(Newswire.net — July 20, 2020) — Over 34,000 people die from falls each year, and many of those falls are slip-and-fall events. There are laws that require property owners and businesses to keep their properties safe to help prevent these types of falls from ever occurring in the first place. Premises liability in slip-and-fall accidents is high according to a seasoned Las Vegas slip and fall lawyer.
What Types of Businesses Must Keep Their Properties Safe?
Any business that will have the public on site and/or employees working on the premises must follow strict safety guidelines designed to protect people from getting hurt in an accidental fall. This can happen both indoors and outside.
For indoor slip-and-fall events, the cause is usually a wet floor that was not clearly marked as a hazardous area. Outside steps and sidewalks must be kept free from snow, ice and debris that could create a hazard for anyone that happens to walk by.
What Happens if a Major Snow or Ice Storm Creates a Slippery Surface?
Although all businesses and employers are required to keep their indoor and outdoor environments safe for walking, a judge might find that the property owner isn’t liable for slip-and-fall accidents if a major weather or natural disaster event created the problem in some select instances.
If someone does become injured during a slip-and-fall situation, they may be eligible to sue for damages, according to a reputable Las Vegas slip and fall lawyer with plenty of experience in these matters.
Can People Sue Skating Rinks or Amusement Parks for Falls?
In the matter of potentially dangerous situations where someone may take a tumble, the laws become a bit confusing to a non-legal mind. Most people are familiar with amusement type businesses informing customers that they skate or ride at their own risk.
This is to protect the business owners from liability should someone fall while on the premises. However, if an employee leaves a wet floor or doesn’t clean up slippery surface spills, the company could still be legally responsible.
How Much Compensation Can Be Collected in a Slip-and-Fall Case?
The amount, if any, of compensation that the victim of a slip-and-fall incident can collect will depend on varying factors. This includes whether the property owner, or his/her employees, neglected to do their part in keeping the public safe from such types of events and takes into account whether the victim bears any responsibility for the fall.
For instance, a horseback rider may be held responsible for their own injuries if they willfully hurt the horse trying to trigger its anger. Likewise, a hospital employee, looking to get injured in order to collect a large sum of money from their employer, that is shown to have set up the dangerous environment where he/she became injured against their company’s safety policy, could be denied compensation.
What About an Unsteady Resident in a Nursing Home Who Trips?
A nursing home is legally responsible to keep their employees, visitors and residents safe from any type of harm including falls. A resident who is known to be unsteady should be monitored closely to help prevent these types of falls that often result in injuries and even death. This is why every single accident and slip-and-fall event that occurs in these facilities must be accurately reported and investigated by law.
Even homeowners can be held liable if someone becomes hurt while at the home. This could be a neighbor, someone visiting your kids, the mailman or a delivery person that slips due to icy walkways or surfaces.