In California, property owners are liable for injuries on their premises, if there is a defect that causes a person to fall, or if they know of a dangerous condition and failed to take prompt action. At Callaway & Wolf, our slip and fall cases have included trips on slippery or defective stairs, food, water, or other things left on floors, and sidewalk falls. Other cases have involved places where the California building code requires a railing, such as stairs, or simply the failure to provide enough lighting, or to sweep regularly.

California law recognizes that when there is a window display, or goods on shelves in stores, people will not be looking down. This means that you are not held responsible for a fall just because you were not looking down to see where every step was going. Store owners are required to inspect their floors regularly during open hours to be sure that there is nothing there that could cause a fall.

Many California slip and fall injury cases are caused by sidewalks, where some sections are raised up, causing a tripping hazard. See our Sidewalk Falls section for detailed information about these cases.

Many California property owners and stores have a type of no-fault insurance called “Medical Payments,” which can pay some of your medical bills–up to a set amount–even if the owner disputes that they are responsible for the fall. This can provide you a way to be paid for some of your bills even before you reach a settlement.

California has a two-year statute of limitations for slip and fall injuries. This is the time in which your case must be settled, or filed in court. This time limit shrinks to six months if the state or a city is responsible.

Even though you may have plenty of time before your time limit is up, Callaway & Wolf can help guide you through the process from day one, helping to insure that the proper groundwork is done for your claim.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a slip and fall accident in California, click here for a free consultation or call 415-541-0300 to speak to a California lawyer experienced in handling slip and fall injury claims.