Trip and Fall Injuries In the Dark

Lack of proper lighting can contribute to Los Angeles trip and fall injuries.

As a Los Angeles trip and fall personal injury lawyer, many of my trip and fall cases happened as a result of darkness. The lack of proper lighting on a property can obscure hazards that would be visible during the daytime or with better lights.

For example, my office recently handled a case where a client was visiting a popular music venue where a band was performing. The venue was dark during the performance, but some areas of the floor had lighting to warn patrons about the descending surface area of the floor.

Unfortunately, when my client tried to walk out of the room to leave the performance, he tripped and suffered a serious ankle fracture. The client missed two steps because no lights or reflective tape were affixed to the stairs where he tripped.

We argued--successfully--that the fact that some areas of the floor had lights showed that the property owner knew that patrons navigating the darkened room faced a tripping hazard when walking in those areas. The steps on which my client tripped should have also had lights, reflective tape, or some other way to warn patrons of the existence of the stairs in the dark venue.

In cases like these, the law requires a plaintiff to prove notice. It must be proven that the property knew, or should have known, that the lack of lighting could cause the injuries the plaintiff suffered. For example, another case my office handled involved a client who fell down the stairs after missing a step in the stairwell on the way to the parking garage. The light directly above the stairwell entrance had been out, and it turns out that other tenants in the building had complained to the building manager about this problem many times. This showed that the property owner was negligent because he knew about a hazardous condition and failed to remedy it in time.

Trip and fall injuries can result in devastating injuries. Besides for sprained ankles or tendons, which themselves are excruciatingly painful, it is not uncommon to see fractured elbows, arms, wrists, or ankles. Sometimes, these horrible injuries can result in surgical implantation of metal screws (pictured), and months and months of physical therapy. Traumatic brain injuries are also possible in trip and fall cases.

As you can tell, trip and fall cases can be complicated. If you or someone you know had the misfortune of being injured in a Los Angeles trip and fall case, contact an attorney who is familiar with the ins and outs of a trip and fall case, especially where a lack of proper lighting is an issue in the case.

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