What are the most common causes of slip and fall accidents?

You could suffer serious injuries, such as broken bones, spinal cord injuries, or traumatic brain injuries, in a slip and fall accident at any time and place. If you are like many victims, you might blame yourself for your fall.

However, most slip and fall accidents are caused by dangerous conditions on the property. If you were hurt in a slip and fall accident at a business or on private property, you need to know the common negligent actions that may have caused your injuries and may entitle you to compensation from the business or property owner.

Leading Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents

In order to hold the owner responsible for compensating you for your injuries, you must prove that they knew, or should have known, about a dangerous condition on their property and failed to correct it. Common ways that a property owner or business causes slip and fall accidents include:

• Wet surfaces and spills. Owners have a duty to clean wet surfaces, such as wet and icy entrances, sidewalks, parking lots, and spills on floors. When they fail to do so, an unsuspecting guest could slip and fall.
• Defects in flooring. One of the most common causes of falls is when a property owner or business fails to maintain its flooring properly. Bulging and torn carpeting and cracked and uneven flooring can create a fall hazard if not repaired or replaced.
• Debris and other hazards. Debris and trash left strewn on floors and electrical cords running along areas where people must walk can be an unsafe tripping hazard.
• Inadequate lighting. When the lighting is poor in a parking lot or inside a building, it can be impossible for a victim to see a pothole, wet surface, dangerous handrail or stairs, or other hazards to avoid a fall.
• Stairs. Stairways can become very dangerous if the stairs are broken and worn, or there are missing or loose handrails. An individual can suffer life-altering injuries in a fall on stairs.
• Inadequate training. Business owners have a duty to train their employees on how to properly maintain the property and correct hazardous conditions when they arise. If they breach this duty, the dangerous conditions discussed above can be allowed to remain on the property and result in patrons being injured due to a fall.
• Lack of warnings. If an owner cannot correct a hazardous condition immediately, they must post a warning to alert guests to avoid the danger. When they fail to do this, they can be responsible for compensating a victim who suffered injuries.

How to Know If Your Injuries Were Caused by Negligence

It can be difficult to determine if you fell at a business or someone’s property due to their negligence. You need the help of an experienced premises liability lawyer who can investigate the cause of your fall and collect the evidence you need to win your case. Fill out our convenient online form or call our Norfolk office to schedule a free consultation to learn how we can assist you.