Local office in Bakersfield, CA5100 California Ave, Suite 104Directions

Injured on property in Bakersfield?Talk to a lawyer for free.

Businesses and landlords must use reasonable care to protect customers and tenants from crime on their property that they can reasonably anticipate, and to keep the property itself reasonably safe.

  • No fee unless we winWe only get paid when you get paid.
  • Zero upfront costYour consultation is free, with no obligation.
  • Hablamos españolNative Spanish speakers. No confusion. No delays.
  • Available 24/7We'll meet you at your home or hospital.
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Call our Bakersfield office(661) 426-817924/7 line: (800) 985-9565

No attorney's fees unless we recover compensation. Clients may be responsible for case costs. Read the disclaimer

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They were able to settle my case, and I received compensation thanks to the wonderful lawyers.
Eloina M.Valero Law Group clientGoogle review

Results that speak.Millions won for injured clients.

We've won over $500 million in verdicts and settlements for our clients.

Recognized for excellence

Avvo Rating: Excellent, Top Rated Personal InjuryTop Rated by Super Lawyers
  • $6.25MPersonal injuryA confidential personal injury settlement.
  • $5MAuto accidentFor a husband and wife after the husband suffered a brachial plexus injury.
  • $2.34MAccident claimA win for a client injured in an accident.
  • $1.5MAuto accidentA win for a client injured in an auto accident.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and each case is different.

View all results

Here to protect your interests, not the property owner's

Landlords and businesses have a team.You should have one too.

Landlords, property managers and businesses carry insurance, and their insurers bring adjusters and lawyers to serious claims. After an assault at a Bakersfield apartment complex, or an injury in a store or parking lot on White Lane, an adjuster may call within days, and what you say can shape the rest of your claim.

Before you sign anything, ask yourself:

  1. Who controlled the property: the owner, a business renting the space, a property manager or a landlord?
  2. Could they have anticipated the danger, like earlier crimes on the property or a hazard they knew about?
  3. Will the settlement cover your treatment and lost income months from now, not just today?

From one of our car accident cases

The insurer's best offer$410,000

What we won for our client$4.4M

A car accident that left our client with a neck injury. Most people would have taken the offer. We won more than ten times as much.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and each case is different.

Get my free case review
The Bakersfield sign arching over the road into town under a clear sky

Our office in Bakersfield

Local premises liability lawyers,right here in Bakersfield.

Not every firm that advertises in Bakersfield has an office here. We do.

Our office is on California Avenue. Unsafe housing in the city is reported to Code Enforcement on Chester Avenue, and claims about public property go to Truxtun Avenue, to the City Clerk or Kern County's Clerk of the Board. Come in, or we'll come to you anywhere in Kern and Tulare Counties.

Nearby officesPalmdaleFresnoWoodland Hills

Why choose Valero Law Group?

We champion every case,big and small.

Whether your case is worth $5,000 or $5 million, we bring the same skill, attention and determination to every client we represent.

So don't let the size of your case keep you from seeking justice: every injury deserves serious representation. Let us fight for the compensation you're owed while you focus on what matters most, your recovery.

They made me feel like a priority, and they put my needs first as a client.

IsabelValero Law Group client

400+five-star Google reviews

Real reviews fromour clients.

  • Samuel M. smiling in the Valero Law Group office with his $881,000 settlement check
    Samuel M.$881,000
  • Victoria M. smiling in front of the Valero Law Group logo wall with her $625,000 settlement check
    Victoria M.$625,000
  • Karina C. smiling in the Valero Law Group office with her $625,000 settlement check
    Karina C.$625,000
  • Angela M. smiling and pointing to her $625,000 settlement check
    Angela M.$625,000
  • Destiny H. smiling with her $500,000 settlement check
    Destiny H.$500,000
  • Javier P. smiling in the Valero Law Group office with his $375,000 settlement check
    Javier P.$375,000
After my slip and fall, I reached out to this firm. Leticia was amazing; she was great and understanding. She, along with Kyle, got straight to business.
Marlene M.Google review
Read all 400+ of our reviews
I fell and couldn't get up! Luckily Valero Law Group had my back, and I'd highly recommend this firm to anyone!
Roy H.Google review
I appreciated that they didn't rush me out the door and actually took the time to hear my case from beginning to end.
Sandy M.Google review

What you can recover afteran injury on property.

Whoever owns, leases, occupies or controls the property can be held responsible: an owner, a business that rents the space, a property manager or a landlord, and sometimes more than one. So can a business or landlord that didn't take reasonable steps against a crime it could anticipate.

Economic damages

The costs you can add up

  • Emergency care, surgery and hospital bills
  • Physical therapy and rehabilitation
  • Lost wages and lost earning capacity
  • Counseling after an assault or another trauma

Non-economic damages

The harm that has no receipt

  • Pain and physical suffering
  • Emotional distress and anxiety
  • Scarring and disfigurement
  • Lost enjoyment of life
  • 180 daysProtection after you report unsafe housingA tenant who reports conditions that make a home unfit, and is current on rent, is generally protected from a retaliatory eviction, rent increase or cut in services for 180 days (Civil Code §1942.5). In Bakersfield, City Code Enforcement has a 24-hour complaint line (voicemail), (661) 326-3712.
  • 2 of 7Drowning prevention features for a new home poolA pool built or remodeled at a single-family home in California needs at least two of seven features, such as a fence that separates it from the house or a safety cover (Health and Safety Code §115922). Drowning kills more children ages 1 to 4 than any other cause (CDC).
  • 6 monthsTo file a claim against the City or Kern CountyIf it happened on City or County property, a written claim is usually due within six months. City claims go to the City Clerk, 1600 Truxtun Avenue; County claims to the Clerk of the Board, 1115 Truxtun Avenue, 5th Floor.

After an injury on a property in Bakersfield,what comes next.

Reports, records, the property's history and the deadlines, explained.

Valero Law Group attorneys meeting around a conference table
  • Get care, then report it
    Get medical care first. Then ask the manager for an incident report and a copy. If you were assaulted, call 911 in an emergency, or Bakersfield Police at (661) 327-7111 otherwise. In unincorporated areas, the Kern County Sheriff is the main law enforcement agency.
  • Photograph the condition
    The broken lock or gate, the burned-out light in the parking lot, the missing railing, the unfenced pool, before anything is fixed. Photograph your injuries as they heal, too.
  • Who controlled the property?
    California looks at who owned, leased, occupied or controlled the property, so the owner, a business that rents the space, a property manager or a landlord can each be responsible, and an owner can't escape that duty by hiring someone else to maintain it. A lawyer can find out who controlled the spot where you were injured.
  • At your apartment? Put it in writing, and report it
    Tell the landlord in writing and keep a copy; it creates a record that the landlord knew. Inside city limits, City Code Enforcement takes housing complaints on its 24-hour line, (661) 326-3712, or in person at 1715 Chester Avenue; it doesn't cover County properties. Tenants who report are generally protected from retaliation.
  • Ask for the video and the property's history
    Many security systems record over old footage, so ask for the video quickly, or have a lawyer ask the business to keep it. After an assault, earlier crimes at or near the property can matter, because a business or landlord must use reasonable care against crime it can reasonably anticipate.
  • City or Kern County?
    Public property in Oildale, Rosedale or Lamont is usually the County's. City claims go to the City Clerk, 1600 Truxtun Avenue; County claims to the Clerk of the Board, 1115 Truxtun Avenue, 5th Floor. Both are usually due within six months for an injury.
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Al Barro Foundation: supporting over 400 orphans in Mexico

From the community, for the community.

Hablamos español.

We're a Hispanic-focused firm with native Spanish-speaking attorneys. We understand your family's needs, walk you through every step in your language, and fight to get you every dollar you deserve.

Organizations we support

Sponsor of the 2024 Share the Road Scholarship

Our community outreach
  • Al Barro Foundation
  • EUNIME por Tijuana, A.C.
…they speak excellent Spanish, know how to help, and look out for their clients' best interests.
Yesica H.Google review
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Organizations we support

Sponsor of the 2024 Share the Road Scholarship

Our community outreach
  • Al Barro Foundation
  • EUNIME por Tijuana, A.C.

Common questionsafter an injury on a Bakersfield property.

I was attacked at a store, motel or apartment complex. Can the owner be responsible?
It can be. A business open to the public, or a landlord, must use reasonable care to protect customers, guests or tenants from crime on the property that it can reasonably anticipate. These cases turn on what it could anticipate, such as earlier crimes on or near the property, and whether its steps, like lighting, locks, cameras or guards, were reasonable. A police report and the location's history can matter.
Can my landlord be responsible for an injury at my apartment?
Yes, in some cases. California requires rentals to have floors, stairways and railings in good repair and working lighting. A landlord must inspect a rental for unsafe conditions before a tenant moves in, and must take reasonable precautions against unsafe conditions it knows or should know about in areas it controls, like stairways, walkways and parking areas. Inside your own unit, a landlord generally has to have actually known about the condition and been able to fix it.
Will my landlord retaliate if I report unsafe conditions?
California law gives tenants some protection. If you complain to a government agency about conditions that make your home unfit to live in, and you're current on rent, a landlord generally can't evict you, raise your rent or cut services in retaliation within 180 days. Bakersfield's Code Enforcement keeps the name of the person who complains confidential as a policy, though a court could order it revealed.
Something fell on me in a store. Who is responsible?
Merchandise falling from a high shelf, a loose ceiling tile or an unstable display is judged by the same rule as a spill: did the store know, or should it have known, and did it fix it, guard against it or warn people. Stores must make reasonable inspections, and if an employee stacked or set it up, the store is treated as knowing. For falls, see our Bakersfield slip and fall page.
A dog bit me at someone's house. Is that premises liability?
In California, a dog's owner is responsible for a bite to someone in a public place or lawfully on private property, including the owner's own property, whether or not the dog ever bit before. A landlord can also be responsible in some cases, for example when it knew about a dangerous dog and could have acted. See our Bakersfield dog bite page.
How long do I have after an injury on someone's property in Bakersfield?
Against a private owner, business or landlord, you generally have two years to file a lawsuit. If the City, Kern County, a school district or another public agency owns the property, a written claim is usually due within six months, with the City Clerk or the County's Clerk of the Board. Call us early so no deadline slips by.
Do you have an office in Bakersfield?
Yes. Our office is at 5100 California Ave, Suite 104, Bakersfield, CA 93309. Come in if you like, or we'll come to you, at home or in the hospital. Call (800) 985-9565 any time, 24/7.
What does a premises liability lawyer cost?
Nothing upfront. Your consultation is free, and no attorney's fees are owed unless we recover compensation for you. You may be responsible for case-related costs and expenses; we'll explain them before you sign.
Attorney Kyle Valero
Kyle ValeroAttorney, Valero Law Group

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Have a question about a potential case?Talk to a Bakersfield premises liability lawyer today.

Your consultation is always free, with no obligation. We're happy to answer any questions and walk you through your options. No pressure, just honest answers.

(661) 426-8179

24/7 line: (800) 985-9565

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