Property owners can be held liable for slip-and-fall accidents

Falls make for great slapstick moments in movies, but they work much differently in real life. Slip-and-fall accidents often result in severe injuries for victims. From broken bones to head trauma, recovery from these accidents can be time-consuming and financially draining. However, most victims in Maryland can achieve compensation for their injuries if their fall occurred on another person’s property.

One of the most common causes of slip-and-fall accidents comes from slippery or otherwise ill-maintained floors. However, the simple existence of a spill, wax or crack does not necessarily mean that a property owner is liable for another person’s injuries. Instead, courts will look at whether the owner took steps to adequately warn others of potential dangers. For instance, was there a sign for a spill or did the owner rope off an area of floor that was recently treated with wax?

Stairs in older buildings can also pose a threat to a visitor’s safety. Even seemingly well-maintained stairwells can harbor hidden dangers, such as missing or damaged handrails, foreign debris, waxed stairs and rounded steps. Rounded steps are especially troublesome. After years of use, the edges of some stairs can become rounded and easy to slip on.

Owners in Maryland must properly maintain their properties. This includes addressing safety issues in timely manners and putting out warning signs for dangers that might not be immediately obvious. When they fail to do so, it is likely that someone will end up hurt, possibly in a slip-and-fall accident. In such cases, victims can hold negligent property owners financially responsible for their injuries through the successful navigation of premises liability lawsuits.