Potential business liability for accidents

Many of us are glad that the dangers associated with icy parking lots and slippery sidewalks are behind us until next winter.  For business owners, it is important to ensure that accumulations of snow and ice on premises they control are addressed in a timely manner so that customers and patrons don’t get injured.  However, accidents can occur all year round and failing to ensure a safe premises for customers can result in lawsuits for negligence.

Typical examples of negligence

Many falls are simply accidents. However, sometimes business owners and employees fail to take the steps necessary to ensure that patrons remain safe.  Common examples of this type of negligence are:

• Water, food, cleaning products or other substances being left on the floor without warning signs or cones placed around them, causing the floor to become slippery and resulting in a greater chance that someone will not notice the substance and fall.
• Merchandise, furniture, equipment, or other objects left in walkways or areas where pedestrians walk can cause injuries.
• Torn carpet, broken handrails, broken steps, buckling pavement or uneven floors can result in pedestrians tripping.
• Poor lighting design, dead bulbs or inactive light fixtures can lead to poor sightlines that do not allow pedestrians to recognize hazards like unmarked steps or gaps.

Businesses should address these hazards by marking them with signs or yellow safety pylons while immediately cleaning up the area to ensure customer safety.

Proving negligence

If a business owner or employee knows about a hazard but does nothing to fix it, then he or she may be liable for the harm caused to the customer who falls on the premises.  Victims of accidents at businesses should first seek medical treatment.  It may be worthwhile to consult with an experienced attorney to find out if those injuries occurring at a business may have been the result of negligence.