A Guide to Slip and Fall Accidents
When a person injures themselves by tripping or slipping on a foreign substance. Slips and falls can happen when a negligent supervisor fails to provide a safe environment. For example, a common slip and fall accident can occur when a person slips on an icy sidewalk in front of a business or if a patron slips on a piece of food on a grocery store floor. In both of these cases the businesses are at fault for failing to provide nonhazardous surroundings.
Although a reasonable injury may have occurred, the property owner may or may not be responsible for the victim’s injuries. Owners of property have a responsibility to maintain their property and to provide a safe environment for visitors. Despite this duty, it is possible for a property owner to avoid liability for a slip or a fall.
The owner’s liability for the accident can be avoided if the victim was able to clearly see any danger (for example, food in the middle of a grocery store aisle) and choose not to protect themselves from the danger. Additionally, property owners can also avoid taking responsibility for an injury if they can establish that the hazardous condition had happened so recently that there was no opportunity for an employee to clear away the debris. For example, an owner could avoid liability if ice had formed so recently that he or she did not have a chance to clear it.
Victims must show that the owner had a reasonable period of time where he or she could have identified the hazardous condition and eradicate it to win their case. A “reasonable time” will vary from case to case and can only be determined by the specific facts of each suit. An expert attorney can help you do this.
It would not be unusual if you had questions about the facts and the laws regarding your slip or fall. It is important that you seek the help of a legal professional to guide you through your case and aid in sorting out all of the complex legal issues that may be involved.