Turlock CA Slip and Fall Lawyers

Common Locations of Slip and Falls in Turlock

Slip and fall accidents regularly occur throughout the Turlock area. Some popular grocery stores people can slip, trip, or fall at include Save Mart, the Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Village Fresh Market, and Safeway. In addition, there are plenty of hotels and motels where visitors may injure themselves in an accident.

In addition, people can easily slip and fall at popular local restaurants like Villa Napoli, Main Street Footers, Gyros & More, Sizzler, LaMo’s Cafe, Dust Bowl Brewing Co., Bistro 234, and Edith’s Crust & Crumb.

In general, slip and fall accidents can occur anywhere without warning.

Some of the more common locations of injury-causing slips, trips, and falls include:

• Schools
• Shopping centers and malls
• Bars and restaurants
• Office buildings
• Parking lots

If you have suffered injuries in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, your best course of action is to contact a Turlock slip and fall lawyer as soon as possible.

Injuries From Slip and Fall Accidents

We Understand the Severity of Slip and Fall Injuries

Silva Injury Law has a proud record of success in slip and fall cases. Consider the story of Helen G., a wife, mother, and grandmother to seven who led an active life in Central California until disaster struck.

While visiting a chain drug store, Helen’s shoe caught on what she later learned was a broken tile and fell. She was in intense pain and went to the local hospital.

Doctors performed surgery on Helen’s hip and inserted pins and rods, with Helen suffering a broken shoulder. The accident left Helen with a limp. Investigating this case, Silva Injury Law discovered that the store had known about the broken tile issue three full years before Helen’s fall but never opted to fix the hazard.

Helen hired Silva Injury Law about one month after her fall, and about six months later, we prepared and filed the initial demand for damages. The following month, the store made an unacceptable counteroffer that led to us filing a lawsuit, with mediation beginning about nine months later and the store eventually agreeing to pay a $600,000 settlement in the case another nine months later.

This case exemplifies how many slip and fall cases will work in California. An injured party often files a claim with a negligent party or their insurance company. The at-fault party will usually deny liability and try to avoid paying anything. Ultimately, the evidence will often compel them to negotiate a settlement rather than risk taking a case to trial.

Who Can You Hold Liable for Your Damages After a Slip and Fall Accident?

Liability in slip and fall accidents can be complicated. For this reason, victims need to work with experienced slip and fall attorneys so they can know that they are pursuing compensation from the right parties.

Some of the potential parties that can be liable for a slip and fall accident include:

• Property owners
• Property management companies
• Businesses
• Parties leasing a property
• Homeowners
• Condo Associations

When slip and fall hazards exist in commercial settings, employees or establishments must warn people about possible dangerous circumstances. Even when there are signs of potential dangers, people may still recover compensation when they fall because of hazardous conditions.

In some cases, possible liable parties in a retail establishment case can include store owners, lessors, lessees, or store managers.

When slip and fall accidents happen on certain public walkways or roads, a municipality, building owner, lessor, or lessee can all be liable. Claims involving governmental entities will have a much shorter statute of limitations, meaning people typically only have six months to file a claim.

Slip and fall accidents on private walkways can make property owners, lessors, lessees, or other residents liable for injuries. Additional sites that can have complicating factors may include offices, construction sites, and people’s homes.

When a slip and fall accident occurs in a friend’s or family member’s private home, it is not the friend or family member who will need to pay you. Instead, their homeowner’s insurance policy should cover your losses. Never hesitate to seek compensation just because you know the homeowner.

How to Seek Compensation after a Slip and Fall

Some people consider handling their slip and fall cases alone to avoid paying anything to an attorney. While this belief allows people to think they are keeping more money for themselves, the truth is that most people who do settle their claims end up settling them for far less than they might have had they retained legal counsel.

You should retain a slip and fall lawyer in Turlock to help with your injury claim because they will know how to formulate a demand letter to send to a negligent party that outlines why they are at fault and how much they owe. Many negligent parties and insurance companies decline to pay demand letters, offering another amount that is usually far less than what will be acceptable.

When demands do not get paid, attorneys usually begin extensive settlement negotiations. A settlement can take some time to arrive at because the two sides usually start with a considerable distance between them. In many cases, the two sides can eventually come to an agreement.

A significant majority of slip and fall cases end with settlements because insurance companies simply do not want to pay the often extraordinary costs of having to take a case to trial. It takes significant time and money to prepare a case for trial; worse yet, a trial outcome can often be worse for an insurance company than a settlement.

When a slip and fall case does go all the way to trial, the victim will have to prove that a negligent party caused their slip and fall accident by a preponderance of the evidence. A preponderance of the evidence means that a particular fact is “more likely than not,” and this burden in a civil case is lower than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard in criminal cases.

Anyone Can Afford a Slip and Fall Attorney

The first thing many victims worry about when they consider hiring a lawyer for their slip and fall case is how they can afford legal representation. The excellent news for injured people in California is that a vast majority of personal injury attorneys handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis.

Contingency fee agreements mean that lawyers agree to collect a portion of whatever settlement or jury award a person receives as payment for their services. If a lawyer cannot win or settle a case, they will receive nothing. Additionally, victims do not have to pay anything upfront or worry about legal fees during their cases.

Many injury victims are dealing with medical bills on top of their concerns about affording a lawyer, and an attorney can also help people who are experiencing hardships paying their medical expenses. A lawyer can often negotiate a medical lien that will allow you to pay your medical bills out of your settlement or jury award.

What Will My Slip and Fall Attorney Do?

You may not know what exactly a slip and fall lawyer can do for you, especially if you have already received a settlement offer from the at-fault party or their insurance company.

You should never accept a settlement without first consulting with an attorney, as it’s very difficult to know the actual value of a claim without significant training and experience.

Some specific things a slip and fall lawyer can do for you after an accident include the following:

Determine if You Have a Legal Claim

Not every slip and fall accident gives victims the right to recover compensation. An attorney can carefully analyze the facts of your case and determine whether you have a viable claim.

Identify Who You May Hold Liable

Your lawyer can also determine who you can hold liable for your slip and fall injuries. In some cases, there may be multiple liable parties. When this occurs, victims have a better chance of obtaining the full value of their claims.

File a Claim

In most cases, the first step to recovering compensation after a slip and fall accident is filing a claim with an insurance company. When you have a lawyer, they will file all of the necessary paperwork on your behalf, along with a demand letter that clearly states your losses.

Attempt to Negotiate a Fair Settlement

Assuming the insurance company does not pay the amount in your demand letter, your attorney will next try to reach a fair settlement agreement with the insurance company handling your case. This typically involves a series of offers and counteroffers along with the production of further evidence of your losses.

File a Lawsuit and Take Your Case to Trial

If the insurance company does not make a fair offer, your lawyer can file a lawsuit to pursue the compensation you deserve. You must take this step within California’s statute of limitations.

Importantly, in some cases, all it takes is actually filing a lawsuit to get the insurance company to pay out. If they do not and your case goes to trial, your lawyer will represent you in court.

Get a Free Case Evaluation With Our Turlock Slip and Fall Lawyers Today

Michael Joe Silva, Slip and Fall Lawyer

If you suffered severe injuries or your loved one was killed in a slip and fall accident in the greater Turlock area of California, you should not delay another moment in seeking legal help with everything you are going to need to do in your case to try and recover financial compensation from the negligent party. Reach out to a personal injury lawyer.

Silva Injury Law has several years of experience handling all kinds of slip and fall claims in Central California. We know the most effective ways of handling these cases and helping people fight to recover every last dollar they are entitled to.

Our firm believes in treating every single one of our clients as though they were family, so you can trust that we will focus on helping to make you whole. Call (209) 600-4389 or contact our Turlock slip and fall lawyers online to arrange your free consultation.
Testimonial

Testimonial

“I cannot say enough good things about Silva Injury Law. Everyone starting with the front desk were very professional, honest and hardworking. Michael and his team worked diligently to make sure everything went as quickly and as smooth as possible. Silva Injury Law genuinely care about their clients and I would highly recommend them.”-Vallerie Rosas

Silva Injury Law – Turlock Office

2130 Geer Road A
Turlock, CA 95382