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Santa Barbara Slip-and-Fall Attorneys

Who Should You Call If You’re the Victim of a Serious Fall in Santa Barbara?

Slips, trips, and falls are among the most common injury-causing accidents throughout the United States. We might not have to worry about snow and ice in Southern California, but there are still plenty of opportunities for falls, from the poolside to a construction site to a grocery store.

Suffering a slip-and-fall in Santa Barbara can be devastating, as these accidents often cause serious injuries that require a great deal of time and money to recover from. They can also be embarrassing, because the image of a person falling is so often used in comedy.

If you have fallen, there is no reason to feel embarrassed or foolish. Slip-and-falls account for over one million emergency room visits every year, and are the leading cause of workers’ compensation claims in the United States. Do not suffer in silence; call a Santa Barbara premises liability lawyer at NordstrandBlack PC at (866) 298-2041. Tell us what happened, and we will discuss your legal options. Your consultation is free.


Slip, Trip and Fall Case Results

  • Confidential Settlement - Premises Liability - Fall at a Big-Box Store
  • $295,000 Settlement - Premises Liability - Grocery Store Trip and Fall
  • $225,000 Settlement - Premises Liability - Fall in Parking Lot
  • $181,250 Settlement - Premises Liability - Fall in Big-box Store
  • $105,000 Mediation Settlement - Premises Liability - Slip and Fall on Black Ice

∗ Selected cases listed. Every case is different. Past case results are not a guarantee, and similar results may not be obtained in your case. View more case results here.


Is a Trip-and-Fall the Same Thing?

Falls are among the most common accidents in America; they are the third leading cause of unintentional deaths (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Frequently, a fall occurs because someone failed to repair something or left an object in a walkway. Though slip-and-falls and trip-and-falls are similar, there is a subtle difference:

  • Slips: People fall because a surface is slippery and they lose traction while walking on it. A person's shoes may lack traction on smooth surfaces, or a person may slip due to excessive water or ice on a walkway. Slips are serious risks both inside and outdoors - particularly when the weather is poor.
  • Trips: A trip occurs when a person's foot strikes an object that causes the person to stumble forward or fall. If an apartment complex manager leaves a bag of garbage on a stairway, and a tenant trips over it and falls down the stairs, that is an example of a trip-and-fall.

Trip-and-falls are among the most common workplace accidents in the United States. Tripping hazards are common in many professions, particularly in retail environments where excess inventory may be placed on the ground, and on construction sites where materials are strewn everywhere. Employers must ensure their workplace is cleaned and maintained to minimize the risk of trip-and-falls to their employees. For example, in an office building, electronic cords should be gathered and tucked out of walkways. Cords are a common tripping hazard and also present the risk of electrical injury.

Where Do Slip-and-Fall Accident Usually Happen?

Falls can happen anywhere, but there are a few locations you should keep in mind and be extra careful around. These include:

  • Swimming Pools: Wet pavement around swimming pools is notoriously hazardous. You should always be careful around a pool - walk, don’t run. Property owners should make these areas as slip-resistant as possible and place clear warnings where people can see them.
  • Rainy Sidewalks: Damaged or obstructed sidewalks already present a trip-and-fall hazard, but especially so when they are wet. Rain, lawn sprinklers, or even runoff can turn a sidewalk into a slippery trap. This is even more dangerous if it has not rained for awhile, as dust and dirt on the sidewalk can mix with falling rain, making the sidewalk even more slippery.
  • Stairways: Falls on stairways are extremely serious and far too common. Always use a handrail when going up or down stairs. Property owners must make sure their stairs are properly maintained, in good condition, and well-lit at night.
  • Business Entrances: Entryways in stores can be very dangerous, especially if it is raining and people are tracking water into the store. Each business must make a reasonable effort to keep these areas safe for customers by placing mats down and mopping as necessary to remove water or slip hazards.
  • Grocery Stores: Stores display merchandise so as to draw a shopper’s attention to an item. This often causes shoppers to miss dangerous conditions such as a protruding pallet, something left in an aisle, or an obstacle on the floor, causing a shopper to slip and fall.

What Injuries Do People Get From Slip-and-Falls?

The most common injuries we see in slip-and-fall accidents include:

  • Lacerations: Cuts can be serious due to both blood loss and the potential for infection. Minor scrapes might not need more than antibacterial treatment and a bandage, but serious cuts typically require disinfection, stitches or glue, and antibiotics or a shot to prevent infection.
  • Broken Bones: Broken bones are painful and often require months of recovery time. Medical attention should always be sought whenever it seems like a bone might be broken in a slip-and-fall accident.
  • Spinal Cord Injuries: Damage to the spinal cord is one of the worst injuries possible in a slip-and-fall. Spinal injuries often cause intense pain, which can require lengthy treatment or surgery to relieve. Severe spinal injuries can also cause partial or complete paralysis.
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries: Injuries to the head and brain are incredibly serious and extremely common in falls. Brain damage can lead to changes in a victim’s lifestyle, major disabilities, and instant or delayed death in some cases.

A person might slip on a step and fall down the stairs - but it is possible that one of the steps was in disrepair. A customer who trips over merchandise left in the aisles of a retail store may be able to hold a storeowner liable for negligence. A person who trips on a misplaced wheel stop may also be entitled to compensation.

Who Is Liable for a Fall?

When a person falls, it is important to look at what happened and see if the accident occurred due to someone else's negligence. For example, a property owner who failed to replace a light in a stairway, a friend who pushed you into a pool, and a business that did not clean up water in an entryway could all be potentially liable for injuries that you suffered.

Take action and call our Santa Barbara slip-and-fall attorneys at NordstrandBlack PC to discuss your situation and discover what options are available to you. We will investigate your case to discover all the liable parties and sources of compensation for your recovery. Call (866) 298-2041 for a free consultation today.

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