California Slip and Fall Accidents Can Have Serious Consequences

San Diego, CAAs far as accidents go, California slip and fall accidents might not seem like a big deal. After all, slip and fall accidents happen all the time. The problem is when a serious California slip and fall injury occurs. Not all California slip and fall accidents are minor—some can result in serious injuries.

For some people, a California slip and fall injury is a life-changing event. In serious cases, back, neck and head injuries can occur, not to mention broken bones. If the California slip and fall accident happened on someone else's premises and that person had a legal responsibility to keep those premises reasonably free from hazards or harm, a California slip and fall lawsuit can be filed to recover medical costs, pain and suffering, and lost wages and other expenses.

Slip and fall accidents happen all over the US. One lawsuit was filed in New Orleans against grocery chain Winn Dixie Montgomery Inc., after a customer suffered a slip and fall injury. The plaintiff seeks more than $2.5 million for injuries sustained when she slipped on a foreign substance on the floor.

According to The Louisiana Record (12/17/10), the plaintiff alleges that Winn Dixie is negligent for failing to provide a safe place to shop and failing to properly maintain its aisles. The victim claims she suffered a severe injury to her back and mind as a result of the accident.

Meanwhile, Onondaga County has agreed to pay $75,000 to a woman who alleged she was injured while walking on county-owned property. According to The Post-Standard (12/08/10), the victim, Kristen Rickert, sued the county for $250,000 after she fell and fractured both her feet and one ankle. The plaintiff also filed a lawsuit against a company that was responsible for construction on the sidewalk, but that lawsuit was dismissed.

California slip and fall victims could have their lives forever changed by a slip and fall injury. To win a California slip and fall lawsuit, victims must show that the defendant—usually the owner and/or operator of the premises—either caused a dangerous condition or knew, or should have known, about the dangerous condition but did not take proper action to fix it. California slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere on a property, including outside, where accidents are often caused by cracked sidewalks or potholes in the ground, or in a building, where wet floors and torn carpet can cause a slip and fall.

If the courts find that the owner and/or operator of a property is legally responsible for injury to the victim, the victim could recover medical expenses, lost wages and other costs related to the accident.