippery since it had just been mopped.
• The property owner failed to take reasonable steps to protect you by either repairing the hazard or giving you an adequate warning regarding it.
• As a result of the property owner's carelessness, you suffered injuries.

As you consider whether you have the ability to bring a slip and fall case, you will need to ask yourself a number of key questions, including:

• If you tripped or slipped, had the dangerous spot been there long enough so that the owner should have known about it?
• If there once was a good reason for the object to be there but that reason no longer exists, could the object have been removed?
• Was there a safer place the object could have been located without much greater inconvenience or cost to the property owner?
• Could a simple barrier have been developed or a caution provided to keep you from slipping or tripping?
• Did insufficient or damaged lighting contribute to the accident?

WHAT COMPENSATION CAN I RECEIVE FOR A SLIP AND FALL INJURY?

A slip and fall accident can result in a variety of serious injuries, including fractures, soft-tissue damage, spinal cord injuries as well as traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is essential to work with an attorney that will seek maximum reimbursement for the harm you have experienced, including:

• Past and also future medical expenses
• Lost wages and decreased earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of quality of life

A property owner's insurance company may try to place blame on you for your slip and fall accident. For instance, the insurance company might claim that you tripped, slipped and fell due to an "open and obvious" risk that you should have recognized or did something else that was negligent.

In California, you could be barred from recouping anything if you were more than 50 percent at fault for your injury. Otherwise, your damages would be decreased by an amount that is in proportion to the percentage of fault attributed to you.

Your lawyer from Tim D. Wright, will aggressively counter any type of unfounded claims made by a property owner's insurance company and work hard to protect your rights.

WHAT IS THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ON A PREMISES LIABILITY CASE?

It is important to speak to a lawyer as soon as possible if you are injured in a slip and fall accident. An attorney must take steps immediately to preserve evidence and begin the process of bringing a claim against the property owner.

A slip and fall claim, like other personal injury lawsuits in California, needs to be filed within two years after an accident has occurred. This is called the statute of limitations. If you fail to meet that deadline, you could be denied from pursuing a claim.

A California slip and fall lawyer at Tim D. Wright, will make sure your claim is timely and correctly submitted.