A premises liability accident is a certain type of accident that happens on property owned and maintained by another person or by a company. It is the responsibility of all property owners to ensure that their property is safe and that any unsafe and dangerous areas contain sufficient warnings. Read on to learn about the most common reasons these accidents happen and then learn what you can do if you’ve been involved in a premises liability accident.
Some of the primary causes of premises liability cases
This list doesn’t include 100% of the causes of premises liability cases, but it does include some of the most frequent we’ve seen at Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas.
- A property that’s not well lit
- Walkways that are unsafe
- Structures that aren’t safe
- Dangerous conditions that are hidden from view
- Wet floors without proper signage alerting to the condition
- Walkways that are snowy or ice
- Most types of slip and fall accident
- Not enough security on a property
- An object falling on someone
- Not maintaining a retail store property
- Accidents in an elevator or caused by an escalator
- Failure of an automatic door
- A fire
- An electrocution
- An explosion
- A building that collapses
- Toxic substances
- An accident at a railroad crossing that didn’t have the appropriate signage
- Poor conditions in a construction zone
- A dog bite
Sometimes dangerous situations are obvious
It’s the duty of everyone who owns a property to ensure that their property is safe and to warn of any conditions that could be unsafe. This makes many people wonder: What if the danger is obvious? In fact, in California what’s known as “open and obvious” dangerous conditions is indeed a valid possible defense to a person being sued for premises liability.
This is because California courts find that if there’s a danger that’s so obvious that the owner could expect anyone on their property to reasonably see it, then the dangerous condition actually serves as a warning itself and the property owner doesn’t need to take additional steps to warn the public. Of course, this isn’t always a defense. For example, if the dangerous condition is one that can’t be avoided, the courts will consider the owner of the property’s obligation to ensure the property is safe alongside their duty to warn.
That said, even if the property owner isn’t found financially liable, the courts can still require them to remedy the condition. If you feel that you’ve been the victim of an accident that was caused by the owner or landlord of a property not taking appropriate steps to keep the property safe, then it’s time to call Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for your free case evaluation.
These accidents can cause a wide range of injuries
At Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas, we’ve seen premises liability accidents lead to injuries that have long-term consequences, including neck injuries, paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, chemical burns, and other injuries. If you’ve been involved in this type of accident then we urge you to call now for your free case evaluation.
