# What if unsafe stairs caused my injury?

Canonical: https://californiapersonalinjurylaws.com/guides/broken-stairs/

Reviewed by Andrew (Andy) R. Gillin; publisher reported approval on 2026-11-04. Original review date was not supplied.

## Short answer

Unsafe stairs may lead to an injury claim. The issue may be poor upkeep, a bad design, or a failure to fix a known danger.

## Hypothetical example

A loose step breaks. A guest falls and gets hurt.

## How the rule works

A claim needs a link between the stair defect and the fall. Proof of who controlled the site also matters. Photos of the whole stairway can help explain the setting better than one close-up.

## What can change the answer

You need to show who controlled the stairs. What they knew or should have known may matter. The reason for the fall matters too.

## A useful next step

Take photos of the stairs and handrail before repairs if you can do so safely and lawfully.

## Court decisions behind this answer

### Rowland v. Christian (1968)

69 Cal.2d 108, p. 119. The court applied reasonable-care rules to unsafe property. A visitor’s label alone did not decide the owner’s duty.

Limit: The case does not make an owner pay for every fall. Statutes and later exceptions still need review.

Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/2d/69/108.html

## Sources

- [California Civil Code § 1714 — Responsibility for harm](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=1714.)
- [CACI No. 1000 — Premises liability (2026 edition)](https://courts.ca.gov/system/files/file/judicial_council_of_california_civil_jury_instructions_2026.pdf)
- [Rowland v. Christian (1968) 69 Cal.2d 108](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/2d/69/108.html)

General information, not legal advice.