Spanning 1,741 acres, the Ontario International Airport is a large enough airport to accommodate the hustle and bustle of commercial freight and traveling passengers.

To make it easy to travel between floors, there are escalators and stairwells across the airport. When using stairs, one does not think about sustaining an injury, but unfortunately, it does happen more often than you think.

Often, stairwell accidents are the individual’s fault. Some may rush to catch their flights, while others may not be careful, resulting in a serious accident. However, at times, a stairwell accident can occur due to the property owner’s negligence and failure to maintain their property reasonably safe for all its guests.

Ehline Law and our personal injury attorneys understand the devastating impact of a slip-and-fall accident on stairs, and we work closely with injured victims to protect their rights and ensure they receive the compensation they deserve.

About Our Attorney Awards, Reviews, and Accolades

1. The Superlawyers Rising Star Award was awarded multiple times to Michael Ehline from 2006-2015.
2. Newsweek Magazine awarded its “Premier Personal Injury Attorneys” award to Ehline Law Firm’s attorneys in 2015.
3. CNN interviewed Michael Ehline about cruise ship law, and he was a guest on NBC discussing limousine law practice areas. Michael was also interviewed by Nancy Grace on CBS, discussing his expertise in California dog bite law.

Our years of experience can help you hold all the negligent parties liable for causing your damages.

Common Causes of Stairwell Accidents at Ontario Airport

There are several causes of stairwell accidents on another’s premises, including Ontario International Airport, and some of them include the following.

Missing or Broken Steps

When property owners fail to inspect stairs on their property, it could lead to oversight of potential hazards. Wear and tear can cause stairs to crack or break, increasing the risk of a slip-and-fall accident.

Loose Hand-railings

When climbing stairs, many people hold onto the handrail for support, especially the elderly. A loose screw or improperly installed handrail can break upon weight, leading to serious injuries.

Wet Surface or Leakage

Many travelers are moving across the airport with some munching on food or sipping their drinks. Spilled beverages or freshly mopped stairs can lead to wet surfaces, increasing the risk of a slip-and-fall accident.

Ontario International Airport management needs to warn passengers of freshly mopped floors by placing relevant warning signs.

Inadequate Lighting

No matter how careful you are, you may still end up in a slip-and-fall accident. Inadequate lighting can prevent travelers from seeing wet surfaces or broken steps, leading to a devastating accident.

Overcrowded

Depending on the type of stairwell, it may have weight restrictions, and exceeding them can cause it to collapse. Airport staff must ensure no stair overcrowding, which can lead to a catastrophic accident.

Riser Height Differences

When the riser height is not the same between the stairs, it can cause passengers to trip and fall. Many assume that the riser height is the same on all the steps, but due to design defects, it may be different. When a person does not lift their foot high enough, they may trip and fall on their hands or face, leading to severe injuries.

Common Stairwell Accident Injuries

According to the study “Stair-related injuries treated in United States emergency departments,” conducted in 2018 and published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, the three most common types of injuries sustained in a slip and fall accident on stairwells include Sprained tendons or muscles (32.3%), soft tissue injuries (23.8%), fractures (19.3%). And psychological trauma is always a component of when you seek compensation in the form of monetary damages.

The top three injuries sustained in a trip and fall accident on stairwells may be minor or can be debilitating but non-life threatening.

However, the remaining 24.6% of the injuries are more severe that may require immediate medical treatment, and some of these include the following:

• Internal bleeding and organ damage
• Psychological injuries
• Head or neck injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Whiplash
• Cuts, bruises, and lacerations.

The severity of the injuries may also depend on the victim’s age. For example, an older person (above 60 years old) is likelier to suffer broken bones and fractures than a 15-year-old boy.

Regardless of the injuries’ severity, seeking medical attention is crucial. Internal bleeding may be difficult to diagnose without imaging tests and a complete medical evaluation. Injured victims must follow their doctor’s recommendation and treatment plan to recover quickly.

Sometimes injuries may be so debilitating that they may require extensive surgeries, medication, rehabilitation, and other medical treatments. A spinal cord or a traumatic brain injury can require patients to invest heavily in home modification to help them continue their routine.

Physical and mental pain can be overwhelming, but the financial burden from the medical bills, future medical expenses, and lost wages further impact the victim.

Accident victims must speak to experienced personal injury attorneys to discuss their cases and learn more about their legal options.

Filing an Ontario Airport Stairwell Accident Claim or a Lawsuit

After suffering injuries in a slip-and-fall accident on stairwells, injured victims often face confusion about their accident and whether or not the property owner was liable.

If you’re unsure whether your injuries occurred due to the property owner’s negligence, discussing your case with an experienced personal injury lawyer is best.

To establish negligence, injured victims must prove the four critical elements of a premises liability claim, and these are:

• The defendant is the property owner or occupier (Duty of care)
• The defendant failed to maintain their property in a reasonable condition (Breach)
• The victim suffered injuries due to the defendant’s negligence (Causation)
• The victim sustained damages following the accident.

Proving the elements of a premises liability claim can be challenging for injured victims, so they must work with experienced personal injury attorneys. A skilled attorney knows the evidence needed to establish negligence and build a strong case, improving your chances of recovering financial compensation.

Do You Need an Attorney to Pursue a Personal Injury Lawsuit Against Ontario International Airport?

Hiring an attorney to represent you legally and pursue a personal injury claim or lawsuit is not required. However, there is a lot of risk of losing out on money damages or losing your claim if you don’t follow the proper legal process or build a strong case.

An experienced personal injury attorney representing you after your slip and fall accident at Ontario International Airport can help protect your rights against the airport management and their insurance company.

Ontario International Airport and its insurance company are large corporations with enough resources and legal counsel to bully injured victims. If you suffered injuries in a stairwell accident at Ontario Airport, you might face hurdles in communicating with the insurance company or recovering fair compensation.

Injured victims often lose hope and, finally, accept the insurance company’s initial settlement offer. An experienced personal injury attorney deals with insurance companies regularly, understands their tactics, and knows how to pressure them into coming to the negotiating table.

Statute of Limitations on Personal Injury Cases

The statute of limitations or the time injured victims have to pursue legal action against the negligent party depends on the at-fault party and the type of injury claim. Injured victims typically have two years following their injury to bring legal action against a negligent property owner.

However, Ontario International Airport is managed by a government agency, and when pursuing a claim against a government entity, injured victims only have six months to bring a civil claim.

The government agency has 45 days to respond to claims, and in case of denial, injured victims can pursue a premises liability lawsuit in court to recover financial compensation.

Damages You May Be Able to Recover in an Ontario Airport Stairwell Accident

When pursuing a personal injury claim against the Ontario International Airport, victims generally have two types of compensatory damages they can seek, including the following.

Economic Damages

Also known as special damages, economic damages compensate the victims for their out-of-pocket expenses following their accident.

It may include medical expenses such as in-patient surgery costs, rehabilitation, therapy, prescription medication, doctor’s fee, hospitalization, future medical expenses, and other medical bills. It also compensates victims for property damage and lost wages when an accident causes them to miss work.

Non-economic Damages

Also known as general damages, non-economic damages compensate the victims for the non-monetary losses they incur.

An accident can leave a victim with physical injuries and affect them mentally. Non-economic damages compensate them for the subjective losses following an accident, including pain and suffering, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life.

In cases involving extreme negligence (often rare cases), the court may also award injured victims punitive damages as a way to punish the defendant for their reckless actions.

How Can Ehline Law Personal Injury Attorneys Help with A Slip and Fall Accident on Ontario Airport Stairwells

Unlike car accidents, slip and fall accidents are often complex, and proving the elements of negligence can be challenging. Not all slip-and-fall accidents warrant liability, so speaking to our experienced personal injury attorneys to discuss your case is essential.

Our experienced Ontario airport stairwell accident attorneys can help you protect your case in many ways, including the following.

Investigate the Accident

Sometimes, it may be a third-party company responsible for your injuries, not the Airport management, so it is crucial to speak to an attorney. We have the financial resources to investigate your slip and fall accident and determine the liability.

Gather Evidence

Our personal injury lawyers understand the type of evidence needed to build a strong case. We can help gather evidence, including maintenance records, CCTV footage, witness statements, and other types of documents that can help prove your injuries and the defendant’s negligence.

Assess and Calculate Damages From Serious Injuries

Future medical costs for minor injuries are more accessible to tally than complex ones for most injury victims. Calculating and assessing damages can be challenging, but our law offices have a legal team that has connections with experts who assist us in determining the compensatory damages following an accident. Do you or your family members need help to obtain financial compensation for catastrophic injuries or wrongful death? Call our caring, attentive lawyers 24/7 to discuss your injury claims.

Handle the Insurance Company

Ehline Law has the firepower to spearhead a personal injury case for any injured person. We will handle the insurance company and negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf with no upfront legal fees. Suppose the insurer disagrees with a fair settlement. In that case, we are not afraid to take them to court and get our clients the compensation they deserve, whether it’s a car accident or an Ontario slip and fall at the airport terminal.

Legal Guidance From Top Slip and Fall Attorney

Our personal injury attorneys offer a free initial consultation to help injured victims know their rights and legal options. We will discuss the case during the free consultation, clear your doubts, and guide you through the legal process. Our fall lawyers have been assisting victims for well over a decade. Become one of the thousands of clients we helped get back on their feet.

Need assistance? If you or a family member sustained injuries, learn more about our legal services with a free consultation at (833) LETS-SUE. Our business is getting you complete recovery with a significant award of monetary compensation from the responsible parties with money to pay. If the owner or airport manager knew or should have known, they can be held liable for your Ontario personal injury claim.

Ontario residents and guests can rest assured knowing we will make Ontario Airport defendants pay for any unsafe premise and failure to follow safety measures, including:

• Dog bites by dangerous canines
• Slippery surfaces or slippery floors create a hazardous condition
• Sharp surfaces
• Defective escalators and machinery.

Schedule a Free Consultation with The Best Ontario Airport Stairway Accident Lawyer

Speaking to us can help avoid the dangers and risks of completely sabotaging your case by running your mouth. Catastrophic injuries can flip a victim’s life around, and without experienced legal counsel, they may struggle to get the compensation they deserve. We are ready to help any plaintiff with legal representation when they contact our Ontario airport escalator accident.

Fortunately, Ehline Law is a leading personal injury law firm with over 15 locations, serving California and Texas. We have over 15 years of experience and have successfully handled over 3,000 individual injury cases, recovering well over $150 million in compensation for our injured clients.

If you suffered a severe injury in an Ontario stairwell accident, contact us at (833) LETS-SUE for a free consultation to discuss the details. You may be able to recover compensation. Our law firm has the financial resources to allocate to help investigate your case, gather evidence, and aggressively fight for the compensation you deserve in the majority of situations. Don’t hesitate to use our online contact us form 24/7 to communicate via email. We are prepared to answer your questions to afford the best possible outcome: total compensation.