If you’re hurt in a slip-and-fall accident, you may be able to make a claim for compensation against the owner of the property where you got hurt. For example, if you enter a small business and trip on carpeting that was bunched up, you may be able to claim that the owner was negligent and left a hazard where you could fall and get hurt.
There’s not a precise way to prove if a business owner is legally responsible for your injuries, but you can take steps to prove that he or she was. You’ll need to prove that the business owner was acting in a way that was careless, putting you at risk for injury. You’ll need to show that there was a dangerous condition that led to your injury. This condition could be something like wrinkled carpeting, an uneven floor, or wet floors that aren’t marked.
You should show that the owner or possessor of the property created the condition that resulted in your injury. You need to show that the possessor or owner knew about the condition and failed to correct it. Then, you should show that the condition was present for long enough that the business owner or possessor should have had enough time to correct that issue.
If you can prove that the problem was there and not corrected, you can be in a good position to file a lawsuit for compensation. This compensation could cover lost wages, medical bills, and other financial losses that you face thanks to suffering an injury at the hands of someone else’s negligence.
Source: FindLaw, “The Small Business Owner and Slip-and-Fall Accidents,” accessed April 13, 2016
