Ways Property Owner Negligence Causes Trips and Falls

Trips and falls are common, yet underestimated accidents that can result in severe injuries and substantial medical bills. If you suffer an injury from a trip and fall accident resulting from a property owner’s negligence, you can pursue compensation through a trip and fall lawyer.

Here are some causes of trips and falls that may occur due to property owner negligence:

Examples of Property Owners’ Negligence

Property owners have a duty of care towards anyone who visits their premises. This means they are responsible for maintaining the safety of their premises and warning visitors of injury hazards on the property. Failure to adhere to their duty of care makes a property owner liable for any slip and fall accidents that occur at their premises.

That means anybody injured at their property can get the services of a trip and fall lawyer and sue for compensation on account of the owner’s negligence. Here are some examples of property owner negligence that can result in liability for a slip and fall: 

Inadequate Maintenance

Neglecting routine maintenance can compromise a property’s safety, increasing the risk of injury for visitors. Cracked sidewalks, potholes, and loose floor tiles create an uneven surface that is easy for people to trip over. Neglecting to repair broken handrails and slippery floors also creates hazardous conditions that can result in fall accidents.

Property owners have a legal obligation to repair any parts of their property that can cause injury to visitors. You can sue a property owner for compensation if you can prove that an injury incurred at their premises resulted from poor maintenance. 

Poor Lighting 

Inadequate lighting in stairwells, corridors, and outdoor areas can conceal trip hazards, increasing the likelihood of someone falling and sustaining an injury.

Property owners are liable if visitors sustain an injury from tripping over an unseen hazard in a poorly illuminated area. Areas such as hallways without windows and stairwells are particularly dangerous if not properly illuminated.

Lack of Warning Signs

Property owners have a duty to put up signs warning visitors of fall hazards and alerting them to exercise caution. Warning signs are necessary in hazardous zones like wet floors and construction sites. Property owners should also put up warning signs to indicate high-voltage electrical wires, low-hanging fixtures, and unexpected steps.

Property Owners’ Duty Care

The extent to which a property owner is responsible for the people on their property depends on the circumstances under which someone visits their premises. Property owners are responsible for invitees and licensees on their property.

An invitee is anyone who visits a person’s property for business purposes, such as customers in a commercial property. Conducting regular property maintenance, removing tripping hazards, and inspecting the property for hidden dangers are reasonable requirements for protecting invitees. 

Licensees are people who enter a property for social purposes, like guests visiting their friend’s home. The duty of care property owners owe licensees is less than the requirement for invitees.

The property owner has a reasonable duty to protect licensees from known hazards on their property but has no duty to check for hidden hazards. Property owners have no duty of care towards adult trespassers. 

Hire a Trip and Fall Lawyer for Your Injury Case

Trip and fall accidents may sometimes result in severe injuries resulting in medical expenses and distress. Property owners have a responsibility to take reasonable measures to minimize visitors’ risk of trips and falls. Failure to do so makes a property owner liable for any injuries that visitors suffer due to their negligence. It helps to hire a trip and fall lawyer when pursuing compensation for an injury caused by a property owner’s negligence.

Your attorney will help you determine the duty of care the property owner owes you and prove the property owner’s negligence. By hiring an attorney to oversee your personal injury case, you increase your chances of getting the compensation you deserve for your injuries.