People could slip at a store due to a broken bottle of juice or precipitation tracked in from outside. Slip-and-falls can sometimes produce serious injuries. While many people who experience same-level falls walk away without major medical consequences, not everyone is that lucky when they fall. People can break bones, sustain soft tissue injuries and even injure their brains in slip-and-fall incidents.
When people fall at businesses due to messy facilities or improperly-maintained equipment, they may be able to assert that negligence on the part of employees caused their injuries. That may pave the way for a premises liability lawsuit.
What is premises liability?
Premises liability is the legal and financial exposure that comes from welcoming others onto private property. Homeowners, landlords and businesses may all be at risk of premises liability claims. Most homeowners, renters and business insurance policies include premises liability coverage to limit financial exposure in case visitors sustain injuries.
Why is the business liable?
Most companies have clear policies regarding cleaning obligations and other worker responsibilities. Employees likely know that they need to address spills and routinely inspect the public facilities at a business to address any hazards that could lead to injuries.
However, understaffing could leave workers spread too thin to address maintenance and cleaning matters promptly. Other times, burned-out, underpaid workers may do the minimum amount of work necessary to avoid losing their jobs.
In either case, worker negligence might be the reason that an individual slips and falls while shopping or stopping in to consult with a licensed professional. Vicarious liability standards make employers responsible in scenarios where their workers do something negligent while on the clock, such as ignoring safety hazards that could cause people to trip or slip.
People hurt in slip-and-fall incidents can protect themselves by reporting the incident to management, documenting unsafe property conditions for their own records and seeing a medical professional to diagnose their injuries. Partnering with a personal injury attorney can also be a smart decision.
Those hurt in slip-and-fall incidents may have grounds for insurance claims or even personal injury lawsuits. With the right assistance, they can recoup their losses and hold a business responsible for failing to keep their space clean and safe.