There are many occasions in which a person is injured on property other than their own and they don’t know that the owner of the property may be liable to them for compensation for their injuries. Common types of injuries that may occur are slip and falls, trip and falls, injuries caused by inadequate maintenance, injuries caused by defective conditions, and injuries caused by inadequate security.
Slip/trip and fall injuries are exactly what you think they are: you were walking in your favorite store or restaurant when all of a sudden, unbeknownst to you, there was a slippery substance on the floor, or a bump in the carpet, that caused you to fall and injure yourself. If this happens to you, it’s important to contact the appropriate store personnel and file an incident report with them for documentation. Make sure you get a copy! And of course, as in any situation, if you are seriously injured, make sure to seek medical attention immediately.
Injury due to inadequate maintenance is when a property owner’s failure to properly maintain their premises causes injury to the public. This could be anything from falling branches to gnarly vines that trip you. It could also be dangerous debris left unattended, broken elevators, or when merchandise stacked high above the ground at a big box retailer is improperly stowed, causing you injury when it comes crashing down.
Injury caused by defective conditions is when a property owner fails to repair or warn the public of a dangerous condition on the premises. These dangerous conditions are usually hidden, in that you would not be able to readily determine that the condition was dangerous just by looking at it. An example would be loose paver stones or a loose rail on a balcony: you may not have been able to see that the rail was loose, but upon leaning on it, the rail broke, causing you to fall off of the balcony and seriously injure yourself.
Injury due to inadequate security is when a property owner fails to take proper precautions in making sure to mitigate the likelihood of the public’s injury from dangers that are foreseeable to the property owner. An example would be when a property owner fails to install adequate security devices such as gates, locks, or lighting; or when a property owner fails to warn patrons about dangerous criminal activity taking place on the premises.
It’s important to understand that if you’re injured on someone else’s property, there is a chance that the property owner or its tenant (whether individual or business) may be liable to you under premises liability law. If the property owner or tenant owes you a duty of care, and if they breached that duty of care, then they’re liable to you and you can recover for your out of pocket expenses, as well as for your pain and suffering, future medical care costs, lost wages, and any other damages recoverable under the laws of the State of Florida. If something like this happens to you or a loved one, please contact a South Florida personal injury lawyer in order to know your rights.
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