Hurt in a Slip and Fall? The Property Owner May Be Responsible.
Attorney Advertising. This article was prepared with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by Oaks Law Firm prior to publication.
A fall can happen in seconds — in a store, a parking lot, an apartment building, or on a public sidewalk — and leave you with injuries that change everything. California law requires property owners to keep their premises reasonably safe. Oaks Law Firm investigates what went wrong and deals with the insurance companies so you can focus on healing. The consultation is free and there is no obligation.
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A team that knows you by name, not by case number
Oaks Law Firm was founded in 2002 by attorney Matthew Nezhad on a simple idea: injured people deserve to be listened to, kept informed, and treated with genuine care while their case is fought hard. More than two decades later, that is still how this team works.
Slip and fall cases are often dismissed by insurers as "just a fall." We know better — these injuries can mean surgeries, lost work, and months of recovery. From the first free consultation through the final resolution, we investigate thoroughly, communicate plainly, and stand between you and the insurance companies.
- Founded in 2002 — serving injured Californians for over two decades
- Offices in Sherman Oaks and Woodland Hills, with clients across LA County and statewide
- If you're too injured to come to us, we can come to you
What should I do after a slip and fall in California?
Get medical care, report the fall to the property owner or manager and ask for a written incident report, photograph the hazard before it's cleaned up, get witness information, keep the shoes and clothes you were wearing — and talk to an attorney before giving the insurer a recorded statement.
Get medical care right away
Falls can cause fractures, head injuries, and back injuries that worsen over days. Prompt treatment protects your health and creates a record connecting your injuries to the fall.
Report it and get an incident report
Tell the store manager, property owner, or landlord what happened and ask for a written incident report — and a copy. Don't sign anything else.
Photograph the hazard immediately
The spill, broken step, torn carpet, or missing sign will be cleaned or fixed fast. Photos of the hazard, the lighting, and the surrounding area are often the most important evidence in the case.
Get witness names and numbers
Anyone who saw you fall — or saw the hazard before you did — can make the difference when the property owner claims it "just happened."
Keep your shoes and clothing
Insurers often blame the victim's footwear. Preserve what you were wearing, unwashed, exactly as it was.
Talk to a lawyer before the insurer
You are not required to give the property owner's insurance company a recorded statement. A free consultation lets you understand your rights first.
When is a property owner liable for a fall in California?
Under California premises liability law, property owners and businesses must use reasonable care to keep their property safe — and they can be held responsible when they knew, or should have known, about a dangerous condition and failed to fix it or warn about it.
The heart of most slip and fall cases is notice: did the owner know about the hazard, or should they have discovered it through reasonable inspections? A spill that sat on a supermarket floor for an hour tells a very different story than one that happened seconds before the fall. Evidence like surveillance footage, cleaning and inspection logs, and prior complaints often decides this question — and that evidence can disappear quickly, which is why acting promptly matters.
Falls happen in many settings, and the responsible party varies: a business tenant, a property owner, a landlord, a homeowners association, a maintenance contractor — or, for falls on public sidewalks and government property, a city or public agency. Identifying every responsible party is a core part of the investigation.
California follows pure comparative negligence, which means being partly at fault doesn't automatically bar you from recovering — your compensation is reduced by your percentage of responsibility. Insurers know this and routinely argue the injured person "wasn't watching where they were going." How the evidence is gathered and presented often determines how that argument lands.
Depending on the facts, California law allows injured people to pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost income, reduced earning capacity, and non-economic harms such as pain and suffering. No article can tell you what your case is worth — that depends entirely on your specific facts.
How long do I have to file a slip and fall claim in California?
Most California slip and fall injury claims must be filed within two years of the date of injury under Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 — but if the fall happened on government property, a formal written claim must generally be presented within just six months under Government Code § 911.2.
The government deadline matters more in fall cases than almost anywhere else, because so many falls happen on public property — city sidewalks, public buildings, schools, parks, and transit stations. In those cases, a formal claim must generally be presented within six months of the incident, before any lawsuit can even be filed. Miss it, and the claim can be lost entirely.
The practical clock runs even faster: surveillance footage is often overwritten within days or weeks, the hazard gets repaired, and inspection logs get harder to obtain. Because deadlines can vary depending on who is responsible and the specific facts involved, the safest step is to confirm your deadline with an attorney as soon as possible after a fall.
Why choose Oaks Law Firm for your slip and fall case?
We move fast on evidence
Surveillance footage, inspection logs, and the hazard itself disappear quickly in fall cases. We act promptly to preserve what proves your claim.
We deal with the insurers
From the first call to the final resolution, our team handles communications, investigation, and negotiation — so adjusters' tactics don't fall on your shoulders while you recover.
Contingency-fee representation
You owe no attorney's fees unless we recover compensation for you. Case costs and expenses are separate from attorney's fees and are explained clearly in your written fee agreement before we begin.
Common questions after a fall
I fell in a store and they made me fill out a form. Was that a mistake?
The insurance company says I should have been watching where I was going. Do I still have a case?
I fell on a public sidewalk. Is that different?
What does it cost to hire Oaks Law Firm?
Talk to a California Slip and Fall Lawyer — For Free
If you or someone you love was hurt in a fall anywhere in California, you deserve clear answers about your rights, your deadlines, and your options. There is no cost and no obligation to find out where you stand.
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