Slip and Fall matters in San Mateo
Where San Mateo Falls Happen
Slip, trip, and fall injuries happen across San Mateo's busy commercial and public spaces. The retail and dining blocks of Downtown San Mateo around B Street, Third and Fourth Avenue, and the shops near Central Park see spills, freshly mopped floors without warning signs, and uneven entryways. The shopping centers along El Camino Real (SR-82) and Hillsdale Boulevard, including the Hillsdale and Bay Meadows areas, draw heavy foot traffic across parking lots with potholes, broken wheel stops, and poor lighting. Apartment complexes and offices throughout Hayward Park, North Central, and Beresford present broken stairs, loose handrails, and unmarked level changes. Public spaces such as Central Park and the sidewalks and transit areas near the Caltrain station can hide raised pavement and trip hazards.
These falls are not minor. Older adults in particular suffer hip fractures and head injuries that change their lives, and even a younger person can face surgery and long rehabilitation after a serious fall.
Premises Liability and the Burden of Proof
California premises liability law requires property owners and occupiers to keep their property reasonably safe and to warn of hazards they knew about or should have discovered through reasonable inspection. Winning a slip-and-fall case is rarely automatic, because the law does not make an owner responsible for every fall. We must show the hazard existed, that the owner knew or should have known about it, and that they failed to fix it or warn about it in a reasonable time. That means moving quickly to preserve surveillance video, incident reports, maintenance and inspection logs, and photographs before the condition is repaired and the evidence vanishes.
When the fall happens on public property, such as a city sidewalk, a county building, or a transit facility, the case becomes a claim against a public entity, which carries its own strict and much shorter deadline. California's pure comparative negligence rule applies throughout, so even if the owner argues you were not watching where you walked, your recovery is reduced only by your share of fault and never eliminated.
Deadlines and the San Mateo County Court
Under California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, you generally have two years from the date of the fall to file a personal injury lawsuit against a private property owner. If you fell on public property and a public entity such as the City of San Mateo, the county, or a transit agency is responsible, Government Code section 911.2 requires a written claim within six months, a far shorter window that is easy to miss. Slip-and-fall lawsuits in San Mateo are filed in the San Mateo County Superior Court, with civil matters heard at the Hall of Justice in Redwood City. Serious fall injuries are often treated at Mills-Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingame. We work on contingency, so there is no upfront cost and no fee unless we recover for you.
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.