Premises Liability Lawsuit in California
Premises Liability Lawyers in Los Angeles Working with Clients Who Have Been Hurt in Accidents on the Property of Others
Accidents can happen anywhere, and many are preventable. For those involved in premises accidents caused by someone else's negligence, the aftermath can be overwhelming. You may be facing physical pain, emotional turmoil, or mounting financial burdens from medical bills and missed work.
The law in California recognizes these challenges and seeks to hold property owners and managers responsible for maintaining safe conditions. When they fail in this responsibility, and someone gets hurt as a result, legal options are available to pursue justice and compensation.

At Injury Justice Law Firm, we understand the serious and often life-altering consequences of these accidents. Our role is not just to provide legal representation but also to guide you through the complex legal process, ensuring you get the compensation you need to be whole.
In California, the law of premises liability requires property owners to maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition and warn guests and visitors of possible dangers that may not already be open and obvious.
Simply put, premises liability is the area of law that allows people who have been injured in accidents caused by unreasonably dangerous conditions on the property of others to recover for their losses. The hazards that can cause serious accidents can vary widely, as can the types of accidents themselves.
Liability cases can arise in various settings, from private homes to shopping malls, government buildings, restaurants, bars, schools, and libraries. This diversity of situations means we understand the unique challenges you may be facing, and we're here to help.
What is critical for victims to understand is that when these types of incidents result from a property owner's negligence, they can often recover for their injuries by filing a California premises liability claim.
Given the complexity of these legal actions, anyone injured on another's property must consult a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer. Immediate action can greatly influence the outcome of your case, so don't delay in seeking the help you need.
Understanding Reasonable Duty of Care
Under California law, property owners and managers owe visitors a “reasonable duty of care.” This means they must take appropriate steps to ensure their property is safe for visitors, depending on the relationship between the property owner and the injured party.
For instance, an owner has a greater level of responsibility if the injured person was invited onto the property for business reasons—like a customer at a store. However, even social guests or casual visitors are entitled to reasonable protections.
Essentially, property owners must address known hazards in a timely manner, minimize risks, and warn visitors about dangers that aren't immediately obvious. Failing to uphold this responsibility can lead to injuries, creating grounds for a premises liability claim.
Common Types of Premises Accidents
Premises liability cases arise as a result of various dangerous conditions on either public or private property, such as hotel injury claims, gym accidents, playground accidents, amusement parks, and dangerous property conditions.
Some examples of such conditions include uneven pavements, loose steps, slippery floors, sidewalk accidents, falling merchandise, defective elevators or escalators, garage doors, dram shop, floor or building collapse, leaking water, toxic fumes, nail sticking out, porch collapse, balcony defects, and stairways.
Due to inadequate maintenance, many different types of accidents can occur on another party's property, such as the following:
- Slips and falls—Many hazardous conditions may cause you to slip and fall while you are in a store or on another person's property. Overly worn floors or carpets, wet floor spills that are not cleaned up promptly, overly waxed flooring surfaces, and debris on the ground can all cause slips and falls. Slip and fall accidents can cause surprisingly serious injuries, including concussions and other brain injuries, broken hips, and other bones. These are among the most frequent premises liability cases.
- Trips and falls—Similar to slips and falls, tripping over something can also cause you to fall and sustain serious and lasting injuries that require medical attention. Some conditions that can cause you to trip and fall include electrical cords that are not properly secured and objects in walkways, ramps, or steps without warning.
- Trip Hazards Caused by Poor Maintenance—Cracked sidewalks, loose carpeting, and broken railings are examples of hazards caused by neglected maintenance.
- Falls from heights—Falls from heights can occur in a variety of settings. For example, many shopping centers have open areas that allow visitors to look down into an atrium or other floors below. If a railing were to fail or be unreasonably short, a visitor could fall from one floor to another and sustain serious injury.
- Swimming pool accidents—These are a common source of premises liability cases. Some common scenarios in which they arise include unsecured swimming pools, lack of signage indicating that there is no lifeguard on duty, inadequate supervision of swimming pool guests, defective swimming pool equipment, or negligent maintenance of the swimming pool.
- Dog bites—A dog owner's responsibility includes ensuring their animal doesn't pose a danger to others. If a dog bites someone on their property, the owner may be held accountable.
- Construction site accidents— Construction sites are often filled with hazards that can cause serious injury. When they are the result of someone else's negligence, however, victims can recover compensation for their losses. Some of the hazards that may exist at an active construction site that are often the result of negligence include unmarked open heights, heavy machinery, poorly constructed scaffolds, crane accidents, ladder accidents, roofing accidents, defective fall safety equipment, and unfinished guardrails along open heights.
No matter the type of accident, the key factor in these cases is whether the property owner failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the hazard that caused the injuries.
What Injuries May Occur in Premises Accidents?
The injuries sustained in premises accidents can vary widely, depending on the nature of the hazard and the circumstances of the incident. Some common injuries include:
- Fractures and Broken Bones: Slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents often result in broken bones, especially in vulnerable areas like wrists, ankles, or hips.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs): A hard fall or impact to the head can lead to concussions or more severe brain injuries, which may cause long-term complications.
- Spinal Cord Damage: Falls and other accidents can result in spinal cord injuries, potentially leading to paralysis or chronic pain.
- Burns: Faulty electrical systems, hot surfaces, or fires on a property can lead to severe burns that may require extensive medical care.
How We Determine Liability in Premises Accidents
Depending on the cause of the accident and depending on whether any laws were violated or negligence occurred, you may be entitled to more than just compensation for the medical bills, including compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and future rehabilitation.
Sometimes, the property owner is liable for these damages, or if the rental property was leased, the tenant may be liable. A prompt investigation is required to determine the cause of the accident and the party responsible, such as a landlord.
Proving liability in a premises accident case often requires a detailed investigation. Establishing fault is crucial, and this involves gathering evidence to show that the property owner or manager failed in their duty of care. Here's how we typically approach this process:
- Evaluating the Hazard: We assess the specific dangerous condition that led to your accident. Was it something the property owner should have known about or reasonably anticipated?
- Investigating Negligence: We examine whether the owner took appropriate steps to fix the hazard or warn people about it. Negligence might be evident, for example, if there were no warning signs for a wet floor or if maintenance issues had been ignored for an extended period.
- Reviewing Records: Maintenance logs, inspection reports, and similar documentation can provide important insight into how the property was managed.
- Documenting the Accident: Evidence such as photographs, video surveillance footage, witness statements, and medical records plays a critical role in strengthening your claim.
Understanding liability in premises accidents can be complex, but these steps provide a clear framework to hold negligent parties accountable.
We Fight To Protect The Rights Of The Injured
In premises liability cases, evidence may become lost or destroyed over time. Witnesses forget the details and become unavailable. Insurance companies will do their best to pressure, scare, or intimidate you into accepting a lower settlement than you might be entitled to.

So it is important to contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after the accident occurred. We will conduct an immediate investigation into your case and make sure that all evidence is preserved to maximize your chance of prevailing and obtaining the maximum possible recovery.
Accidents that happen on the property of others often entitle victims to significant compensation for their injuries. For this reason, anyone hurt in an accident caused by a hazardous condition on public or private property should speak to an attorney as soon as possible.
We are committed to providing zealous representation to injury victims and understand how to get our clients the maximum compensation they deserve. Contact our law office for a free consultation. Our law firm is based in Los Angeles, CA. We speak English, Russian, Spanish, or Armenian.
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