California Slip and Fall Lawyers
Property owners have a legal duty to keep stores, apartments, sidewalks, and public spaces reasonably safe. When they do not, and someone gets hurt, the fall is not an accident. It is negligence. We preserve the video before it is deleted and prove the owner should have known. Free consultation. No fee unless we win.
What to Do Right Now
Stores clean the hazard within minutes and overwrite the video within days. The evidence has a short life.
Photograph the hazard
The spill, the uneven tile, the broken step, the lighting. From several angles, before it is fixed.
Report it and get a copy
Tell the manager and insist on a written incident report. Photograph it if they will not give you one.
Get witness contacts
Anyone who saw the fall or the condition of the floor before it.
Keep your shoes
Bag the footwear you were wearing and do not clean it. It is evidence of traction.
Get medical care
Falls cause head injuries and spinal trauma that show up later. Get checked the same day.
Call a lawyer before the adjuster
We send a preservation demand for the surveillance video immediately. Do not give a statement. 800-707-0707.
Why Notice Decides Slip and Fall Cases
Owners are not automatically liable for every fall. The case turns on whether they knew, or should have known, about the hazard.
Actual and constructive notice
Actual notice means the owner knew about the hazard. Constructive notice means the hazard was there long enough that a reasonable inspection would have found it. Either one is enough. Proving it is the whole case.
How we prove it
- Surveillance video showing how long the spill sat there, or that no one inspected the aisle for hours.
- Sweep and maintenance logs, and whether the timestamps match the video.
- Prior complaints and incident reports about the same stair, sidewalk, or floor.
- Slip-resistance testing of the flooring by an expert when the surface itself is the hazard.
Slip and Fall Cases We Handle
Who owns the property changes the insurance, the deadline, and the defense.
Grocery Stores and Retail
Spills, produce on the floor, and freshly mopped aisles at the big-box stores and shopping centers along Sunvalley and Broadway Plaza.
Apartment Complexes and Rentals
Broken stairs, missing handrails, bad lighting in stairwells and parking areas. Landlords are responsible for common areas.
Sidewalks and Government Property
Lifted concrete, potholes, and unmarked drop-offs on city sidewalks, county buildings, and BART stations.
Restaurants and Bars
Wet floors near kitchens and restrooms, dim lighting, and steps that are hard to see.
Parking Lots and Garages
Wheel stops, potholes, oil, and unlit ramps. Often owned by one company and maintained by another.
Workplaces and Construction Sites
Falls on a job site owned or controlled by someone other than your employer.
What the Property Owner's Insurer Will Say
Every slip and fall defense uses the same four moves. We have answers to all of them.
| The issue | The insurance approach | The Scranton approach |
|---|---|---|
| Notice | "We didn't know it was there" | Proving the hazard existed long enough to be found |
| Maintenance logs | A clean log produced after the fact | Timestamps checked against the video |
| Comparative negligence | "You should have been looking down" | Showing the hazard was hidden, not obvious |
| Video | "The cameras weren't working" | Preservation demand sent before the DVR overwrites |
Slip and Fall Settlement Ranges in California
Fall injuries range from bruises to spinal fusion, and the settlements range with them. Strength of the notice evidence matters almost as much as the injury.
Sprains, bruising, and soft tissue injuries that resolve with short treatment.
Fractures, torn ligaments, rotator cuff and knee injuries needing months of treatment.
Surgery, hip fractures, disc injuries, and lasting impairment.
Traumatic brain injury, spinal fusion, or permanent disability. Often limited by the owner's coverage.
What moves a case up or down the range
- How clearly notice can be proven
- Medical costs, past and future
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity
- Whether the insurer can credibly argue you should have seen it
- The owner's insurance coverage
- Permanence of the injury and effect on daily life
Ranges are illustrative and based on general experience with California premises liability claims. They are not a prediction for any individual case. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Premises Liability in Contra Costa County
We handle fall cases throughout Contra Costa County and Northern California: the retail centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, apartment complexes across the county, BART stations, and the county and city properties in Martinez. Lawsuits are filed at the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse in Martinez, where we file and try cases regularly.
Comparative negligence
Defense lawyers will almost always try to blame you: you should have seen it, you were on your phone, you were wearing the wrong shoes. California is a pure comparative negligence state. You can still recover even if you were partly at fault; your award is reduced by your share, not eliminated. We use lighting measurements, sight-line analysis, and expert testimony to show the hazard was not the obvious thing the insurer claims it was.
Deadlines
Under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, you generally have two years from the date of the fall to file a lawsuit. The video will be gone long before that.
Six-month government deadline: if you fell on public property, such as a city sidewalk, a county building, a public park, or a BART station, a formal written claim must be filed within six months. Miss it and the claim is gone.
Slip and fall lawyers near you
"Big retailers have people ready to sweep up the evidence within minutes of a fall. They count on you feeling embarrassed and assuming it was your fault. It usually was not. Our firm was built 50 years ago to stop exactly that. We know how they hide maintenance logs, and we know how to make them take responsibility for the harm they caused."
What to Expect When You Hire Us
Premises cases are won or lost on evidence preservation. We manage every stage.
Free case review
You call or send the form. We review where you fell, what caused it, and who owns and maintains the property, and tell you plainly whether there is a claim.
Evidence preservation
We serve the owner with a demand to preserve surveillance video and maintenance records, and interview witnesses before the defense reaches them.
Medical care coordination
Orthopedic and neurological specialists who understand fall injuries, many on a lien basis so you pay nothing while the case is pending.
Demand and negotiation
A demand covering medical costs, future care, lost wages, and pain and suffering, backed by the notice evidence.
Litigation and trial
If the owner's insurer will not pay fair value, we file suit. Fifty years in Northern California courts is the leverage.
Resolution and payment
We resolve liens and paperwork and get your money to you quickly. You pay nothing unless we win.
The Attorneys Who Handle Your Case
Frequently Asked Questions
What is actual or constructive notice?
Actual notice means the owner knew the hazard was there. Constructive notice means the hazard was present long enough that a reasonable inspection would have found it. Proving notice is usually the key to winning a slip and fall case in California.
What if there was a caution sign?
A sign does not automatically protect the owner. If the sign was poorly placed, hard to see, or the hazard was dangerous enough that a sign was not a reasonable fix, you may still have a valid claim.
Can I still recover if I was looking at my phone?
Yes. California uses pure comparative negligence. Even if you were partly distracted, the property owner is still responsible for the share of the accident caused by their failure to keep the property safe. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, not eliminated.
How long do I have to file a slip and fall claim in California?
Two years from the date of the fall under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If you fell on government property, such as a city sidewalk, a county building, or a BART station, a formal government claim must be filed within six months.
What evidence do you need to win a slip and fall case?
Surveillance footage, maintenance and sweep logs, incident reports, prior complaints about the same hazard, witness statements, your footwear, and in some cases expert slip-resistance testing of the flooring.
Should I give a statement to the property's insurance company?
No. Adjusters are trained to lead you into saying the hazard was obvious or that you were not paying attention. Let your lawyer handle all communication.
What if the hazard was open and obvious?
The open and obvious defense is the owner's claim that they had no duty to warn about something anyone would have seen. We counter it by showing the hazard was unavoidable, hidden by lighting or conditions, or more dangerous than it appeared.
How much does a slip and fall lawyer cost?
We work on a contingency fee. You pay $0 upfront, and we only get paid if we recover money for you. If we do not win, you owe us nothing.
Hurt in a Fall? Tell Us What Happened.
An attorney reviews your details and calls you back. The sooner we send the video preservation demand, the better.
Or call 800-707-0707- 100% confidential
- No fee unless we win
- Available 24/7, English and Spanish
Got it. We'll call you shortly.
While you wait:
- Do not give the property's insurer a statement.
- Keep the shoes you were wearing, uncleaned.
- Write down the store, the time, and who you spoke to.
The Video Gets Overwritten. Call Before It Does.
Do not let a property owner blame you for their negligence. Get a free case review from a Northern California slip and fall lawyer today.
Attorney Advertising. Scranton Law Firm, 2450 Stanwell Dr, Concord, CA 94520. Responsible attorney: Christian Scranton, California State Bar #196959. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.