Are you dealing with any of this?
You slipped on a spill in a supermarket
Water, oil, or dropped produce on the floor near the produce section or a freezer, with no warning sign. You went down and hurt your wrist or hip.
Staff only asked you to fill out a form
An employee helped you up and handed you a form to sign, but could not say whether anyone would pay and did not give you a copy.
Broken stairs or dark hallways at your apartment
Loose steps, a broken handrail, or a stairwell light that stays out. You told management long ago, and then you fell on those stairs.
A pothole or uneven pavement in a parking lot
Potholes or raised pavement in a store or restaurant lot, and poor lighting at night. One wrong step and you tripped.
A fall on a sidewalk or in a government building
A sidewalk pushed up by tree roots, or a fall inside city hall or a library. The deadline to claim against the government is short, and many people do not know it.
You were attacked in a parking lot or complex
Robbed or assaulted in a shopping center lot or apartment complex. If trouble was common there and the property did not provide proper lighting, gates, or security, it may share responsibility.
How we help
Once you hire us, calls and letters from the business, the property manager, and the insurer come to us, so you can focus on recovering.
We talk to the business and the insurer for you
We handle the adjuster's calls and letters. You do not have to deal with them in English or worry that something you say will be used against you.
We demand the video and records be kept
We send written notice early asking the store, mall, or property manager to keep the video, the incident report, and that day's cleaning and inspection records.
We find who is responsible and every insurance policy
We work out whether the store, the mall owner, the property manager, the landlord, or a cleaning or maintenance company controlled the spot, then find every policy that could pay.
We collect your medical records and bills
We gather ER, imaging, surgery, and therapy records and bills, and count future treatment and lost income too.
We deal with your medical balances
Before the money is divided, we negotiate balances and liens with hospitals, doctors, and health plans so more of it stays with you.
We explain every offer in Chinese
Each time the insurer makes an offer, we explain in Chinese how much it is, what comes out of it, and what you would take home. Whether to accept is your decision.
We file government claims on time
If you fell on a public sidewalk or in a city building, a written claim generally must be filed with the government within 6 months. We find the responsible agency and file on time.
We file a lawsuit if talks fail
If the insurer will not make a fair offer, we file in court within the deadline and keep building the evidence and witnesses. No recovery, no attorney fee.
Hurt in a fall? What to do first
Do as many of these as you can. Your health comes first.
- See a doctor：Call an ambulance at the scene, or go to the ER or a doctor the same day. Hip, wrist, and head injuries do not always feel serious at first. Tell the doctor where and how you fell.
- Photograph the hazard and your shoes：Use your phone to photograph the water, oil, produce, or broken step, whether there was a warning sign, and the shoes you were wearing. A short video is even better.
- Ask for an incident report：Ask the manager to make an incident report and write down the manager's and staff members' names. Stick to the facts and do not write that it was your own fault. Ask for a copy, or take a photo of it if they will not give you one.
- Ask the store in writing to keep its video：Many stores record over their footage after a while. As soon as you can, send a text, email, or letter asking the store to keep the video from before and after the fall. Once you hire us, we send this letter.
- Get witness names and phone numbers：If someone saw what happened, ask for a name and phone number. Once a witness leaves, they are hard to find again.
- Do not wash or throw away your shoes and clothes：Put the shoes and clothes you wore that day in a bag and keep them. What is on the soles and how they are worn may matter later.
- No recorded statement, no signature, keep every receipt：If the business or its insurer calls asking to record you, to sign something, or to settle for a small sum, do not agree yet. Keep all medical bills, receipts, and pharmacy slips.
How working with us goes
Call or message us on WeChat
Tell us in Chinese where and how you fell and where you were hurt. The initial assessment is free, and we tell you plainly whether you have a claim and which dates to watch.
Sign a written agreement
The fee percentage and how case costs are handled are written into the agreement. After you sign, we tell the business and the insurer to contact the firm from now on, and ask them to keep the video.
You get treatment, we gather evidence
You follow your doctor's plan. We get the incident report, the video, medical records, and bills, and keep you updated.
We negotiate with the insurer
When treatment winds down, we put the file together and make the claim to the insurer. Every offer is explained to you, and you decide.
Settlement or lawsuit, then you get paid
If it settles, we clear the medical balances first and give you a written settlement statement. If talks fail, we file within the deadline.
Fees for slip and fall cases
Free initial assessment
The first conversation costs nothing. We will tell you plainly where the difficulties are.
No recovery, no attorney fee
The attorney fee is a percentage of what is recovered. If there is no recovery, there is no attorney fee. The percentage is written into the agreement before you sign.
Case costs are in the agreement
Who advances costs such as records, doctors' or other outside reports, and court filing fees, and how they are deducted at the end, is spelled out in the engagement agreement.
- California requires contingency fee agreements to be in writing, state the fee rate, and explain how costs affect the fee and your net recovery (B&P Code §6147).
- The fee percentage is agreed before you sign and is not changed unilaterally during the case.
- We do not promise any particular recovery or outcome.
Slip and fall questions
The following is general legal information and is not legal advice for any specific matter. For your situation, contact Lingtu Law APC at 415-547-9999 or on WeChat at lingtulaw.
