Slip and Fall Caused by Leak in Dishwasher – Accident Injury Lawyer

Were you or a member of your household injured from a slip and fall caused by water from a leaking dishwasher? Did your landlord of apartment building management refuse to fix the dishwasher, although you notified them of the issue numerous times?

Failing to make repairs or replace defective appliances is a common problem for those living in rentals, whether it’s a unit in an apartment or a vacation home. Leaks from broken appliances, like a leaking dishwasher, can easily cause someone to fall down from slipping on the water. Building managers and landlords are aware of the potential for an accident, yet many of them do not act fast enough – if they do at all – to rectify the issue.

If you are renting a property in the state of California, you have a legal right to habitable conditions in the area you live in. This includes timely resolution of conditions that put you at risk of an accident, such as leaks in dishwashers. In this article, we will talk about a rental property’s liability for injuries resulting from a broken dishwasher. Specifically, we will cover what you can do as an accident victim if you slipped and fell because of a failure to fix after notice provided in writing.

Keep in mind that this article is meant to be used as a reference tool, since we can only provide information on a general basis. If you have specific questions about your own situation and the legal options that are available to you, contact us and speak with a slip and fall caused by leak in dishwasher lawyer.

Suing an Apartment Building for a Slip and Fall Accident

As someone that fell in your apartment from a defective dishwasher, you are likely to have questions about apartment building liability when it comes to accidents caused by a failure to make repairs. If you notified the owners / operators of the building in writing of the problem with the dishwasher, you may have grounds to file an injury claim for monetary damages.

It’s important to note the difference between an inconvenience versus a hazard that is likely to cause bodily harm. For example, you are not suing based on the fact that you have to wash all your dishes in the sink. Instead, this is about an owner’s duty to maintain reasonably safe conditions on the premises. So, if you slipped on water that leaked from a dishwasher, you can make the argument that the accident would not have occurred if building management repaired the appliance or had it replaced.

We can also look at the concept of “habitable conditions,” which a landlord must provide their tenants under California law. For instance, tenants have a right to basic necessities like heat, water, and electricity, so a landlord must take immediate action to resolve any interruptions to these services. In addition, owners have to take care of dangerous conditions that can cause injury to their tenants. A dishwasher with a leak falls into this this category, as it increases the potential for a slip and fall.

If you had a fall accident due to negligence by your landlord or the company that manages your apartment building, please contact our office. You may be eligible for a slip and fall lawsuit, which will help you obtain medical expenses, lost wages, and other forms of compensation.

Injuries from a Slip and Fall

We all know that apartment living comes with hassles and inconveniences, like waiting to have things repaired as they break down over time. However, you should not be waiting weeks or months to have things repaired when you are at risk of being injured from a fall-related accident.

With dishwasher defects that cause the appliance to leak, there is the problem of water that remains under and around the appliance. Thus, the tenant does not notice the problem right away, which increases the possibility of slipping on the water and being injured. Long-term water damage also contributes to structural damage of the floor / ceiling below, and this can put the tenant, as well the person living underneath at risk.

Slip and fall incidents are associated with serious injuries to many parts of your body, which include:

• Concussion and other forms of traumatic brain injury
• Hip fracture
• Tearing of muscles, tendons, and ligaments
• Dislocated shoulder
• Tailbone fracture
• Whiplash
• Herniated disc
• Spinal cord damage
• Joint dislocation
• Deep cuts, leading to permanent scars and/or infection
• Dislocated jaw
• Missing or broken teeth
• Ruptured spleen
• Chronic pain
• Loss of function in the limbs

Slip and Fall Lawsuit Case Values

It’s impossible to determine the average value for a slip and fall lawsuit, as the amount of compensation can range from around $10,000 to over $2,000,000. A settlement value depends on many factors that are specific to your case, like the injuries you sustained and the damages you deserve as a result of those injuries. Our clients typically receive $150,000 to $3,000,000 and above if they have moderate to severe injuries, but the amount of compensation is less if you have relatively minor injuries. This is why you must contact an apartment building slip and fall lawyer who is experienced in calculating fall accident case values.

How Long will It Take to Settle my Case?

A slip and fall accident may be settled within a few months if the victim is expected to recover fully from their injuries with conventional medical treatments. However, there is no denying that many of these cases take 6 to 12 months, even if it’s clear that the building owner / managers are at fault. Though insurance companies are quick to make settlements offers, they will try to get away with paying the lowest possible amount. This is why offers are exchanged back and forth between lawyers on both sides until there is an agreement on what will be paid to the victim. As a result, cases involving disability and other severe health conditions can take over 2 years to settle.

If you would like more information on the process to reach a settlement, schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys.

Statute of Limitations to Sue for a Slip and Fall

Lawsuits for slip and falls and other incidents caused by a property owner’s negligence generally have a deadline of 2 years. That means you are allowed 2 years from when the accident occurred if you wish to file an injury claim. However, the circumstances of your accident can have an impact on how long you have for a lawsuit, so you may have more or less time to file a claim. Knowing how much time you have for an apartment building liability lawsuit is essential when you are an accident victim. Contact our law firm today so that a slip and fall attorney can verify the statute of limitations that applies to your situation.

Zero Fee Guarantee Apartment Renters

Understanding your rights as a renter is the key to obtaining compensation when you are injured from negligent conditions in an apartment building. To ensure that you can receive justice, we work on contingency and wait until the end of your case to recover our expenses. Our payment, by the way, comes from recovering your settlement, so if we don’t win your case, you owe us $0 in legal fees.

If you would like to schedule a free case review, please contact the offices of Kenmore Law Group.