Have you ever heard of those nightmare stories where a visitor slipped and fell on someone else's property and then sued the property owner for damages that resulted from the injury? Cases such as this require an experienced personal injury lawyer in Richmond Hill to prevent things from going from bad to worse. If this has happened to you on your property, then there is a good chance that you'll be getting called in the near future for a premises liability that has been filed against you.
It doesn't matter if you're the principal owner of a building or if you're just renting a house. You're liable for what occurs on your property. This means if a neighbor, visitor, or stranger is on your property and ends up getting personally injured, you could be held liable. You should also keep in mind that there are certain limits to a property owner's liability. The field of personal injury law can get confusing, and that's why getting a personal injury lawyer in Richmond Hill is highly suggested.
Premises liability involves liability placed on owners for injuries that might happen on the property. Certain unexpected injuries that might occur on your property include:
Someone slipping on your stairs while walking into the home
Someone smashing their head on a corner of your window that wasn't closed
Premises liability can get complicated, and if someone gets injured on your property, you run the risk of being sued for damages. You'll always want to ensure that your property is maintained and doesn't contain any potential hazards that might cause these negative events to happen.
You'll also want to keep in mind what parts of your property contain safety hazards. If you know that your sidewalk beside your home gets slippery during the cold months of the year, then it's wise to ensure that you salt it or sand it so that accidents won't occur. Some property owners like to get specific insurance for things like this, and it's good to be aware of all of the ways that you can avoid premises liability.
A lot of people that are working through premises liability cases will have been injured on things like:
The same people will say that their injuries resulted from:
In order to prevent something like this from happening on your property, you'll always want to ensure that your property is free of all safety hazards. You'll regularly want to check around your property for hazards that might pose a risk to anyone visiting your property. If you see a part of your property requiring repair, you'll want to address that as soon as you can so that no unforeseen accidents occur.
There are some things you might want to keep in mind as a property owner:
You'll also want to check the indoor environment of your home to ensure that there are no safety hazards, as well. Make a checklist of things that might be needing repair, and then address each one on a timely basis.
When you spot a safety hazard, you'll want to address it as soon as you can. Doing this sooner rather than later will go a long way in giving you peace of mind the next time a visitor comes to your property.
Here is a list of things to focus on when it comes to addressing safety hazards on your property:
Ensure your property is free of clutter and debris
Some people don't consider the fact that inadequate lighting outside of their homes at night could lead to severe injuries. No one wants to be walking around outside at night and smashing their head on something that they didn't see.
Having proper exterior lighting will go a long way in preventing injuries throughout the nighttime hours. Keep these tips in mind for night lighting:
Try using automatic emergency lights that will light up as soon as they detect motion in the vicinity
Make sure that your walkway is light up and that people can see where they are going
If you have any stairs to your home, make sure the area is lit up surrounding them
People need to know where they are walking, and efficient lighting will go a long way in ensuring the reduction of accidents during the night.
If you have a hazardous condition in your yard that can't be addressed right away, you'll want to put up appropriate signage to warn people of it. A good example of this is if you have an icy sidewalk and haven't been able to get to the store to purchase salt yet. Putting up a sign that states exactly that will go a long way in lowering injury from occurring. If your floor is wet, put a 'wet floor' sign up to remind visitors to avoid that area.
In the event that an accident does occur, contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as you can.
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