Slip And Fall Liability For Property Owners
Property owners are responsible for injuries that occur as a result of a dangerous or hazardous condition on their property, usually that they knew about or should have known about. Dangerous and hazardous conditions may cause slips and falls due to accumulation of water, ice or snow, liquids, as well as abrupt changes in flooring, raised or cracked sidewalks, poor lighting, or a hidden hazard, such as a hidden ground hole.
Other dangerous conditions may be apparent such as a broken step or railing or hidden hazards like a ground hole overgrown with grass or a transparent spill in the aisle of a supermarket. All of these examples represent conditions that are primed for an accident to occur, and can cause serious injury to people. In the case of some temporary conditions (like a liquid spill), the length of time that the condition existed before the incident occurred could have legal significance.
If the spill occurred just before the incident, then the property owner may not be liable for injury since the owner could not have known about the spill. The owner may not have been able to do anything about it before the slip and fall occurred.
However, there may be exceptions to the spill, for example, if the spill was present for a substantial period of time before the incident, if the spill is in an area subject to liquid spills, or if the spill happens as a recurring event I.E. \”every time they wash the floor someone slips.
