Many New York residents know that injuries may occur in a retail establishment or a residence. When this happens, the renter, property owner, home or business owner may be held responsible. Anyone who enters a property has a reasonable expectation the property will be safe and free from danger. If not, the individual whose responsibility it is to maintain the property may be held liable for the financial loss the injured victim suffered.
Premises liability covers many types of injuries that occur on the property. Common injuries include slipping and falling, tripping over debris or being attacked by someone on the property. Although it may be difficult to prevent random acts of violence, setting up surveillance devices might help.
There are a few ways to assure premises safety. The first step is to set up a routine schedule for inspecting the premises. Checking for unsafe conditions before an injury occurs might prevent potential lawsuits. Once an unsafe condition is noticed, it is imperative to remedy it. A business owner may wish to set up certain procedures that employees must follow once a hazardous situation has been detected. In addition, if the problem is unable to be remedied immediately, such as a broken pipe, it is necessary to find a conspicuous way of warning customers and other employees. This might be done by posting a sign in the area alerting others to the danger.
Those who are injured while lawfully being on the premises of another may wish to speak with a personal injury attorney to learn about the possible avenues of recourse that are available to be pursued. If the injury was caused by a hazardous condition that the owner or occupier of the property should have been aware of, it may be advisable to seek the recovery of damages through a premises liability lawsuit.