personal injury lawyer in Harrisonburg, VA
Slip and falls are a fairly common injury accident, that can happen on all kinds of properties. A person may take a fall while at a store, friend’s apartment, public park, or anywhere else where visitors may go. These accidents can quickly become complicated if the person fell due to the fault or negligence of someone else. The victim of the slip and fall may file a lawsuit against the landlord, property manager, or business owner for not providing a safe environment. The person who took the tumble may sue as a way to seek financial retribution for injuries and other losses.
Here are a few examples of how to prevent a slip and fall accident from occurring:
1) Clean up slippery or wet floors immediately.
The risk of slipping and falling can be greatly reduced if wet floors are mopped up, sidewalks and parking lots are clean, removing snow, using moisture absorbing mats at the entrance, displaying wet floor signs, and attending to spills in a reasonable time-frame. Staff that ignores wet floor conditions may be risking a slip and fall accident and lawsuit, which resulted due to this negligence.
2) Picking up debri and sufficiently lighting walkways.
Slip and fall accidents are less likely to happen if walkways are clean, orderly, and don’t have loose cords exposed. In a retail store, a customer may trip and fall because products fell off a broken shelf or was unable to see properly due to lack of lighting. Walkways, aisles, and corridors must be free of debri and mess.
3) Be in the moment without distractions.
Visitors who walk into a property can decrease their chances of taking a serious fall if they are in the moment of what they are doing. This means not writing an email, eating, reading or doing other stationary activities while walking. In the event of a lawsuit, your compensation award may be decreased if it was found that you were also doing something that contributed to the slip and fall.
4) Notifying the appropriate person about breaks, flaws or other dangers.
If you notice in your environment that there is a huge crack in the pavement, a huge puddle of liquid, or a burnt out lighting fixture, you can help prevent slip and falls from happening to others if you bring it to the attention of the landlord, supervisor, or property manager (depending on what type of property it is).
A slip and fall accident can cause really painful injuries that are costly to treat. Depending on how the person fell, he or she could sustain injuries such as traumatic brain injury, broken bones, lacerations, bruises, strained muscles, neck/back pain and more. If this has happened to you or a loved one, you may want to consider meeting with a personal injury lawyer in Harrisonburg, VA about filing a lawsuit. Medical care is not usually cheap, and suffering an injury like a slip and fall can put some people in severe financial hardship. Taking legal action may be the only option in trying to financially recover from the accident.
Contact MarinWren, P.C. for their insight into personal injury claims and how to prevent slip and fall accidents.