Businesses and companies do their best to keep their employees and customers safe, but accidents still happen in spite of preventative efforts, and people sometimes get hurt as a result. Or sometimes injuries occur at your business because your products have hurt someone. As a result, you may be facing expensive lawsuits and medical bills that could significantly impact your business.
What Is Premises Liability?
Premises liability is a legal concept that holds a property owner responsible for any damages that resulted in that person’s property. Each state has laws that outline the responsibilities property owners have to maintain safe environments for visitors. Premises liability lawsuits can hold the property owner responsible for any damages that resulted in an injury If the property owner failed to use reasonable care to prevent dangerous conditions.
What Are the Most Common Forms of Premises Liability?
There are so many different types of injuries that a person can sustain on any property. This is why risk management is so important. Operations managers must take care to prevent injuries. Here are some of the most common forms of premises liability:
- Slip and fall: These accidents are some of the most common forms of premises liability injuries that result from wet floors, uneven floors or steps, loose or falling objects, negligence, or other dangerous conditions.
- Unsafe swimming pools: Swimming pool owners can be held responsible if a guest or swimmer is injured in or near their pool. Swimming pools pose a number of threats to people such as drowning, slip and falls and dangerous pool drains accidents. A property owner can also be liable for not installing a fence around the pool that is high enough to prevent children from climbing over it.
- Stair collapse: A construction company, architect, or engineer may be liable for stair collapse if evidence proves that they were negligent in the construction of the stairs and that negligence led to the stairs’ collapse, thus injuring one or more victims.
- Escalator and elevator accidents: Shopping malls, hotels, apartment buildings, and office suites are required to provide publicly accessible elevators and escalators that are safe for all individuals to use.
- Sick Building Syndrome/environmental hazards: Sick Building Syndrome is when the occupants of the building experience symptoms of illness or become infected with chronic diseases from the buildings in which they are working or living in. If people have close and constant contact with mold, asbestos, or lead paint, then it could cause severe health issues and/or complications.
Handling an Injury Claim on Your Premises
The following guidelines are not meant to be construed as legal advice. If someone makes a claim of injury at your business, contact your insurance company to make them aware of the event.
1. Offer to summon help if necessary – There is no benefit to denying a person who’s claiming to be injured medical help. This could also hurt your case.
2. Take photos and video – Do not rely solely on surveillance cameras to capture the story. Take photos and video of the accident scene, the victim’s injuries (if visible), and any collateral damage. Do not share these with anyone other than your insurer or your attorney. They will provide the discovery evidence.
3. Preserve surveillance video – Don’t allow looping video to expire. Make a backup and provide it only to your insurance company or your attorney.
4. Identify witnesses, including employees – Get the names and contact information of anyone who witnesses the actual accident. Provide that information to your insurance company or your accident attorney.
Hiring a Premises Liability Attorney
The best defense against premises liability is to maintain the property and take the necessary precautions to ensure that it doesn’t need significant repairs. But no matter how much is done to prevent premises liability cases, accidents will still happen. Accident lawyers can investigate your injury to determine its cause and pursue compensation on your behalf. If you have suffered injuries on someone’s property then you may be entitled to compensation from the owners of the property. You want to hire an attorney who aims for the highest settlement possible for their clients and provides a free case evaluation. But you don’t want to wait. The sooner you talk to your attorney and file your case, the What are your chances of recovering the compensation you deserve.
Man Reading Letter After Receiving Neck Injury -DepositPhotos
