Louisiana residents who go to stores and restaurants usually do not anticipate that they will suffer an injury while doing so. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Even though the law expects property owners to take appropriate precautions to keep their premises safe, they often fail to do so for a number of reasons.
Property owners are expected to keep their floors mopped, waxed and polished. However, they also have a duty to inform their customers or guests to be aware of this, by providing warnings and signs that the floor is being clean and may still be damp or by closing off damp areas. People can slip and fall if an excessive amount of wax or polish is used or if it is applied unevenly, and in both these instances, a property owner might be held liable.
Stairways are another potential hazard, as the material stairs are made of becomes worn out after continued use. Edges can get rounded off and may cause slips when people are using them. If one or more steps were rounded out or if a handrail is missing or broken, and the property owner either knew of the dangerous condition or should have known about it because it existed for a sufficient amount of time, they may be held liable through a premises liability lawsuit.
It might seem daunting to hold a property owner accountable for an injury caused on their premises, but it is important to keep in mind they have certain duties of care to the public. These duties must be fulfilled and if they are not, they can be the subject of a lawsuit that could be one way to pursue recovery for the costs associated with a slip-and-fall accident.
