When property owners or a person who is in control of a piece of property in Georgia fails to fix dangerous hazards about which they know or about which they should reasonably know, they run the risk of being held responsible if an injury results. If a person who has a legal right to be on the property injures themselves due to such an uncorrected hazard, they may be able to hold the property owner or lessor liable for their injuries and losses.
One of the most common injury accidents that occur in a business is a slip-and-fall injury. This can occur when someone trips over broken asphalt or missing tiles. It also can occur when someone slips and falls in an icy parking lot which has not been deiced or on a floor that is slippery, either due to mop water or to the use of slick waxes.
Business owners should take steps to make certain they are aware of all of the potential hazards in their locations and then take steps to correct them. It is a good idea for business owners and managers to walk through their premises, taking care to identify problems with floor maintenance. Until something is corrected, signage clearly warning people about the hazard should be in place, and if possible, the area should be blocked off.
Taking steps to correct hazards can go a long way towards stopping preventable accidents. People who are injured after slipping and falling while they are in a business or another location where they had the legal right to be may want to meet with a personal injury attorney to discuss their options. A lawsuit predicated on the theory of premises liability could seek damages from the owner for the losses that have been sustained.