Trip and Fall Lawyer
Broken sidewalks, uneven pavement, unmarked steps, and neglected walkways. Property owners are responsible for maintaining safe surfaces. When they don't — and you end up in surgery — Gallo Law makes them pay for it.
A Trip and Fall Is Not Clumsiness. It Is Someone Else's Negligence.
The first thing an insurance company will tell you after a trip and fall is that you should have watched where you were going. It is a strategy — not a legal argument — designed to make you feel responsible for an injury that was caused by someone else’s failure to maintain safe property. Broken concrete, raised sidewalk sections, uneven flooring, unmarked steps, and deteriorating walkways do not appear overnight. They develop over time, get reported, get ignored, and eventually cause serious injuries.
Here’s What A Trip And Fall Lawyer Can Do For Your Case
A trip and fall attorney investigates the hazard, preserves critical evidence before it disappears or gets repaired, identifies every liable party, and fights the property owner’s insurer so you never have to negotiate alone against a team of professionals whose job is to pay you as little as possible.
Gallo Law represents trip and fall accident victims who suffered serious injuries — fractured hips, broken wrists and ankles, knee injuries requiring surgery, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal damage from the impact of a fall. Joseph Gallo fights property owners, municipalities, landlords, and commercial defendants with evidence, expert analysis, and a thorough understanding of what the law requires of every property owner whose negligence put you on the ground.
You didn't trip because you weren't paying attention. You tripped because of a dangerous condition that someone failed to correct.
How We Build a Trip and Fall Case
Document the Hazard
The physical condition that caused your fall is the foundation of your case. We document the defect immediately — whether it is a raised sidewalk section, broken concrete, uneven flooring, a pothole, or an unmarked step change. Photographs, measurements, and expert analysis of the hazard establish exactly what the dangerous condition was and how long it had existed before your fall.
Establish Responsibility
Trip and fall cases frequently involve multiple potentially liable parties — property owners, tenants, municipalities, contractors, and property management companies. When a government entity maintains the sidewalk or roadway, strict filing deadlines as short as six months apply. Gallo Law identifies every responsible party and moves immediately to meet every applicable deadline.
Counter the Defense
The defense in every trip and fall case is the same — you should have seen it, you were not paying attention, or the defect was too minor to be actionable. Gallo Law anticipates these arguments and builds cases that dismantle them before they are made. We use engineering experts, accident reconstruction specialists, and prior complaint records to establish that the hazard was unreasonably dangerous and the property owner knew it.
Case Results
Slip and fall at a hotel parking lot in Hemet, CA with catastrophic injuries to femur and hip.
Trip and fall in a parking lot in Riverside, CA with catastrophic injuries of a fractured hip.
Trip and fall settlement against the City of Anaheim Hills for a raised sidewalk that caused an elderly woman to fracture her neck.
Trip and fall from a decorative rock on the sidewalk at a resort in San Diego, CA that caused an orbital bone fracture.
Trip and fall down stairs in Redondo Beach, CA with catastrophic injuries to ankle and lower back.
Trip and fall in a pothole in a parking lot in Lancaster, CA that caused catastrophic injuries to client's ankle.
Types of Trip and Fall Cases We Handle
Sidewalk Trip and Fall
Sidewalk trip and fall accidents are among the most common and most disputed premises liability cases in California. Raised concrete sections, tree root damage, cracked pavement, and deteriorating sidewalk surfaces cause serious fractures and head injuries every year. Responsibility for sidewalk maintenance varies — it may fall on the city, the adjacent property owner, or both — and determining who is liable requires immediate investigation before the hazard is repaired and evidence disappears.
Parking Lot Trip and Fall
Parking lot trip and fall accidents involve potholes, broken asphalt, uneven surfaces, concrete wheel stops, and poorly maintained lot conditions that property owners and businesses are responsible for addressing. Parking lot cases frequently involve large commercial defendants — shopping centers, retail chains, and property management companies — with experienced insurance teams prepared to dispute liability. Gallo Law has significant experience handling serious parking lot trip and fall injuries against commercial defendants.
Staircase and Step Trip and Fall
Staircase and step trip and fall accidents are among the most catastrophic in premises liability law. Unmarked step-downs, broken steps, missing handrails, inadequate lighting, and uneven riser heights are all hazards that property owners are required to address under California building codes. Falls on staircases frequently result in severe fractures, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal damage — and the property owner’s failure to meet building code requirements is powerful evidence of negligence.
Retail and Commercial Property Trip and Fall
Retail stores, shopping malls, restaurants, and commercial properties create consistent trip and fall hazards through raised floor transitions, torn carpeting, cluttered aisles, uneven entryway surfaces, and poorly maintained thresholds. These cases involve large corporate defendants who know how to fight premises liability claims — which is exactly why having an experienced trip and fall attorney matters from day one.
Government Property Trip and Fall
When a trip and fall occurs on government-maintained property — a city sidewalk, a public park, a municipal parking structure, or a government building — special rules apply. California Government Code § 835 governs dangerous condition claims against public entities, and the deadline to file a government tort claim can be as short as six months from the date of injury. Missing this deadline permanently bars your claim. Contact Gallo Law immediately if your trip and fall occurred on government property.
Apartment and Residential Property Trip and Fall
Landlords and property management companies are responsible for maintaining safe common areas in residential properties — including walkways, parking areas, stairwells, and entryways. When a tenant or visitor is seriously injured due to deteriorating walkway conditions, broken steps, or neglected common areas, a trip and fall claim may be filed against the property owner and management company. These cases frequently involve long-standing hazards that the landlord received complaints about and failed to address.
Trip and Fall vs. Slip and Fall — What Is the Difference?
Trip and fall and slip and fall are both premises liability claims but they involve distinct hazard types and different liability arguments. A slip and fall involves a surface condition that reduces traction — wet floors, spilled liquids, icy walkways, and slippery surfaces. A trip and fall involves a physical obstruction or elevation change that catches a foot — broken concrete, raised pavement, uneven flooring, and unmarked steps.
The distinction matters legally because the property owner’s duty and the nature of the hazard are evaluated differently. Trip and fall cases frequently involve structural defects that have existed for extended periods and can be measured and documented — making them strong cases for proving that the property owner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition long before your injury occurred.
Gallo Law handles both slip and fall and trip and fall cases. Learn more about our Slip and Fall Lawyer practice →
What a Trip and Fall Case May Be Worth
Trip and fall accident lawyers handle some of the highest-value premises liability cases in personal injury law — reflected in the $80 CPC on “trip and fall lawyer,” the highest of any premises liability keyword. That CPC reflects what insurance companies know: serious trip and fall injuries produce significant settlements.
The value of a trip and fall case depends on the severity of your injuries, the clarity of liability, the defendant’s available insurance coverage, and your long-term medical needs. Gallo Law accepts only serious trip and fall cases — fractured bones, surgical injuries, and falls that result in significant long-term medical treatment. These cases regularly produce six-figure outcomes. Recoverable damages include current and future medical expenses, lost wages and loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and long-term rehabilitation costs.
Trip and Fall Lawyer — Areas We Serve
Gallo Law represents serious trip and fall accident victims throughout California from our Costa Mesa office. Every case is handled directly by attorney Joseph Gallo — no handoffs, no case managers.
Orange County Trip and Fall Lawyer
Orange County’s aging sidewalk infrastructure, dense commercial corridors, and high-traffic public spaces create consistent trip and fall accident risk throughout the county. Gallo Law represents serious trip and fall victims throughout Orange County — from Santa Ana and Anaheim to Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and Irvine.
Trip and Fall FAQs
What is a trip and fall accident?
What is the difference between a trip and fall and a slip and fall?
Who is liable for a trip and fall accident in California?
What if I tripped on a city sidewalk in California?
How do I prove a trip and fall case in California?
What if the hazard was repaired after my trip and fall?
What injuries are most common in trip and fall accidents?
How long do I have to file a trip and fall lawsuit in California?
How much does a trip and fall lawyer cost in California?
What is the average trip and fall settlement in California?
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is different and must be judged on its own merits. The results listed above are not a guarantee or prediction of the outcome of any future case. Some results noted on this site are from attorney Joseph Gallo’s career and include results when employed at other law firms and when associating in other law firms. They are not solely the results of Gallo Law, APC but are the results of cases worked on by Joseph Gallo as an attorney.