Los Angeles Premises Liability Lawyer

What is Premises Liability (i.e., Slip and Fall) Litigation?

Imagine the following scenarios: you walk into a restaurant, and the lobby floor is coated with a slippery liquid that was spilled earlier that day and has yet to be cleaned up. Unwittingly, you walk onto the floor, slip and fall. You land awkwardly on your back and suffer a painful injury that requires immediate medical attention. Another common scenario: you walk into a supermarket, and while shopping in the dairy section, you unwittingly step on a grape, which causes you to slip, fall and strike your knee on the hard floor.

What do these situations have in common? Negligence.  Unfortunately, situations like these are common and often lead to debilitating and painful injuries that sometimes require expensive surgery. To seek fair compensation, victims often pursue premises liability litigation.  To do so, you need an attorney with experience handling such matters, including and up to trial.

Let’s take a closer look at how the law defines premises liability, and what you need to know if it happens to you.

Premises Liability 101: The Basics

Simply, premises liability litigation seeks to hold property owners, or managers, responsible for injuries or damages that occur as a result of their failure to maintain a reasonably safe environment. Common premises liability actions include (but are not limited to):

• Slip /Trip and Fall Accidents
• Dog/Animal Bites (like Pit Bull Attacks)
• Elevator & Escalator Accidents
• Fire Accidents / Burn Injuries
• Injuries from Poor Pool Maintenance
• Inadequate Lighting
• Inadequate Property Maintenance
• Negligent Security
• Retail Store Liability
• Restaurant Liability
• Porch Collapse
• Stair Collapse

Premises liability litigation is complex, depending on a number of factors, including the identity of the injured party (i.e., someone who leases a property versus a guest, for example) or the ownership structure of the property. This is why you need an experienced attorney who you can trust.

Once a premises liability event occurs, it’s imperative to seek the counsel of an attorney who specializes in this form of litigation. It’s also important to start collecting and preserving evidence (like video surveillance) that can be destroyed.

Financial Recovery After a Premises Liability Injury

Slip (or trip) and falls are often devastating injuries. They can lead to traumatic brain damage or even severe spinal cord damage in the most serious cases. Some victims may never walk again, be able to hold a steady job or live their lives with the same quality as before.

To ensure these victims are fairly compensated for significant injuries, it’s critically important to work with an experienced litigator. Not only is it often challenging to identify the responsible parties (like property owner(s), manager(s), individual(s), governments, agencies, etc., may all be responsible in some cases), the laws governing these cases vary between jurisdictions.

Finding a law firm that specializes in premises liability should be your primary consideration. The right attorney can calculate potential damages based on factors such as:

• Medical bills (surgeries, physical therapy, psychological counseling etc.)
• Lost wages
• Lost future earnings
• Pain and suffering
• Mental distress
• Permanent disability or disfigurement

The most serious cases may involve damages into the millions of dollars. Defendants in these cases (especially large businesses) have extensive financial and legal resources that they can use to fight you. To even the scales, victims need an experienced law firm fighting for them.

Finding the right Los Angeles Premises Liability Lawyer

If you have been injured because of a premises liability event, we urge you to contact Mansell Mansell Ayala + Villaneda immediately for a free consultation. We have the experience to handle even the most complex slip and fall litigation, and we zealously fight for all of our clients.