The Most Common Locations For Slip & Fall Accidents
Mark A. Steinberg
Premises Liability
Whether you’re living in Venice or working in North Port, your lifestyle will take you to many different locations for different needs. One basic assumption it’s reasonable to have is that any area you enter will be sufficiently free from risks that could injure you. This is known as a duty of care. It means that a property owner has a legal responsibility to create a reasonably safe environment for people visiting a home or customers visiting a place of business. One area where the duty of care is essential is a type of accident most commonly known as a “slip and fall.” This means that, for whatever reason, a location a person should be able to walk through with little danger has resulted in tripping or slipping and a fall that leads to an injury. There are some of the locations that people often experience slip and fall accidents in.
Construction Sites
Construction sites pose a big risk of slipping and falling for the simple reason that there are already unsafe environments. For example, floors haven’t yet been put in; workers must sometimes traverse narrow girders at great heights. At the same time, tools are strewn about, or cables and wiring are scattered around until they have been properly installed.
All of this means that workers must be extremely careful of watching where they walk. If they are not at risk of falling through an open space with no flooring, they could slip on loose screws sitting on a surface.
Parking Lots
Even though a parking lot is not considered part of a property’s interior, it is still considered part of a property. Therefore a property owner must still maintain it. A poorly maintained parking lot can cause slips and falls for any number of reasons. If a parking lot isn’t properly lit, for example, then walking in the dark can easily lead to a slip or trip and resulting fall.
Another common slip and fall caused in parking lots is neglect leading to uneven surfaces. Potholes left unfilled, cracks or other unevenness in a parking lot can cause someone to catch their foot or trip. If this is combined with poorly lit conditions, the chances of an accident are even greater.
Stairwells
Falling down stairs is a severe form of a slip and fall. The reason for this, of course, is that falling down stairs may mean the victim has a much longer, more potentially harmful fall since the floor may be some distance away.
As with parking lots, there are numerous reasons a slip and fall can occur here, but the two biggest causes are neglecting to maintain the stairs or failing to provide adequate lighting. If a stairwell has no windows, for example, then walking up or down the stairs can, at best, occur in dim lighting, and at worst, in pitch-black darkness, making it very easy to trip. Poorly maintained stairs with uneven surfaces and placement can also cause a slip and a fall.
Escalators
Slip and fall accidents are prevalent on escalators for several reasons. Unlike the other locations, escalators are mechanized, moving stairs, meaning that even if a person isn’t walking, movement is still occurring. People can injure themselves when they get the timing wrong on stepping on or off escalators.
And while it’s not actually a fall, it’s still considered a “slip and fall” when other accidents, such as fabric from clothing getting caught in the escalator, occur. There have even been instances of faulty escalators falling apart and grinding up victims who were riding the escalator at the time.
Retail Areas
Probably the most common location for slip and fall accidents is in retail business locations, particularly those where liquids are present. Grocery stores, for example, can have accidents when customers drop and break bottles of juice or milk. On the other hand, Auto repair garages frequently deal in fluids such as motor oil that are extremely slippery and can end up on the floor due to leaks or other defects in a vehicle that is brought in for repair.
If you are injured in a slip and fall at one of these locations, and you know it’s due to property negligence, talk to a slip and fall attorney to find out what to do next.