Imagine something so mundane, like stairs, causing some of the most serious injuries. Stair accidents are common causes of premises liability lawsuits, which can be successful upon making a solid connection between a victim’s injury and the hazardous conditions of the stairs.
Stair conditions causing unnecessary accidents
Typical causes of stair accidents involve the lack of action from property owners, which include the following:
- Hazardous steps: Stairs with dangerous steps, like short and irregular ones, cause users to trip and fall.
- Lack of policies and warning signs: If the stairs in the premises are uncustomary, the property owner should provide rules around their use. Moreover, warning signs about the stairs’ condition, such as a slippery state, should always be available. The lack of these rules and signs can result in injuries.
- Lack of visual cues: Some stairs appear monotonous that users fail to see the next step which causes them to trip and fall. The lack of visual cues, such as yellow safety lines per step, can be attributed to the property owner’s negligence.
- Lack of side walls and handrails: Though side walls and handrails are conventional parts of stairs, some property owners choose to leave them out for aesthetic purposes. This decision can result in serious accidents.
- Poor lighting conditions: Even if property owners provide warning signs and safety equipment, a property’s staircase can still cause injuries if there is improper or inadequate lighting in the area.
Noticeably, a common denominator among these is that they are all something that property owners can prevent.
Holding property owners accountable
Property owners should be held responsible for injuries resulting from accidents on their premises when they could have avoided such accidents if they had applied reasonable care in safely operating their premises.
Accordingly, an important key in making a premises liability claim is sufficient evidence, such as photos and videos of the area and the accident and testimonies from eyewitnesses. Nonetheless, gathering evidence is not the only key component in a lawsuit. Seeking advice from a premises liability attorney can help you handle your case better.
