Who Is Liable if a Slippery Wet Floor in a Public Space Caused My Injury?
Each year thousands of people encounter serious bodily injuries as a result of slip and fall accidents. While these accidents are caused due to multiple reasons, a slippery wet floor is one of the leading causes of such accidents occurring on public or private property. While it is easy to dismiss these incidents as minor, harmless accidents, the fact remains that slip and fall injuries can be very serious and have lifelong health issues and physical, mental, and emotional consequences for the victims of the accident.
If you suffered a slip and fall on a wet floor on public or private property, you might be entitled to financial compensation. To obtain said compensation, it is necessary to prove the fault of the other party in a court of law. An experienced lawyer can help you obtain fair compensation through a lawsuit.
Slippery or Wet Floor Slip and Fall Accidents
Floors at a property can become slippery or wet due to a large number of reasons, including fluid spills, rainwater, ice or snow, mud, cleaning liquids, oil or grease, liquid waste material, bodily fluids, etc. Slippery or wet floors are a major safety hazard and can occur at any public building, including grocery stores, shopping malls, hotels and restaurants, movie theaters, schools or universities, automotive garages and shops, hospitals, etc. Additionally, these accidents can also occur at private places of residence and cause serious injury to the victims.
Determining Liability in Wet Floor Accidents
To obtain financial compensation for your injuries, you can file a lawsuit against the property owner in a court of law, where you will have to prove the negligence of the property owner. Establishing negligence is one of the most important parts of any slip and fall case. You have to prove that the slippery or wet condition of the floor caused your accident. You also have to prove that the owner of the establishment knew or should have known about the existence of said conditions at his/her property.
Regardless of the public or private nature of the property, all property owners owe their guests a duty of care. In this case, the duty of care entails ensuring that no safety hazards exist at the property that might cause injury. If the manager or owner of the property fails to fulfill this duty of care by minimizing the danger or placing warning signs around the slippery area of the floor, they can be held liable for the accident.
If you were injured in such an accident, but your negligence also contributed to the accident, you can still seek compensation for your damages. In such a case, the total amount of compensation might decrease in relation to the percentage of your fault for the accident.
Legal Advice and Consultation
If you or your loved one have been injured as a result of a wet or slippery floor slip and fall accident, you should contact a reputable firm to hire an attorney for legal advice and representation. An attorney with experience in premises liability law can help you obtain fair compensation for your physical, emotional, and financial damages, and guide you through the complicated legal process of filing a lawsuit.
