In legal terms, slip and fall accidents fall under the umbrella of premises liability law. So do elevator or escalator accidents, animal bites, sidewalk trip and falls, swimming pool drownings, amusement park accidents, and assaults resulting from negligent security. What all these scenarios have in common is that the property owner or some other responsible party was negligent in addressing a dangerous condition that was present.
Under California law, a property owner can be held liable for having caused a victim’s injuries even if they did not know about the existence of the hazard in question, as long as it is reasonable that they should have.
Huh?
For example, a landlord can be held responsible for any injuries resulting from an uneven sidewalk on their property in spite of being unaware of it. However, if a dangerous condition developed only recently, as is often the case in slip and fall accidents, it may not be reasonable to assume that the person responsible for the property should have known about it. For instance, a customer who slips on a spilled beverage may not be able to hold the store owner liable for their injuries if the spill occurred only a few seconds prior to an accident.
To learn more about your rights as a plaintiff in a slip and fall case or other premises liability-related suit, contact an experienced injury attorney at Hales & Associates, Attorneys today.