Premises liability lawsuits are some of the most common personal injury lawsuits in America, with hundreds of thousands of people being injured or killed in premises liability accidents. Even when they are not fatal, premises liability accidents can cause severe injuries that lead to long-term health problems for victims. Here are just five of the most common mistakes people make that lead to premises liability claims:
- Failing to properly maintain a property
- No one likes having to maintain their properties. It’s expensive, disruptive, and time-consuming, and many people would prefer to put off maintenance rather than deal with the expense and inconvenience. Unfortunately, poorly maintained properties are far more likely to suffer from serious safety issues, which increases the risk of an accident on the premises.
- Failing to clean up spills and debris
- It may seem ridiculously simple on the surface but cleaning up spills and debris promptly is an essential part of keeping a property safe. Puddles of water, patches of ice, and pieces of litter on the ground can all pose potential hazards that can cause someone to trip or slip and fall. When that happens, they can easily get hurt, potentially resulting in severe injuries.
- Failing to warn of hazardous conditions
- Not every hazard on a property can be fixed right away, but a property owner still must ensure that hazards are appropriately signposted. This can range from warnings for wet floors, to signs for potential electrical hazards, to signs on swimming pools to warn people from entering when a lifeguard is not on duty. When proper warning signs are not posted, it makes the chances of a premises liability accident that much more likely.
- Failing to repair known hazards
- Putting up a warning sign is just the first part of dealing with hazardous conditions on a property. The property owner also must ensure these hazards are repaired promptly. A property owner who fails to repair known hazards exposes everyone on their property to an increased risk of harm, and the longer they go without repairing it, the greater the danger becomes.
- Failing to secure against criminals
- While not every crime is foreseeable and preventable, many crimes are, especially in areas where the crime rate is unusually high. Property owners have a duty to take steps to prevent crimes from occurring in or around their properties, which includes things like installing safety cameras, putting lights in darkened areas, or hiring security guards. If a landlord fails to take these steps to prevent crime, and someone gets hurt due to a crime on their property, they may be held liable for their injury.
Fox Law Firm, PLLC is a New York personal injury law practice serving clients throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. With over three decades of law practice experience, attorney Kevin Fox has helped clients in personal injury cases obtain the compensation they deserve. For more information or to ask for a consultation, call our Riverhead office at 631-779-3400 or visit our contact page.
