In personal injury law, “negligence” broadly refers to any situation where someone acts in a way that a reasonable person would not. In the context of slip and fall cases, this refers to situations where property owners fail to do what they are supposed to in order to deal with potential slipping or tripping hazards. Here are seven common types of negligence that can lead to slip and fall cases:
- Failure to clean up rain, snow or ice
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- Wet floors are among the biggest issues that can lead to slip and fall cases, and often these are the result of water or ice getting tracked in from outside. Property owners who fail to clean up rain, snow or ice can significantly increase the risk of a slip and fall accident.
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- Failure to clean up spilled food or drink
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- By the same token, restaurants and grocery stores often need to deal with spilled food or drink, whether it is spilled by the staff or by customers. If not cleaned up promptly, these spills can cause potentially dangerous accidents.
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- Failure to install adequate lighting
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- Many slip and fall accidents occur not due to any specific hazard, but rather due to a lack of lighting. Property owners are responsible for ensuring any areas where people regularly walk, including hallways and parking lots, are well lit, and must repair or replace any broken lighting.
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- Failure to repair damaged flooring or carpeting
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- Floorboards, tiles, and carpets can all wear down or get damaged over time, making them unstable or slippery. If they are not repaired quickly, it can be easy for someone to slip or trip on them, resulting in a potentially serious accident.
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- Failure to repair cracked or uneven pavement
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- Likewise, property owners are generally responsible for ensuring any pavement on their property is kept in good condition. This means they must repair any cracks, and even out any areas that may have been made uneven due to improper installation, or due to issues like tree roots.
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- Failure to maintain stairs or banisters
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- A disturbing number of slip and fall cases occur when people are using the stairs, resulting in potentially deadly falls. To prevent this, property owners should repair any damaged or missing stairs, and repair any bannisters that become damaged or loose.
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- Failure to address exposed wiring
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- Wires and power cables can be found anywhere, but typically they are supposed to be covered to prevent potential falls. All it takes is one person failing to see a wire on the ground for them to trip and suffer a potentially dangerous fall.
For more than 50 years, the New York lawyers at Elovich and Adell have represented clients like you in personal injury cases. Our attorneys, conveniently located in Long Beach, handle personal injury, real estate, commercial transactions, criminal defense, and labor and employment claims all across New York State. For a consultation, please call us at 516-432-6263 or visit our contact page for more information.
