Hey everyone,
this is Ted Ravan from Ravan Law and welcome to another Ted Talk Tuesday.
Today we’re talking about premises liability that means slip and fall and trip and fall cases and injuries. These type of injuries are common and to put it simply premises liability cases occur when someone is injured on another person’s property, an example will be slipping and following at a grocery store.
The premises liability cases differ from cases like auto accident cases which there are strict laws that another driver must follow in order to prevent an accident. Things like not speeding or yielding to other drivers. With premises cases, the person or corporation that owns possesses or controls the property is responsible to exercise reasonable care. That means maintaining, inspecting, repairing, and warning of any dangerous conditions. If a person or corporation fails to maintain, inspect, repair, or warn they can be seen as negligent for those injuries.
Now some dangers can’t be fixed on a property. Think about slippery floor after mopping. It’s important to maintain the property to clean it, but if you clean it, it could be dangerous. That’s why it’s important to warn. A common example of this is the yellow signs we see that say slippery when wet after someone has mopped the area. Now those signs aren’t just there to keep you safe, but they’re also there to avoid lawsuits for the landlord.
Here are a few tips If you’re injured on-premises.
1. Determine what caused you to fall and injure yourself.
Was it a crack in the floor? Was it a puddle? Was it a railing that you tripped on? Whatever it was, figure it out.
2. Document that dangerous condition, document what caused you to fall and become injured. Take pictures, take pictures from the angle in which you fell. Take pictures from far away from close up. Try getting an idea of the size of whatever it was that caused you to fall.
3. Alert a supervisor or an employee. Tell them, “Hey, I fell and I hurt myself”, point out what it was. They may ask you to give some information or fill out a report. It’s important to document the person you talk to, take down their name, their position at the on the premises. Are they a supervisor? Are they a cleaning crew? Are they a cashier? Figure out what their title and name are.
4. Contact an attorney immediately. An experienced attorney knows how to help you and ensure that you are properly compensated for your injuries.
Now, if you have any questions about this topic or any of the topics I’ve talked about, please call me at (888) 6-THE-LAW.
