Most slip and fall accidents can occur anywhere. If you have been a victim in a slip and fall accident in Florida, make sure to insist on an incident report from a manager or property owner. Do so as soon as possible after a slip and fall accident.
What to know about the liability for Slip and fall accidents?
Liability for injuries that are caused by slip and fall accidents depends on negligence. The basic idea behind this theory is that all landowners are likely to owe others a duty to use reasonable care to prevent injuries on their property. In general, the state of Florida recognizes three categories of visitors at the time of determining the duty that a landowner owes to them.
Invitees
He/she is a person who is either invited to enter the land or property for a purpose that is connected with the business dealings of the landowner or a member of the public who is on the land for a purpose due to which the land is held open to the public.
Licensees
These may be invited or uninvited. An invited licensee is an individual who is invited to come onto the property by the landowner as a social guest. On the other hand, an uninvited licensee is an individual who is not invited to enter the land.
Trespassers
A trespasser is an individual who has no legal right to be on the landowner’s property whatsoever.
What are the indoor dangers?
Wet floors are the most common ones. You are likely to come across various Wet Floor signs that are put up by many stores. These signs are put up after mopping or in the event of a spill. However, in some cases, there are no signs! Also, there might be no barrier to close off the area. If the property owner was aware of the danger or should have known about it, they may be legally responsible if you are injured in a certain accident.
Uneven carpets are pretty common too. Since carpets age, it’s not that uncommon for them to become torn or worn. Some even start to bulge in some areas. This makes them a major hazard. Edges might tend to curl up. Certain times, items can get caught in the carpet and catch on footwear. Property owners are required to watch out for this set of conditions. They need to try to fix the issues as soon as they can in order to prevent people from tripping and falling.
Waxed or treated floors are common indoor dangers too. Flooring can be highly dangerous after it has been waxed or treated in an improper manner.
Some of the common examples include making use of too much polish or wax; applying polish or wax unevenly; using a floor treatment on an area of the floor which slopes and only treating part of the floor. The latter can give way to a change in walking conditions.
Stairway problems are also pretty common. You can get hurt falling downstairs. Most people tend to fall on the stairs due to obstacles that the property owner needs to have known about. It is important to keep trash and other debris off the stairs too. Property owners tend to have to ensure that handrails are not broken or missing. They need to make sure that the steps do not become worn or rounded. Also, they need to ensure that stairs have a non-skid surface, mainly if they are going to be polished or waxed at some point.
Sometimes, non-skid materials are avoided. There are some situations where the law calls for property owners to make use of floor treatments that have non-skid ingredients.
Dark or poorly lit areas are a major cause of slip and fall accidents. It is the duty of property owners to make sure that all the parts of their property are well-lit and navigable. If a light tends to go out, they are required to act quickly to get it replaced. Some areas of a property are poorly lit. Some areas do need to have a light installed to prevent certain injuries. If there are various complaints about people who have difficulty getting through a part of the property due to a lack of light, it must be addressed.
What are the common outdoor slip and fall accidents dangers?
Private walkways that are neglected can be a major cause. If a person tends to fall down on a public sidewalk, a property owner cannot really be held responsible. However, the local governmental entity can do the same. Now, if the injury instead takes place on a driveway or private walkway, they may be legally responsible. Falls may be caused by cracked/uneven paving or wet/slippery conditions that are caused by cleaning/weather.
Potholes and height differences are common ones too. Usually, parking lots and driveways can be a bit dangerous for people. This is mainly because they are likely to crack and develop potholes over a course of time. Damaged parking lots plus driveways are required to be repaired right on time. Also, owners might be held responsible for any set of injuries that take place. One should make sure that differences in height plus elevation take place eventually. This set of conditions is required to be addressed. This will save many pedestrians from slipping and tripping.
Bad lighting can be a major cause too. Now, property owners can be held liable if someone gets hurt in any portion of their property, even it is an exterior one. If there is insufficient light to see in a parking lot or on a walkway that lies outside the property, you can slip, trip, and even fall on various obstacles.
How can personal injury lawyers help?
If you suffer an injury due to someone else’s negligence, you should hire a qualified South Florida slip and fall lawyer. Now, there are various ways of proving fault in slip and fall accidents. A good slip and fall Florida lawyer will know all about it!
