Think back to your early childhood days. Maybe you were in middle school. Think about an embarrassing moment. This may not have been your experience, but many who slipped and fell while at school know the trauma of facing the laughter as you got back up. Maybe your books spilled everywhere as you fell walking to your locker. Maybe you were at lunch and the food splattered across the floor. Maybe you hit your knee. Maybe you bruised your elbow. Whatever really happened there are two things: 1) you wish you were never born at the moment and 2) you wanted to get up and leave as fast as possible.
Let’s fast forward to the present day. You are older, you’ve got a family, you’ve got a good job, and you are on your way with a group of friends to a local town festival. While on the way you trip over a tree limb growing underneath the sidewalk. The fall was harder than the one you experienced in the 7th grade. This time its harder for you to get up. This time you need the help of a medic team to help regain focus. Our Los Angeles Slip and Fall Attorneys at Compass Law Group know the story. We have seen the victims. Slip and falls are funny to hear about in theory, but in reality, they can cause serious damage to the head, back, wrists, arms, knees, and ankles.
The City Knows
Slip and falls are no laughing matter and the city knows. In fact, the city budgets for lawsuits against them. For example, in March 2018, the Los Angeles City Council Budget and Financial committee considered paying $3 million in damages to a woman who slipped and fell while walking the city sidewalk.
Holli Breakerfield hit her head hard after hitting the pavement. She was riding on the back of her friend when he tripped and fell causing her to fall off of him and onto the ground. Breakerfield’s lawyers successfully argued that the friend tripped over “a pattern of defects”. The lawsuit came at a time where the city was granted approval for a plan of $1.4 billion to fix the city’s broken sidewalks. This plan was initiated by disability advocates. It is also a reaction to the increase of lawsuits from people who are getting hurt while walking the city sidewalks. In 2017 alone, the city paid $19 million in damages for a slip and falls on city streets. The city sidewalk responsible for Breakfield’s injury was cited for lack of lighting, lack of warning about ridges, jagged edges, and “strewn with leaves”.
What To Do
Slip and falls with serious injury are no joke. If you or someone you love is injured due to a slip and fall on someone’s property you need to seek legal assistance. Our Los Angeles Slip and Fall Attorneys are standing by.
