A trip or slip and fall accident often results in serious injury to the victim. From broken bones to death, the severity of these catastrophic injuries depends heavily on the circumstances of your accident. The financial and physical fall out from suffering these injuries can be overwhelming for many who have the misfortune of enduring a slip and fall.

 

A personal injury attorney will fight for the compensation you deserve. Your attorney will take the burden of negotiating with the insurance companies off of your shoulders so that you can focus on healing and moving forward.
 

Common Causes for Slip and Fall Accidents

 

At some point in our lives, we all experience a slip and fall of some degree. Maybe you fell on your wet bathroom floor after a shower or caught your foot on a kitchen rug and caught yourself before landing on the floor. The reality is that a slip and fall can happen anywhere and leave us with potentially life-threatening or permanent injuries.

 

When these accidents occur because of another person or company’s negligence, they must pay for the harm they caused you or your loved one. Below is a list of common situations where one may experience a slip and fall accident:

 

·     Escalators and elevators

·     Stairwells

·     Indoor and outdoor environments

·     Commercial property like office buildings and stores

·     Sidewalks and other walkway types

·     Marinas and on boats

·     Residential property like apartment complexes

·     Weather conditions

·     Poor lighting

·     Tiled, carpeted, and concrete flooring

·     Indoor slip and fall injuries

·     Outdoor slip and fall injuries

 

Types of Recoverable Damages in a Slip and Fall Case

 

Depending on the facts of your case, the type of damages you may receive will vary.

 

Economic Damages - These are damages that can be converted into monetary amounts, such as:

·     Current and future healthcare costs

·     Lost wages

·     Reduced earning ability

·     Property damage

·     Other verifiable expenses related to your injuries

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Non-Economic Damages - Damages that cannot easily have a price tag attached are non-economic damages, which include:

 

·     Pain and suffering

·     Disfigurement

·     Disability

·     Loss of consortium

·     Mental anguish​

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Exemplary Damages
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Also called punitive damages, these are sometimes awarded in cases where a defendant’s actions are so egregious that they constitute fraud, malice, or oppression.

 

When pursuing these types of damages, a court must also determine how much fault the negligent party holds for your injuries. While many of these cases find the liable party fully negligent under the law, there are occasions where a victim may have some responsibility, as well. Because California is a pure comparative fault state, regardless of how much fault the injured party might have, they can still recover the remaining percentage of negligence the other party is also at-fault.