Slip and Fall matters in Hanford
Premises Liability in Kings County
A slip, trip, or fall can happen anywhere people gather, from the shops and walkways around historic downtown Hanford and the Courthouse Square to grocery stores, restaurants, and parking lots along Lacey Boulevard and 12th Avenue. Under California premises liability law, property owners and businesses owe visitors a duty to keep their premises reasonably safe and to warn of hazards they know about or should discover. When that duty is breached and someone is hurt, the owner may be responsible. Identifying who controlled the area where you fell is the first step in a sound claim.
The Notice Requirement
A property owner is generally not automatically liable simply because a fall occurred. In most California slip-and-fall cases, the injured person must show that the owner either created the dangerous condition or had notice of it, meaning the owner knew or, with reasonable care, should have known about the hazard and failed to fix it or warn of it in time. A spill left on a store floor for an hour, a broken stair tread, or a pooled leak tells a very different story than a hazard that appeared seconds earlier. We work to establish how long the danger existed and what the owner did or failed to do.
Common Hazards Around Hanford
Falls in the area arise from wet or freshly mopped floors, uneven pavement and curbs, poor lighting in stairwells and lots, loose mats, and produce or liquids on store floors. Winter weather and the Valley's tule fog can leave outdoor walkways damp and slick. Each hazard requires its own proof, and evidence disappears quickly once a spill is cleaned or a surface is repaired. We move fast to preserve photographs, incident reports, surveillance footage, and maintenance records before they are lost, building the factual record your case depends on.
Documenting Your Injuries
Falls frequently cause fractures, head injuries, back and hip damage, and torn ligaments, and older adults are especially vulnerable to lasting harm. People injured in falls around Hanford often seek care at Adventist Health Hanford, and those records anchor the medical side of the claim. Prompt treatment also protects your case, since gaps in care give insurers an opening to minimize your injuries. We help gather emergency, imaging, and follow-up records so the full scope of your harm and any future needs are clearly documented.
Holding Property Owners Accountable
When a business or its insurer denies responsibility or blames the victim, a premises liability lawsuit may be filed in the Kings County Superior Court in Hanford. Insurers often argue the hazard was obvious or that the visitor was careless, and California's comparative-fault rule lets them try to shift blame. We counter with evidence of the hazard, the owner's notice, and your reasonable conduct. MMG Law Firm represents fall victims on a contingency basis, with no fee unless we recover, and we work to hold negligent property owners accountable.
Our attorney
How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with slip and fall
Premises cases turn on notice — whether the owner knew or should have known about the hazard — so Mihran M. Ghazaryan builds the timeline early, before surveillance video is recorded over and conditions are fixed. He secures incident reports, photographs, and maintenance records, identifies the right defendant, and presents a documented demand rather than letting the insurer set the terms.
Types of slip and fall accidents we handle
Wet-floor and spill cases
Sweep schedules, mop logs, and warning-sign placement decide these. We pull them via subpoena when necessary.
Stair, handrail, and step defects
Code-compliance review and expert measurement of riser and tread tolerances drive liability.
Inadequate-security claims
Where assault or robbery occurred on premises and the owner knew of risk. Police-call records and prior incidents matter here.
Damages
What compensation can cover
Every slip and fall claim is different, but California law allows injured plaintiffs to seek several categories of damages. We build each one with documentation — medical records, wage statements, expert opinions — so nothing is left on the table.
Medical expenses
Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and the future treatment your providers say you'll need.
Lost wages
Income you lost while recovering — and, where the injury affects your ability to work, diminished future earning capacity.
Pain and suffering
Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and the ways the injury has changed how you live day to day.
Property damage
Repair or replacement of your vehicle and other property damaged in the incident.
Out-of-pocket costs
Transportation to appointments, medical equipment, household help, and the other expenses an injury forces on you.
How we work
- 1
Free, no-pressure consultation
We listen first. We answer your questions. There is no fee for the initial conversation — and you decide whether to engage us at the end of it.
- 2
Investigation and evidence preservation
Police reports, scene photos, witness statements, vehicle data, surveillance video, medical records. The earlier we collect, the harder it is for the other side to reshape the story later.
- 3
Treatment, demand, and negotiation
We coordinate with your providers, document the full extent of damages — medical, lost income, pain — and present a demand backed by evidence. We push back firmly when an insurer lowballs.
- 4
Litigation when necessary
Most matters settle. When an insurer refuses to be reasonable, we file. Preparing every case as if it will be tried is what makes the settlement number move.
What to do right away
- Report the fall to the property manager and ask for a written incident report.
- Get a copy of the incident report before leaving — they are routinely 'lost' later.
- Photograph the hazard, the area, and your shoes.
- Preserve your shoes and clothing as worn.
- Get witness contact information immediately.
- Call us before signing anything from the property's insurer.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
Deadlines that matter
Most California personal-injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Miss the window and the court will almost always dismiss the case, no matter how strong it is.
Claims against government entities are much shorter — generally a written claim within six months (Government Code §911.2). Crashes involving city vehicles, public buses, or dangerous public-road conditions can fall under this rule.
Exceptions exist in both directions — discovery rules, minors, continuing violations, out-of-state defendants — so don't assume your deadline has passed or that you have time to spare. Call (818) 539-7969 and we'll tell you exactly where you stand.