There are many different types of outdoor slip-and-fall accidents that can injure people in Georgia. Because slip-and-fall accidents happen frequently and are often the result of dangerous property conditions, they are one of the most common kinds of personal injury claims.
When an outdoor slip-and-fall accident occurs, the property owner is often found liable for the victim’s injuries. The property owner may be liable for the injuries because they let ice or snow accumulate on a walkway, which resulted in dangerous conditions. If the property owner did not provide adequate lighting in a parking lot or failed to patch cracks on a walkway, these failures could also make them liable for a slip-and-fall accident.
Slip-and-fall accidents sometimes take place on public sidewalks that are located near commercial properties. Property owners are usually not liable for sidewalk accidents, but the city that maintains the sidewalk where a person fell may be found liable. When weather conditions cause a property to become dangerous, the property owner will only be liable for a slip-and-fall accident if there was an excessive accumulation of ice or snow.
Outdoor slip-and-fall accidents can lead to minor or serious injuries, depending on all of the factors that are involved. A person who has sustained severe injuries in an outdoor slip-and-fall accident may want to talk to an attorney about filing a premises liability claim. An attorney may be able to help the injured victim identify all of the liable parties and pursue an award for damages. Many people injured in a slip-and-fall accident seek damages to cover the costs of required medical care as well as for lost wages due to an inability to work during the recovery period.