MYRTLE BEACH PREMISES LIABILITY ATTORNEYS

Maintenance doesn’t only involve the inside of a building or home. Property owners must also maintain their parking lots. If there’s a pothole, they should take the necessary steps to fix it, so no one trips or falls and hurts themselves.

Sometimes, the city or town is responsible for the maintenance of parking lots, making it a confusing process to file a claim. It’s critical to contact The Yates Firm immediately to determine which entity you can hold liable for your injury.

Missing railings, damaged steps, and steep or narrow staircases can lead to falls and severe injuries. Safety and building code violations often result in injuries to guests using the stairs. It’s the owner’s responsibility to regularly check all staircases, stairwells, and steps to locate damage or defects and repair them.

There should be railings throughout a property in specific locations, such as stairwells and balconies. Handrails might also be necessary for public restrooms, so they’re handicap accessible. If the railings on someone’s property are damaged, loose, or missing entirely, the owner could be held accountable for injuries that occur as a result.

Loose cords and wires should never remain in any area where guests might walk. If wiring or cords run across a hallway, someone could trip over them and fall. Trip hazards commonly lead to injuries on commercial properties, especially if a guest doesn’t know they’re there. If the property owner can’t secure the wires or cords, they must at least post signs near them, so guests can proceed with caution.

Objects left in walkways, hallways, and on sidewalks can be hazardous. Loose debris, small or large, can cause someone to slip or trip and twist their ankle or take a serious fall.

Property owners aren’t the only individuals responsible for removing hazards from their properties. If an employee sees the dangerous conditions but fails to address them promptly, the property owner could still be at fault for the accident.

It’s expected that property owners will keep their floors clean. However, they should place a sign near a recently mopped floor so visitors know it might be slippery. Guests won’t know to be careful in those areas if they don’t have any warning of the potential dangers. Additionally, if someone spills a drink or a pipe is leaking water, the owner should do what’s necessary to clean it up to prevent someone from slipping.

There should be adequate lighting in unsecured areas of the property and any location that causes visibility issues, especially at night, such as parking lots and stairwells. If any bulbs blow out or become damaged, the owner should replace or repair them. If someone can’t see where they’re going, they won’t notice a hazard in their way or could lose their footing walking down the stairs.

Sometimes, it isn’t possible to immediately address every problem. It might take time to repair defective lights, fix broken steps, replace loose floorboards, and remove hazards.

The property owner should place warning signs, cones, or caution tape near every dangerous condition to keep guests out of certain areas or ensure they know to proceed with caution.