Slip and fall and trip and fall accidents can be incredibly damaging, as they can inflict some injuries from something as minor as a bump or bruise to truly devastating traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord damage. While slip and fall accidents more commonly occur at restaurants more than anywhere else, they can truly occur anywhere a slip or trip and fall hazard is present. The location of focus in this article is slip and fall accidents that occur in shopping centers. If you or a loved one have been injured as a result of a slip and fall accident at a shopping center you may be eligible to collect monetary compensation for your damages. However, when an injured customer or shopper sues for damages, it is almost always in their best interest that they seek legal representation from an attorney experienced in slip and fall accidents at shopping centers. At Normandie Law Firm our Los Angeles attorneys are experienced in handling shopping center slip and fall claims and are committed to ensuring our clients receive the resources they need to earn the compensation they desire. If you have any questions after reading this article, please feel free to reach out to our law offices in Los Angeles, California for a free consultation from one of our well-versed legal advisors.
Shopping Centers & Slip and Fall Accidents
Shopping centers vary widely among each other; however, they are often places where shoppers can buy all they need within a short distance. Often, shopping centers will contain one large department store and will be surrounded by other small businesses and restaurants. Many who suffer from slip and fall accidents at shopping centers are often unaware of what their legal rights are. Since most of these accidents occur in shopping center parking lots, or in front of shopping center stores, determining who is liable for the damages can be somewhat complicated. Fortunately, an experienced shopping center injury attorney can help you not only identify who is liable for the damages but can represent you and your case in court.
When filing a slip and fall accident claim with a shopping center, it is highly recommended that you can identify the specific cause of the accident. Being able to show a court what exactly caused the accident can make a massive difference in the eventual outcome of your case. Listed below are some of the common causes of slip and fall accidents at shopping centers:
- Shopping Center parking lots and sidewalks: slip and falls in Shopping Center parking lots and sidewalks can occur as a result of uneven pavement, or some other potential floor hazard that results in the customer slipping or tripping and falling. In most cases, slip and fall injuries occur as a result of parking lot accidents, as a majority of the space used in a shopping center is the parking lot area.
- Slip and falls in Shopping Center grocery department: slip and fall accidents occur in the grocery sections of shopping centers because dropped items or even malfunctioning leaking refrigerator systems can cause potent hazards. If a refrigerator is broken and causing a slip hazard, customers should be notified to keep away from the refrigerator until the hazard is remedied.
- Shopping Center entrances and exits: another area where a customer can slip and fall are at a Shopping Center entrance or exit. These accidents can be caused by wet floors or even items left on the floor. It is up to the staff to be able to monitor and maintain their premises efficiently.
- Slips and falls near Shopping Center bathrooms: Shopping Center Bathrooms and washrooms also should be regularly checked and monitored for slip and fall hazards. One major way to prevent hazards of this kind is to place adequate wet-floor hazard signs.
As well as being able to identify the specific cause of the accident, it is important that you can show what damages you suffered as a result of your slip and fall accident. Filing a slip and fall claim with a shopping center can be incredibly challenging, especially when the liability for the accident can be attributed to the actions of multiple parties. Identifying your injuries and the severity of your injuries can make the difference between reaching a satisfactory settlement and having the defendant dispute the credibility of your claims. Listed below for your reference are some of the common causes of slip and fall accidents and the damages attributed to each injury:
Severe traumatic brain injuries or TBIs. Some TBIs can cause ongoing seizures, mood changes, cognitive impairment and other debilitating symptoms. In most cases, head injuries require emergency room treatment, or hospitalization and in more severe cases can result in death.
- Hip Fractures: Hip fractures often require surgery and extended hospitalization. In some more serious cases, surgery may be necessary to implant an artificial hip. Out of every five hip fracture patients, one of them dies due to their injuries
- Back and Spinal Cord Injuries: Injury to the spinal cord can lead to permanent paralysis, temporary paralysis and other severe neurological and sensory impairments
- Shoulder Injuries: Slip (trip) and fall accidents can result in shoulder dislocations or more severe forms of shoulder injuries called brachial plexus injuries. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that connect the shoulder, arm, and hand to the spinal cord. These injuries are often treated with surgery followed by extensive physical therapy
- Sprains and Fractures: The force of slipping and falling can cause minor to severe bone injuries. In some cases, the impact of the ground could cause minor sprains, in others; it could cause debilitating bone breakage that may result in temporary disability. Some of the common fractures that victims suffer include hip, spine, forearm, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm and hand.
Slipping and falling on the ground can lead to some devastating damages. If the accident is caused by the negligence of a shopping center property owner, or due to the negligence of a particular store at the shopping center, the injured shopper has every right to pursue legal action against the party responsible. Many who file these slip and fall shopping center accident claims believe they should be able to take on the shopping center alone. Unfortunately, while you have every right to represent yourself in court, the best way to guarantee a favorable outcome for your case is through the consultation of a lawyer experienced in handling shopping center slip and fall lawsuits.
How Can I Sue a Shopping Center For a Slip and Fall Accident?
Those injured at a shopping center as a result of slipping and falling on the floor, are often left in the dark in regards to what their legal rights are as injured patrons. They will often ask questions like what is the best way to file a trip and fall claim against a shopping center; how can I sue a shopping center for a slip and fall injury; or how do I file a trip and fall lawsuit against a shopping center? These questions don’t usually have singular answers, and the answer for each case can vary depending on the aspects that make up the case. For example, if you were involved in a slip and fall accident at a shopping center that was caused, not by the shopping center owners, but by your negligence, it is unlikely that you will be able to seek monetary compensation for your damages. However, on the other hand, if you suffered a slip and fall accident as a result of a hazard that was not remedied by the shopping center owners in a reasonable time, you may find a favorable settlement in your near future. Regardless of the aspects of your case, it is important that you seek guidance from a legal expert that understands how to sue a shopping center for personal injury. Under premises liability, law property owners are expected to provide a reasonably safe and secure environment for their shoppers and patrons. The moment this failure to meet expectations results in an injury, the property owners can be held liable for the damages.
In almost all slip and fall cases, an attorney that can sue a shopping center will recommend that you follow the statute of limitations that influence your case. The statue of limitations is defined as a time limit that is dictated by a state legislature. This time limit is imposed on the injured party and is the period in which an injured individual can bring their case to court. If they fail to follow the state mandated statute of limitations they could have their case dismissed from court entirely. As mentioned prior, the statute of limitations varies depending on the state in which the accident occurred. For instance, in the state of California, victims of slip and fall accidents, have two years to file a slip and fall injury claim with a shopping center. There are also some exceptions to this ruling which can change the process of filing a suit entirely. For this reason, it is in your best interest that you seek assistance from a legal representative that understands how the statute of limitations influences personal injury claims in your state.
When suing a shopping center for damages, you must be able to prove that the shopping center owners or staff acted negligently and that these negligent actions resulted in specific injuries. Known as a claim of negligence, this accusation of negligent action is almost always supported by substantial evidence. Regarding slip and fall injury claims, the evidence could include things like photographs of the hazard which caused your injuries, eyewitness testimonies from those at the scene, or parking lot security camera footage detailing how the accident occurred. On top of this evidence, we also recommend to our clients that they file a report of the accident as soon as possible. While substantial evidence can make or break your case, a shopping center manager can easily dispute your claims if you do not report the accident occurred.
Once you have gathered sufficient evidence, and have consulted a lawyer who can sue the shopping center, it is critical that you can prove the shopping center’s negligence. Every claim of negligence requires that you not only show the negligent actions of the defendant but how those actions led to your injuries. For your reference, we’ve included the basic components that make up a successful claim of negligence:
- Duty: The plaintiff (injured or damaged party) must be able to show that the defendant (Shopping Center owner) owed a legal duty to the plaintiff under the particular circumstances of the case.
- Breach: The plaintiff must be able to show that the defendant breached said legal duty through specific actions or failure to act appropriately
- Causation: The plaintiff must be able to show that the defendant’s actions or lack thereof caused the plaintiff’s injuries
- Damages: The plaintiff must be able to show that they endured some specific damages. This can usually be shown through the presentation of medical records, a loss of wages, or a loss of potential income.
Many who come into our law firm are also curious as to how much they can receive for their slip and fall accident settlement. For your reference we’ve included some common slip and fall settlements and verdicts to give you an idea of what your eventual settlement value may look like:
- A 66-year-old was diagnosed with quadriplegia after suffering from a trip and fall accident at a shopping Shopping Center. The case was taken to court, and they eventually settled amounting to $2,100,000.
- A man slipped and fell at a business center, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. The accident was reportedly caused by ice build up in a drain pipe which the property owners knew about and did nothing to fix. The case settled for $1,054,418
- A 79-year-old woman suffered a slip and fall accident in a public parking lot. The lot was owned by the City of Minneapolis. According to the suit, the woman slipped and fell on the icy pavement which could have been avoided by the parking lot owners. The woman was diagnosed by medical professionals as having an intracranial hemorrhage. The case went to court and eventually settled for $625,000
How Normandie Law Firm Can Help
If you or a loved one have suffered injury after a slip and fall accident at a Shopping Center as a result of a un-remedied hazard, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the party responsible for your damages. However, when filing this kind of lawsuits it, is in your best interest to retain legal representation from a lawyer who can sue the Shopping Center for the damages. At Normandie Law Firm our Los Angeles personal injury lawyers can guide you through the often complicated process of building a case, filing a claim, and collecting compensation for the damages. If you file a claim with our law firm, you could find some if not all of the following damages compensable to you:
- All of you medical and hospitalization costs
- All of your future medical care and treatment
- A loss of income and loss of future earnings due to long-term recovery or permanent disability due to the accident
- Compensable economic damages include loss of property or damaged property.
- Compensable non-economic damages include emotional distress, trauma, PTSD resulting from the accident, pain and suffering and anxiety.
Victims of Shopping Center slip and fall accidents can contact our law offices to learn more about how to receive compensation for their injuries. While our law firm is based in Los Angeles, our attorneys also practice in Oakland, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Orange County, Riverside, Fresno, and throughout the state of California.
Free Second Opinions
Other attorneys will sign you up for their firm but will disappear once your name is on the paper as they are busy signing up more cases. In these instances, their business is based more on volume and will attempt to sign up as many cases as possible. In turn, they will spend less time on cases resulting in severely reduced settlements. Our firm will not treat you like a number. We will be in communication with you throughout our lawsuit and will treat you like family. So if you already have an attorney don’t worry, we’ll give you a second review of your case 100% free of charge.
Zero Fee Guarantee-No Upfront Fees Ever
If you contact our law offices today, we can walk you through the complicated process of filing your claim completely free of charge. As a show this commitment to you and your case we offer our clients the benefits of a zero fee guarantee policy. Under our zero fee policy, all clients don’t pay for our services until their case is won. If you feel in need of a second opinion, second opinion case reviews are also free under this policy. Please, feel free to give us a call, and we can guide you down the path of receiving proper compensation for your damages.
Premises Verdicts and Settlements
Our experienced injury lawyers have successfully recovered millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements on behalf of our clients. Below, we present to you a brief list of our more recent slip and fall, and premises liability verdicts and settlements. If you have any questions regarding your slip and fall case, feel free to contact our law office.
