Moreno Valley Slip and Fall Attorneys

Our slip and fall attorneys in Moreno Valley are dedicated to helping the injured pursue compensation from negligent business operators, landlords, and property owners. If you were hurt in a serious fall due to a hazard on someone else's property, we can review your case for free and help you determine how best to proceed with your claim. Many people blame themselves for fall injuries, but these accidents can often be traced back to the carelessness of a property owner or occupier. Our lawyers can help you seek the highest possible compensation for any medical costs, lost wages, and other damages stemming from the incident. For a free case assessment, call 1-800-GO-HARRIS.

What Does “Duty of Care” Mean?

Duty of care is an element that must be proven in order to establish negligence, which is one party’s breach of the duty of care owed to another. Negligence is the basis on which the vast majority of personal injury claims are brought, and that includes slip and fall claims. A duty of care is a legal obligation to exercise a standard of care that a reasonable person would exhibit given the circumstances. For example, a motor-vehicle driver breaches the duty of care owed to other people on the road when they speed, make illegal turns, and violate other traffic laws. A medical doctor breaches the duty of care owed to a patient when they fail to adhere to the most widely accepted standards of care for the patient’s condition. In the context of slip and fall cases, property owners and occupiers owe a duty of care to anyone on their premises; however, the duty of care varies depending on the status of the visitor. For example, if you were an invitee—i.e. on the property for business dealings, such as a grocery store customer—you would be owed a higher duty of care than a trespasser—someone who is on the premises without invitation or other rights to be there. Most slip and fall claims are brought by invitees. If you fall into this visitor classification, the property owner or occupier would have had a duty to conduct reasonable inspections to identify dangerous conditions that posed an injury risk. They would also have had a duty to fix the dangerous condition within a reasonable timeframe or to warn you about it. In other words, your Moreno Valley slip and fall lawyer will have to prove that the property owner or occupier—or one of their employees—had actual or constructive knowledge of the hazard that caused your injuries yet failed to fix the dangerous condition within a reasonable timeframe or to alert you about it. Actual knowledge means the party was aware that the dangerous condition existed. Perhaps they were notified by a customer, for example, or maybe they created the hazard—for instance, by mopping a floor and failing to leave a “wet surface” sign. Constructive knowledge means they should have known about the dangerous condition—for example, because it had existed for a sufficient period of time to be discovered through reasonable inspection. Evidence of constructive knowledge may include surveillance footage, eyewitness deposition, photos of the dangerous condition, and the incident report. Our slip and fall attorneys in Moreno Valley know what it takes to prove negligence and liability in these cases. We will immediately launch an investigation to gather all evidence before it becomes unavailable or altered by the liable party.

What Damages Might Be Available?

Any successful premises liability claim will yield compensatory damages of some amount. Examples of compensatory damages include:

• Healthcare bills
• Lost income and benefits
• Lost future earnings
• Property damage
• Other direct financial losses such as child care and transportation
• Loss of consortium
• Pain and suffering
• Hedonic damages
• Emotional distress

Approximating a fair settlement value in these cases often involves complex formulas. For this reason, insurance companies can sometimes get away with paying low settlements to claimants who do not hire an attorney. As a client of Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, you can rest assured that we will account for all the damages you may be owed. Our attorneys have won substantial settlements and verdicts for clients in premises liability cases. If necessary, we will bring in medical and financial experts to assist with the damages calculations.

Set up a Free Case Assessment with a Moreno Valley Slip and Fall Lawyer

If you’re facing significant financial costs as a result of a slip and fall, you probably have a lot of questions. Our attorneys can provide the advice you need and help you plot the way forward. You won’t have to pay anything to speak with someone at our law firm, and we handle these cases on a contingency fee basis. Call 1-800-GO-HARRIS or send us a message to schedule a consultation.