Premises Liability
At the California law firm of Needham, Kepner, Fish & Jones, we assist people throughout San Jose and the Bay Area who have suffered broken bones, hip replacements, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries due to slipping and falling because of an unsafe condition on another's property.
Property owners and managers have a legal duty to keep their property reasonably safe. This includes inspecting the property from time to time, performing regular maintenance, repairing dangers, and posting adequate warnings of any remaining hazards. If the property owner knew or should have known of a dangerous condition and neither fixed the situation nor provided adequate warning of its existence, victims injured because of the condition are eligible to seek recovery for their injuries in a premises liability action.
Examples of dangerous hazards that can give rise to a premises liability case include:
- Spills
- Obstructions on stairs
- Poorly-maintained sidewalks or walkways
- Malfunctioning elevators or escalators
- Collapsing decks
- Exposed wiring
- Premises allowed to fall into disrepair
- Failure to maintain common areas in mobile home developments
Time is of the Essence
Gathering evidence as quickly as possible after an incident can be critical to proving a premises liability case. Often, the dangerous condition is easily fixable, and it can be difficult to establish how long certain hazards, such as spills, were present. At Needham, Kepner, Fish & Jones, we are fully committed to investigating your claim to uncover all available evidence, consulting with experts, and fully examining the accident site whenever necessary.
Timing is especially important in cases where someone other than the property owner created the hazard, such as a shopper dropping something in a grocery store or a diner spilling something in a restaurant. In these cases, the owner has a reasonable amount of time to clean the hazard, so it is important for us to find out the time that elapsed between the creation of the unsafe condition and the accident that caused the injury.
Seek Experienced Legal Counsel
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury from slipping and falling or due to another dangerous condition on someone else's property, it is important to consult with experienced attorneys as soon as possible so that we can begin investigating the accident and preserving all relevant evidence. To schedule a free consultation, contact Needham, Kepner, Fish & Jones today.
