Premises liability claims are filed against Florida businesses every year, resulting in increased insurance rates and reduced profits. Business owners everywhere should be aware of the possibility of these types of lawsuits. It is good business practice for them to try to reduce the risk as much as possible.
Business owners are responsible for the safety of their customers. A premises liability claim generally alleges that because of the negligence of the business owner, managers or employees, a person was injurd on the property. Slip-and-fall accidents are a common example of this type of claim. These accidents usually result from a hazardous condition on the property such as torn carpeting or wet floors.
To meet their burden of proof in a premises liability claim, plaintiffs must be able to show that the business owner or the employees knew or should have known about the dangerous condition on the property and that the dangerous condition caused the accident that led to injury. Business owners should carefully train their employees to keep an eye out for hazards such as spills, ice and snow and damage to walkways. They should also protect their assets by obtaining liability insurance to cover damages incurred from this type of claim.
A person who has been injured as a result of hazardous conditions on someone else’s property may wish to contact a personal injury lawyer for more information. Property owners may try to argue that the injury was caused by the claimant’s own carelessness or that they should not be liable because the person who was injured was trespassing.