Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA) is located 7 miles from Downtown Santa Barbara. It is categorized by the Federal Aviation Administration as a “small hub primary airport” due to its relatively small size and limited flights. For example, SBA is serviced by only 6 airlines, which offer flights to locations within California and a handful of cities throughout the Western United States. However, this is still a very busy airport when you think of the number of people flying in and out of locations such as Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and Dallas. That’s why airport owners must take all reasonable measures to prevent slip and fall and trip and fall incidents on their property.
If a hazard at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport caused you injuries from a slip and fall or trip and fall accident, you may be entitled to compensation from the city of Santa Barbara. However, injury claims against government entities are notoriously difficult, so it’s best to turn to an experienced attorney who can protect your interests.
During a free consultation, we can answer any questions you have and take immediate action on your case if you are interested in filing a Santa Barbara Municipal Airport slip and fall lawsuit. If, on the other hand, you tripped over something and injured yourself, we can provide you with guidance from an SBA trip and fall attorney. Contact Normandie Law Firm 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to discuss your case with a seasoned airport injury accident lawyer.
Can I Sue Santa Barbara Municipal Airport if I Fell Down on their Property?
If you fell and got injured at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, are you entitled to monetary compensation from the city of Santa Barbara? That all depends on the circumstances surrounding your accident, but overall, you would have to have been inured from a dangerous condition, such as:
- Water around drinking fountains and on bathroom floors
- Broken hand rails
- Cracked or broken steps
- Slippery floors
- Poor lighting
- Lack of Wet Floor signs and/or safety barriers
- Debris in the aisles or on sidewalks
- Ice and snow in the parking lot
The legal basis for an SBA slip and fall lawsuit or trip and fall case is premises liability, which requires owners to keep their property as safe as possible for guests and visitors. Essentially, if you were injured by a condition that the airport caused, knew about, or should have known about, you would have grounds to file a lawsuit against the airport owners and/or operators.
Another issue is the possibility that someone else other than the airport is responsible for causing you to fall down. Let’s say, for example, that you fell off the escalators when they came to sudden stop. You may certainly have a lawsuit against SBA under the law of premises liability. But we also have to investigate what caused the escalators to stop all of a sudden. Perhaps it was from a manufacturing defect or improper installation techniques, which would give you the right to sue a third party in addition to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport.
Cafes, restaurants, taxi services, public transportation vehicles, and cargo companies operating at the airport can also be blamed for a fall-related injury. Due to the complications that are involved, we recommend that you speak with an attorney at our law firm if you slipped and fell at the airport. Alternatively, we have a skilled and experienced team of Santa Barbara Municipal Airport trip and fall attorneys that are ready to fight for you. All you have to do is contact us at your earliest convenience and schedule a time to discuss your rights and legal options.
Our Recent Verdicts and Settlements
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Injuries Associated with Fall-Related Accidents
Tripping or slipping on something may seem like a minor incident, but these accidents are associated with serious injuries, especially when they happen at busy and crowded places like airports. Let’s take a look at just some of the injuries you can suffer:
- Wrist, hand, and ankle fractures
- Dislocation of the knee or shoulder
- Deep lacerations
- Brain injury
- Hip fracture
- Whiplash, spinal cord damage, and other injuries to the neck / back
- Nerve damage
- Chronic pain
- Ruptured spleen
- Scars and other disfiguring injuries
- Death
Death from a slip and fall or trip and fall are not uncommon, especially among older adults. For those over 65 years of age, complications from a broken hip or another injury can have fatal consequences, even if they seek medical treatment in a timely manner. If you lost a loved one to an accident at Santa Barbara Airport, justice may be available to you in the form of wrongful death compensation. A wrongful death lawsuit can help you recover funeral expenses, medical costs, lost savings, and other monetary losses you are left with due to someone else’s negligence. For a free consultation with a wrongful death lawyer at our office, contact us as soon as possible.
Tips for What to Do if You Slipped and Fell at an Airport
If something at the airport caused you to fall down, there are specific actions that you should take right away. Doing so will set the stage for a solid case when you are suing for a slip and fall or trip and fall accident. Please follow the steps listed below to protect your interests after an accident at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport:
- Report your accident to airport staff immediately, as you will want to establish that your accident occurred at the airport and not somewhere else.
- Use your phone to snap photos of your injuries and the hazard that caused you to fall.
- Look around and note any surveillance cameras in the area which may have caught the incident.
- Obtain contact information from witnesses, who may be willing to provide you with a statement.
- Go to a hospital or call 911, since you must have proof of the injuries you’ve suffered.
- Contact our office to discuss your legal options with an SBA slip and fall lawyer.
Monetary Damages if You were Injured at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport
A compensation award from a slip and fall or trip and fall includes economic and non-economic damages, which will compensate you for the losses resulting from the accident. Damages from a Santa Barbara Municipal Airport trip and fall lawsuit or slip and fall claim may include the following:
- Medical expenses – cost of surgery, hospitalization, doctor’s visits, medications, etc.
- Cost of rehabilitative services, like physical therapy and mental health counseling
- Value of lost wages and work benefits
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress / mental anguish
- Loss of consortium
- Property damage
- Cost of hiring an attorney
- Punitive damages
To learn more about these payments and ensure that you receive every penny you are owed, call us right away to speak with a lawyer experienced in slip and fall accidents at Santa Barbara Airport.
Airport Fall Accident Lawsuit Settlement Values
How much you can potentially recover from your lawsuit is something we will discuss with you in person, as there are factors that play a role in what a fall accident injury claim is worth. However, it’s likely that you have questions about what these cases are worth on average. In reality, this is a very difficult question to answer due to the variations that exist from one case to another. If we were to go by the settlements and verdicts achieved by our attorneys over the years, we would say that $250,000 to $2.5 million is a possible range for airport slip and fall lawsuits. As for a trip and fall lawsuit against Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, the majority of cases probably fall between $175,000 and $2 million.
Again, these are only estimates based on cases that were handled by our law firm. We can, however, confirm that legal representation makes a big difference when you are seeking compensation from an airport. For example, you are likely to receive 3 times as much from an SBA airport slip and fall lawsuit if you hire an attorney versus representing yourself. To learn more about the ways our legal experts can assist you, contact us to schedule a free case review.
Estimated Time to Recover Your Settlement
When we set out to bring resolution to an airport accident case, our goal is to settle your case as fast as possible, while ensuring that you receive the highest amount you are due by law. We aim to complete both of these tasks within 6 months, but that timeline may not be realistic, considering the severity of injuries you can end up with. A case involving SBA airport slip and fall injuries can sometimes take 12 to 18 months from start to finish, even if your case never goes to trial (over 90% of cases do not). If, on the other hand, a trial is the best option, it may take up to several years before a jury rules on your case.
Time Limit to File a Lawsuit against Santa Barbara Municipal Airport
Regardless of the strength of your case, there are deadlines that govern how long you have to bring a legal action if you fall and injure yourself at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport. This time limit is known as the statute of limitations, and it’s based on the ownership of the property where you had an accident. Santa Barbara Airport is owned by the city of Santa Barbara, which means you will need to follow the procedures for a government claim.
According to the California Tort Claims Act, injury victims must file a compensation claim against a government entity within 6 months of the incident date. The appropriate agency has 45 days from the date of receipt to approve or reject your claim. If you receive a rejection notice, you have 6 months from the denial date to file a lawsuit against Santa Barbara Airport. If 45 days have passed with no response, you have 2 years from the incident date to file a lawsuit. As deadlines for these cases can be rather complicated, please give us a call to seek guidance from an SBA airport slip and fall lawyer.
Contact us for a Free Second Opinion
So, you’ve hired an attorney and assumed you are on your way to obtaining the payment you are owed from an SBA trip and fall lawsuit or slip and fall claim against Santa Barbara Airport. Unfortunately, you’re starting to have suspicions that all is not well with your case. How can you tell what the problem is and what you should do to ensure the best possible outcome in your lawsuit? A second opinion from an attorney for slip and fall accidents at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport may be the solution you’re looking for. No matter where you are in the legal process, we can evaluate your fall injury claim and provide insight on the legal actions that are available to you. We offer this service at no cost to trip and fall and slip and fall accident victims, so don’t hesitate to call us for a free second opinion.
Speak to a California Airport Accident Injury Lawyer
Were you injured from tripping over something at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport? Are you struggling with airport slip and fall injuries and don’t know where to turn for help? Look no further than Normandie Law Firm, where you can receive immediate assistance from an experienced fall accident injury lawyer.
Along with decades of experience in airport accident liability cases, we cover all expenses associated with your lawsuit and wait to recover our fees from the part you are suing. That means the city of Santa Barbara, along with any others that are responsible for your accident, are the ones paying our bills as a part of your settlement award. If we don’t win your case, the Zero Fee Guarantee ensures that you can walk away without paying us a single cent.
A Santa Barbara Airport slip and fall lawyer is ready to speak with you, so contact us right away to schedule a free consultation.
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