Conditions for Indoor Slip and Fall
Typically, the most common of lawsuits is slip and fall when it comes to personal injury. There may be different conditions and reasons which cause this, such as the winter and fall months, and that there was bad maintenance, and that these can be the reason.
Some are also more straightforward when it comes to responsibility, since the owner is responsible for the property that is there.
But if there is something that happens inside, it can be harder to figure out liability, especially if you’re not sure who is responsible.
However, let’s go over a few of the common slip and fall conditions that do happen outdoors and indoors that may happen.
Ice or Water Outside Buildings
The law doesn’t necessarily need the owner to get rid of ice or snow due to weather. But if there is a lot of ice and snow, they may be liable.
This typically happens when it accumulates, melts, and then drips down, and then freezes on the ground, making the parking lot or other places unsafe.
If there are puddles that refreeze into patches of ice, this also can put the owner liable for these accidents.
Along with that, if the owner does have someone remove this, they don’t want to be negligent of this either, since fault can lie on not just them, but the company too.
Inadequate Lighting
If there is bad lighting both in and outside, and the person trips and falls on surfaces, then the owner would be responsible.
That’s because they need to do routine inspections, and they should make sure that there are spaces where lighting is replaced, since they should know whether or not the lighting is good or if it needs to be repaired.
Parking Spaces
If the parking lot must be maintained, then the owner must take care of it.
Filling holes and cracks for example, is the responsibility of the owner. Along with that, the height and sections of the lot also must be gradual to prevent any sudden trips and falls that may result from this.
What about Sidewalks
In most cases, the property owner isn’t responsible for that. It depends though, since if the sidewalk is only on the business property and isn’t technically public property, then the owner should know about the dangerous conditions and should assume responsibility if there is a chance that the dangerous condition will prevent the person’s well-being as well.
Stairs
Stairs also are the responsibility of a property owner, the same with elevators too.
If there are surfaces which are worn and uneven, broken floorboards or poor handrails both indoors and outdoors, then you are liable for taking care of these and being responsible for keeping the property maintained. If they’re not, then the responsibility does fall on the owner to ensure that they do take care of and maintain the stairways both inside and outside of properties.
This also applies to snow and ice too. If the person can slip and fall down the stairs, then they are liable to take care of the space to prevent this from happening, especially with unreasonable ice accumulations.
If you’re not sure whether or not you do have a claim, the best option for you is to consult a slip and fall attorney. That way, you can get the help that you need, the expertise that you desire, and get your claim handled today with their amazing services to help those who aren’t sure whether they have a valid slip and fall claim or not, and get the compensation that’s deserved.