Injured in a Movie Theater Accident?

Slip and Fall Attorney Assisting Plaintiffs Injured at Movie Theaters in Los Angeles, California

Movie theaters can be places of great entertainment, but they can also pose many hazards that lead to slip-and-fall accidents. When you consider the number of people eating food and drinking soda and other drinks in a movie theater, the chances of a spill are quite high. In addition, when movie theater aisle lights burn out, a patron can easily slip, trip, or fall while trying to get out of his or her seat during the film.

At Fisher & Talwar, our movie theater slip-and-fall accident attorneys are strong, experienced advocates for injured victims. Anyone who has been hurt in a slip and fall accident at a California movie theater should talk with an experienced slip and fall lawyer to learn more about filing a claim. To schedule a free, strictly confidential review of your slip and fall accident claim, please call our Los Angeles law office today at (213) 891-0777.

What to Do After a Slip and Fall Accident at a Movie Theater

• Seek Professional Medical Support: If you suffered a serious injury in a movie theater slip and fall accident, you need to get yourself to a doctor for a detailed examination. Do not assume that your injuries will go away on their own. You deserve top medical care. Additionally, you will not be eligible to effectively recover financial compensation unless you have official medical records that document your injuries. 
• Report the Slip and Fall to the Movie Theater: A slip and fall accident case is a type of premises liability claim. Essentially, these are claims brought against negligent property owners or occupiers. As a potential plaintiff in a premises liability case, one of your duties is to report the accident to the property owner/occupier. Make sure the movie theater is aware of the accident. 
• Gather Any Relevant Evidence: A movie theater is not automatically liable for a slip and fall accident that occurs on its premises. To hold a movie theater responsible, you must prove that its negligence, at least partially, contributed to the accident. The more evidence you can gather after an accident, the better off you will be. Take photographs of any safety hazards and get the contact information for eyewitnesses.
• Call a Slip and Fall Lawyer: Slip and fall accident claims are notoriously complex. Despite slip-and-falls being among the most common types of property-related injuries, it can be difficult to hold a movie theater or any other company liable. You need an experienced lawyer. Set up a free consultation with a top Los Angeles premises liability attorney as soon as possible after a movie theater slip and fall accident.

How Do Movie Theater Slips and Falls Happen?

Slips and falls in movie theaters can happen for many different reasons. Under California premises liability law, anyone who owns or is in control of property must use reasonable care in keeping the property in a reasonably safe condition. Property owners and managers also have a duty to discover unsafe conditions and to take steps to remedy the situation or to warn movie theater customers about the hazard. Examples of hazards for which a movie theater might be liable for negligence in a slip and fall accident include, but are not limited to:

• Drink or liquid food item (such as ice cream) spilled on the floor;
• Theater aisle light broke or burned out;
• Floors recently were mopped;
• Carpet in theater is torn;
• Uneven flooring in the theater;
• Puddle near the entryway from rain or wet umbrellas;
• Items stacked in an aisle way intended for theater patrons;
• Slippery staircases; and
• Broken staircase railings.

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Most Common Movie Theater Slip and Fall Accident Injuries

Movie theater slip-and-fall accidents can vary substantially—both in how they occur and in their severity. Slip-and-fall accidents should not be taken lightly. A serious slip and fall has the potential to result in catastrophic, possibly life-altering injuries. At Fisher & Talwar, our accident lawyers are well-equipped to handle all types of slip-and-fall injuries. Some of the most common examples of these injuries include: 

• Cuts/lacerations;
• Broken bones;
• Back injuries;
• Hip fractures; 
• Ligament damage;
• Dislocated joints; 
• Shoulder injuries; 
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs); and
• Spinal cord damage. 

We should emphasize that slip-and-fall accident injuries can be more serious than they initially appear. It is not always easy for an injured victim to determine exactly how hurt they actually are in the immediate aftermath of a movie theater fall. This is one of the many reasons why it is crucial that injured victims get evaluated by an experienced physician as soon as possible after an accident.

I Fell at a Movie Theater, Can I Sue?

Movie theaters and all entertainment venues have the responsibility to ensure the safety of their patrons. It is their responsibility to keep their premises safe. If you have been injured at a movie theater, you may be able to hold the owner of the movie theater liable for your injuries. Depending upon the specific facts of your case, other parties also may be responsible for the injuries you sustained in your slip and fall accident. To be eligible for compensation, California law requires a plaintiff to be able to prove the following elements of a premises liability lawsuit:

• Defendant owned, leased, occupied, and/or controlled the movie theater property;
• Defendant was negligent in the use or maintenance of the movie theater property;
• Plaintiff was harmed; and
• Defendant’s negligence was a substantial factor in causing the plaintiff’s harm.

Examples of some ways in which a movie theater may be negligent in a slip and fall case might include:

• Knowing about a liquid spill but avoiding a cleanup;
• Mopping the floors without warning patrons about the slippery floors;
• Knowing about torn or bunched carpet but failing to have it replaced;
• Having a light that has been burned out for several weeks, when another movie theater owner would have noticed and replaced the bulb; or
• Having a liquid spill that no employees notice because they are not checking the premises after a set of films for any spilled food items or other slip and fall hazards.

How Much Compensation Can I Recover in a Slip and Fall Accident Claim?

If you were injured in a slip and fall accident, it is imperative that you take the proper steps to protect your health, well-being, legal rights, and ability to recover full financial compensation. Proving that a movie theater is liable for your slip and fall injuries is only one step in the claims process. You must also establish the value of your damages. In California, personal injury compensation is based on the victim’s actual damages. In other words, your settlement or verdict should be equivalent to your losses. 

Sadly, even when you can prove the movie theater’s negligence, it can still be challenging to get a fair settlement. At Fisher & Talwar, our Los Angeles premises liability attorneys know how to help our clients get the highest value settlement or verdict. Depending on the nature of your movie theater slip and fall accident, you may be eligible to recover financial support for: 

• Emergency medical treatment; 
• Other medical bills and costs;
• Physical therapy and rehabilitative services;
• Loss of current and future income;
• Pain and suffering;
• Emotional distress; and
• Permanent disability or disfigurement. 

Most personal injury cases are resolved outside of litigation. One study by the Office of Justice Programs found that only 3% of personal injury claims reached trial. You need a slip-and-fall lawyer who understands settlement negotiations. Our premises liability lawyers work tirelessly to help our clients maximize their settlement offers. When defendants and insurance companies refuse to play fair, we are always ready to file a slip-and-fall lawsuit.

What Happens If the Injured Person is Partially to Blame for a Movie Theater Slip and Fall Accident?

If the person who slips and falls also bears some responsibility for the accident or for their injuries, it is extremely important to know that California law still allows that injured person to recover damages. Under California’s comparative negligence law, a plaintiff who is partially to blame can still recover damages, but their damages are reduced by their percentage of negligence. This remains true whether the plaintiff is 5 percent or 95 percent to blame.

For example, imagine that a person slips and falls at a Los Angeles movie theater because a liquid spill had not been cleaned up for several hours and was in plain view of the staff. However, at the time of the slip-and-fall, the plaintiff was texting on her phone and was distracted. As a result, she did not see the liquid spill. The court might determine that the plaintiff bears some responsibility for the accident. If the court decides that the theater owes the plaintiff $100,000 but finds the plaintiff to be 10 percent responsible, then the plaintiff’s damages award is reduced by 10 percent. In this scenario, the $100,000 award would be reduced by 10 percent, or $10,000, leaving the plaintiff with $90,000.

Statute of Limitations in a Los Angeles Movie Theater Slip and Fall Accident

The statute of limitations for most personal injury claims in California, including movie theater slip and fall cases, is two years from the date of the injury. Accordingly, if a person is injured in a movie theater in the Los Angeles area and wants to file a premises liability lawsuit, that person typically has 2 years from the date of the slip-and-fall accident to file her lawsuit. Failing to file a claim within that two-year period can mean that the claim becomes time-barred. When a claim is time-barred, the injured person is no longer eligible to seek compensation through a civil lawsuit.

While two years might seem like a long time, it is important to remember that the two-year window is the maximum period of time you have to file a lawsuit. Leading up to that filing, you will likely work with a lawyer on an insurance claim first, which can take months. In addition, the longer you wait to speak with a lawyer and to get started on the claims process, the more likely it becomes that you will lose valuable evidence in your case.