Established in 1939, San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (SBP) is owned and operated by the County of San Luis Obispo. It’s currently served by 3 passenger airlines offering flights to 8 cities throughout the U.S., including Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Seattle. Though SBP is much smaller than airports like LAX, it still receives considerable traffic from people that need fast and easy travel to various locations throughout the Western states.
Unfortunately, these facilities are prone to accidents from hazardous conditions that are caused or neglected by airport employees and operators. That’s why slip and fall and trip and fall injuries are so common at airports, no matter where you are on the premises.
If you’ve been injured from a fall at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, legal advice from a SBP slip and fall lawsuit attorney is essential. We can advise you of your rights and take immediate action to bring you compensation for the harm you’ve suffered. Alternatively, you may have tripped over something due to a condition that the airport failed to resolve, which would also give you the right to sue for your injuries at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport. An SBP trip and fall lawsuit lawyer is available to offer guidance and represent you in a claim for monetary compensation. Contact the personal injury lawyers of Normandie to schedule a free case evaluation.
Who is Responsible for my Accident at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport?
As a general rule, accidents on a private or commercial property are blamed on the property owner according to California’s premises liability laws. Basically, the law requires property owners to maintain their premises and take all reasonable measures in order to keep people safe. That means if the airport failed in their duty of care and you were injured from a dangerous condition at the airport, you can seek compensation from the property owners. Hazards that are associated with fall-related accidents at an airport include:
- Slippery floors
- Tools and equipment that are not put away
- Broken or cracked pavement
- Broken handrails
- Water on bathroom floors
- Poor lighting
- Debris in the terminals, especially around airport restaurants
- No Wet Floor signs around spills or freshly mopped areas
- Failure to remove snow and ice
Airport slip and fall injuries can also be caused by entities other than the airport. Construction crews, terminal bars and restaurants, taxi cabs, shuttle buses, etc., also have a duty of care to prevent accidents to people at an airport. Injuries can also be caused by faulty products, which may be blamed on the manufacturer or installation company. An example involves escalators at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, which can cause someone to trip if they come to a sudden stop. If the victim fell off the escalators and is seriously injured, an SBP airport slip and fall lawyer can investigate the exact cause of the malfunction. If it was due to a problem that was caused by the manufacturing company or the installation crew, these companies can also be sued for the victim’s injuries.
The complexities involved in suing a California airport can be challenging to work through, but justice is possible in these cases with a San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport slip and fall lawyer by your side. Contact our law firm to schedule a free case review and learn about the compensation that may be available to you.
Our Recent Verdicts and Settlements
$2.5 Million
$1.1 Million
$1.5 Million
$600,000
$525,000
$734,851
Injuries from Falling Down at an Airport
We’ve all tripped over something or slipped and fell at some point in our lives, and it may seem like these accidents are not that serious. The truth is, the location of the incident, the angle at which you fall, the objects in the way, and many other factors can lead to catastrophic injuries when you fall on the premises of an airport. Below are examples of possible injuries if you slipped and fell at the airport:
- Fractures in the ankles and wrists
- Deep cuts and related infections
- Dislocated joints
- Skull fracture
- Brain damage
- Broken hip
- Whiplash
- Injury to the spinal cord
- Ruptured spleen
- Loss of function
- Soft tissue injuries
- Chronic pain
Sometimes, the injuries from tripping or slipping at an airport can be severe enough to cause death. This is most common among senior citizens (65 and older), but complications from injuries like spinal cord damage can be fatal in patients of any age. We know the emotional and financial devastation that loved ones are left with when someone dies from an accident that didn’t need to happen. If you are in this situation, you may have grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit against San Luis Obispo County. Through a lawsuit, you can recover funeral costs, loss of expected earnings, loss of consortium, and other monetary damages. For more information on your rights and legal options, call us right away to speak with a wrongful death attorney for slip and fall accidents at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport.
What to Do if You Fall and Injure Yourself at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport
Laying the foundation for a successful lawsuit starts from the moment you’ve fallen down and injured yourself at a California airport. That’s why we recommend the following steps after a trip and fall or slip and fall accident:
- Immediately call out for help so that airport security is alerted to the fact that you’ve had an accident. Remember, you want to make it as clear as possible that you were harmed at the airport, and not somewhere else.
- If you’re able to, use your phone to take pictures of any injuries and the area where you fell, especially the object, condition, etc., that’s responsible for the accident.
- If there are surveillance cameras in the area, take photos of those as well or make note of their location. Your lawyer may be able to request footage from these cameras, which can provide you with valuable evidence.
- Ask any witnesses for their contact information; witness statements are another crucial form of evidence.
- Get yourself to a hospital right away (or call 911 if you have severe injuries), since you must have medical records to file an injury claim.
- Seek legal advice from a lawyer experienced in slip and fall accidents at McChesney Field.
Restitution from a McChesney Field Slip and Fall Lawsuit
An airport accident lawsuit settlement includes different categories of compensation, which are known as “damages.” Many people assume that they can only ask for medical expenses and lost wages during the recovery period, but there’s a lot more that you can demand based on what your accident has taken away from you. Here is a list of the possible damages you can receive with help from a SBP trip and fall attorney or slip and fall expert at our law firm:
- Cost of medical treatments – surgery, physical therapy, medications, etc.
- Reimbursement for mental health counseling
- Lost wages / lost earning potential
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Damage to your belongings
- Legal fees
- Punitive damages
Case Value of an Airport Accident Liability Claim
First, it’s important to understand that many elements play a role in the determination of a case value for an SBP airport slip and fall lawsuit. That’s why it would be a disservice to say what would be an “average” settlement for these cases, regardless of how you were injured. At best, we can provide a range of dollar amounts based on airport injury accident claims we’ve handled over the years.
If we look at past settlements recovered by San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport trip and fall attorneys at our law firm, $250,000 is a good starting point for moderate to serious injuries. For the worst case scenario, meaning there are permanent health issues like nerve damage and brain injury, compensation awards can exceed $2.5 million.
Because these are only estimates, they should not be used as an accurate reflection of your own potential settlement from an SBP airport slip and fall injuries claim. To figure out how much you can ask for in a lawsuit against San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, give us a call at your earliest convenience.
How Long Does it Take to Settle a Slip and Fall Lawsuit?
For an accident victim, waiting for a settlement can be a difficult and frustrating process. Unfortunately, there’s no way to rush certain aspects of the legal system, especially in cases with serious injuries and substantial emotional trauma. At our law firm, our projected timeline to close out a case is 6 months, and there are instances where we can recover payment in just a few weeks. But this is unlikely unless you have minor injuries with no long-term complications. Otherwise, the negotiation process can take one or more years and possibly up to several years if it becomes necessary to try your case in front of a judge and jury.
How Much Time Do I Have to File a Lawsuit against San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport?
If you were suing a privately-owned business or property, your statute of limitations for a lawsuit is two years from the time you were injured. But the timeline for a lawsuit against San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport is much shorter, due to the fact that it’s a property owned by the County of San Luis Obispo. That means you will need to follow the schedule for a government claim, as outlined in the California Tort Claims Act.
Under this legislation, you must begin the legal process by filing a compensation claim against the county no less than 6 months from the accident date. The County has 45 days (from the time they receive your claim) to offer you a settlement or send you a written notice of denial. The denial notice will allow you to file a personal injury lawsuit, which must be done within 6 months from the date of rejection. Another possible outcome is that you will not hear back from the county at all within 45 days. At that point, you have two years from the day you fell at the airport to file a fall accident lawsuit. We know these deadlines can be quite confusing, so please contact us for advice and guidance from a SBP slip and fall lawyer.
Call us for a Free Second Opinion
Could you use a second opinion on your San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport trip and fall lawsuit? Do you have questions or concerns about a slip and fall claim against McChesney Field? The legal experts of Normandie are happy to provide you with a free case evaluation on your existing airport accident lawsuit. We can offer solutions regardless of where you are in the legal process, based on our many years of experience with personal injury lawsuits. We want to assure you that this is a completely free, no-obligation consultation, so there’s no risk in contacting us and scheduling a second opinion with one of our attorneys.
California Lawyer with Experience in Airport Slip and Fall Accidents
Are you struggling from a trip and fall or slip and fall injury due to an accident at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport? Obtaining justice from the party that caused you harm can be an uphill battle, especially when you are emotionally and physically vulnerable after a traumatic accident. That’s why you need a lawyer by our side who can protect your interests and fight for the maximum compensation you are owed.
Right now, you are most likely worried about your finances and how you can possibly afford an attorney at this time. No worries, as we offer a Zero Fee Guarantee to ensure that accident victims receive free legal services. The cost of representing you is billed to the County of San Luis Obispo and paid to us once we secure your settlement award. That means we only receive payment by winning your case.
Don’t wait another day to learn about your rights and obtain the funds you are entitled to if you fell and got injured at McChesney Field. Contact the fall accident injury lawyers of Normandie to schedule a free consultation.
Other Pages on Our Website Related to This Topic
Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport Fall Injury Accident Lawyer
Airport Restaurant Slip and Fall Injury Cases
Santa Barbara Municipal Airport Fall Accident Injury Lawyer
