Injured in a slip and fall?Talk to a lawyer for free.

You generally get two years from the date of the fall to sue (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). When the property is public, whether a city sidewalk, a county clinic or a school campus, the agency must first receive a written claim, normally within six months, and a lawsuit has to wait until it acts on that claim or its time to act runs out. Cleaning logs and video can be gone long before either deadline.

No. We take slip and fall cases anywhere in California. Our offices run from Stockton to Palm Desert, and if you can't travel after your fall, we'll come to your home or the hospital.

Usually three things: the hazard posed an unreasonable risk, the owner knew or should have known about it, and the owner didn't repair it, guard against it or warn people. A spill no one saw can count if a reasonable inspection would have caught it, and one an employee created, like a mopped floor with no sign, counts as known. Whoever controls the space owes this duty: the owner, a tenant business or a property manager.

That alone doesn't decide it. For a hazard anyone would notice, the owner may be excused from posting a warning, yet it still owes reasonable care where people have no practical way around it. If you weren't watching your step, California's comparative fault rule trims your compensation by your share of the blame; it doesn't cancel the claim.

The answer turns on who caused the defect. The owner of the lot next to it must keep a public sidewalk in repair, but that duty is owed to the city, so that owner usually answers to someone who trips only if it made the sidewalk worse, say by cutting it for a driveway or letting roots from its own tree heave a slab, and some cities' ordinances add more. The city can be held responsible under Government Code §835 when its workers caused the break, or when it was aware of it, or should have spotted it, early enough to make the repair. A small lip can be ruled too minor to count, judged by its size, how well lit the spot was and the conditions around it.

Against your own employer, workers' compensation is usually the only claim. If someone else's property or carelessness caused the fall, such as a client's building or another contractor on a job site, a separate claim against them can still be possible. Our practice areas page covers workers' compensation.

The same duty of ordinary care applies at a home. California's key case on it, Rowland v. Christian, began with a guest injured by a cracked faucet handle the host knew about and didn't mention. These claims usually go to the homeowner's or renter's insurance, and many homeowner's policies also include no-fault medical coverage for a guest's bills.

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.