Automobile Accidents
Car, SUV and rideshare collisions, rear end and intersection crashes, pedestrian and bicycle injuries, and uninsured motorist claims.
Car accident lawyerSlip, Trip & Fall Injuries · Beverly Hills
Slip and Fall Lawyer in Beverly Hills
Property owners and businesses have responsibilities when dangerous conditions create an unreasonable risk of harm. Falls involving wet floors, broken stairs, uneven walkways, poor lighting, loose flooring, missing handrails, or other hazards can cause lasting injuries. Merabi Law investigates before the evidence disappears.
Nearly a decade of California legal experience
Former in house counsel, she knows the other side
Free confidential case review
Premises Liability
Hurt because a property was not reasonably maintained?
"If you were hurt because a property was not reasonably maintained, contact Merabi Law for a confidential case review."
Merabi Law investigates how the condition developed, who knew or should have known about it, whether warnings were provided, and how the injury has affected the client's health and daily life. Evidence can disappear quickly, making prompt investigation important.
Shannon Merabi, Esq. spent much of her career as in house counsel, and she knows what happens on the owner's side after a fall. The incident report is written to protect the business. Footage is kept on a short loop. The manager remembers that the floor had "just been mopped." Merabi Law moves before those versions harden into the file.
Falls on rental property overlap with the firm's habitability practice: a broken apartment stairway is both a dangerous condition and a landlord's failure to maintain. Fall injuries are part of the firm's personal injury practice.
Where Falls Happen
Who is responsible, and what they had to do.
California holds a property owner or occupier responsible for injuries caused by a dangerous condition it knew about, or should have discovered through reasonable inspection, and failed to fix or warn about. The setting shapes the evidence.
Retail and restaurantsWet floors, spills and produceStores must inspect regularly and clean promptly. Sweep logs and footage of the aisle before the fall show how long the hazard sat there.
Apartment buildingsStairs, railings, lighting and walkwaysLandlords must keep common areas safe. Broken steps, loose railings and burned out lights in a rental building are both premises hazards and habitability failures.
Parking lots and sidewalksUneven pavement, potholes and wheel stopsRaised concrete, unmarked wheel stops and poor lighting cause serious falls. Quick measurements and photographs establish the defect before it is patched.
Offices and commercial buildingsLobbies, elevators and loose matsPolished floors, mats that slide, elevator misleveling and unmarked level changes injure visitors with every right to be there.
Construction and maintenanceCords, debris and missing warningsWork areas open to the public must be cordoned and marked. Debris and cables with no warning are negligence by the contractor and the owner.
Public propertyGovernment owned sidewalks and buildingsClaims against a city, county or state agency generally require a written government claim within six months. The deadline is strict.
Free Case Review
The footage is being overwritten. Call before it is gone.
Surveillance systems keep video for days, not months. A free case review starts the preservation demand the same day.
How a Premises Case Is Built
Notice, hazard, injury: proven in that order.
A fall case turns on what the owner knew and when. Merabi Law builds the record around notice first, where the defense pushes hardest.
- 1Preserves the scenePhotos and video of the hazard, measurements of the defect, the lighting at that time of day, and the footwear and clothing worn.
- 2Demands preservation of footage and recordsA written demand to the owner and manager for surveillance video, the incident report, and maintenance and cleaning logs before they are discarded.
- 3Establishes noticeHow long the hazard existed, who inspected and when, prior complaints and prior falls, and whether any warning was posted.
- 4Interviews witnesses and first respondersEmployees, other customers and paramedics, before the owner's version is the only one on paper.
- 5Documents the injury and its effect on daily lifeMedical records and bills, the recovery timeline, missed work and the activities the client can no longer do.
- 6Demands, then litigates if neededA focused demand supported by the file, and a lawsuit when a fair resolution is refused. Major decisions are made with the client.
What To Do After a Fall
What you do in the first hour matters.
The owner's version of the fall starts forming as soon as you are helped up. These steps keep the truth on record.
Report it and get the report
Tell the manager or owner on the spot and ask that an incident report be written. Ask for a copy, or at least the report number and the name of the person who took it. A refusal is evidence too.
Photograph the hazard before it is cleaned up
Take wide shots that show where the hazard sits and close ups of the substance, the defect or the missing warning. Photograph the lighting, any signage, and your shoes. A spill is mopped within minutes; the photos are often the only proof.
Get names
Employees who saw the fall or the hazard, customers who stopped to help, and anyone who says "that has been like that for weeks." A name taken at the scene can decide the notice question a year later.
Get medical care and keep what you wore
See a doctor the same day and describe exactly how you fell. Keep the shoes and clothing unwashed; the defense will argue footwear caused the fall, and the actual shoes answer that argument.
Do not give a recorded statement or sign a release
The owner's insurer may offer to cover a medical bill in exchange for a signature. That signature ends the claim. Refer the call to Merabi Law, which reviews the facts for free and, once retained, handles every conversation with the insurer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers, no jargon.
If your question is not here, ask it in a free, confidential case review.
Ask Your QuestionWhat do I have to prove in a slip and fall case?
That the owner or occupier controlled the property, that a dangerous condition existed, that they knew or should have known about it and failed to fix it or warn about it, and that it caused the injury. Notice is the contested piece, proven with footage, logs, prior complaints and witnesses.
What if there was a wet floor sign?
A sign is one fact, not a complete defense. Where it stood, whether it was visible from the direction of travel, and whether the hazard extended beyond it all matter. Photograph the sign and the spill together.
What if I fell in my own apartment building?
A landlord must keep stairways, hallways, walkways and lighting in common areas reasonably safe. A fall caused by a broken step or a dark stairwell can be both a premises liability claim and a habitability claim, and Merabi Law handles both.
How long do I have to file a slip and fall claim in California?
Generally two years from the date of injury, and a written government claim within six months when the property belongs to a public entity. Exceptions exist in both directions, so get advice early.
How quickly should I contact a lawyer after an injury?
As soon as reasonably possible. Deadlines apply, evidence can disappear, memories can fade, and special rules may apply to claims involving government entities or other parties.
How much is my case worth?
No ethical attorney can promise a result before evaluating the evidence. Potential value depends on the severity and duration of the conditions or injuries, documented losses, available defendants and insurance, legal defenses, and many other factors.
Practice Areas
Standing up for the injured.
Slip, trip and fall injuries are one part of the firm's injury practice, beside its signature work for California tenants.
Personal Injury
Automobile collisions, falls on unsafe property and other preventable injuries. The full impact documented before any insurer names a number.
Personal injury lawyer
Signature practiceTenant Habitability
Mold, leaks, pests, sewage, no heat or hot water, unsafe wiring, structural dangers and repeated failures to repair. Merabi Law investigates what the landlord knew, when, and what was actually done.
Tenant rights attorneyBeverly Hills · Serving All of California
Tell Merabi Law what happened.
Request a free, confidential case review or call the office. Someone will respond, usually the same business day.