Regardless if you are a homeowner or property owner, you are legally obligated to ensure that your property is safe for guests. There are many types of accidents that are addressed under premises liability law. For example, someone could slip on a wet floor and file a lawsuit to try to recover damages for their injury. Being sued by a plaintiff who alleges that you didn’t maintain your property and that your negligence caused their injury or, even worse, the death of a loved one is something that all property owners and homeowners want to avoid.
Get Adequate Premises Liability Insurance
One of the best ways to protect yourself is to carry adequate insurance with an umbrella policy. Umbrella insurance is a low-cost way to get extra personal liability coverage if you are hit with a claim that is in excess of your homeowners, auto, or watercraft policy coverage. While it is very rare for a person to lose a lawsuit and owe a sum greater than what their insurance will pay out, if it does happen, then you could lose all of your savings and assets.
Common Forms of Premises Liability
There are different types of injuries that a person can suffer from while on someone’s property. However, these are some of the more common forms of premises liability:
• Unsafe swimming pools: If someone drowns, is injured by a pool drain, or slips and falls on the wet pavement by a pool, then they can sue for premises liability.
• Slip and fall: These typically result from wet floors due to spills or cleaning, but can also include when people trip over uneven floors or broken tiles.
• Stair collapse: A builder or construction company may be liable for stair collapse if it is shown that they were negligent in the construction of the stairs and that negligence led to the stairs collapsing, which resulted in injuries to the victims.
Preventing Premises Liability Suits
The following are some tips to help you prevent premises liability by assessing any risk on your property and creating a plan to address those problem areas.
• Keep your business well-maintained. This means scheduling regular maintenance check-ups for your plumbing, air-conditioning, etc.
• Ensure that if you have boxes or other items that are stored or stacked placed or kept at a reasonable height where they do not pose a falling risk to others.
• Contact your insurance company and have them sent out an agent to evaluate your property, and advise you on potential risk areas. An example of things they may look for is broken tiles on the floor that could cause someone to trip or an area around a pool that does not have a fence around it. Then be sure to talk to the relevant departments at your business about implementing the necessary changes immediately.
• To prevent wet floors it’s a good idea for shops and stores to have signs in front of their business prohibiting food and drinks inside. Customers will still bring them in, but more will be mindful of it. Drinks can spill, which can lead to slippery floors.
Anyone who has been injured on your property could file a premises liability suit. A premises liability attorney will investigate the case, interview witnesses, and negotiate your settlement. So protect yourself so you can avoid a costly and time-consuming lawsuit.
