Premises liability law can be highly complex, especially those cases that involve slip and fall accidents on private property. On the one hand, such cases may seem relatively straightforward. A person slips, falls, and becomes injured on someone else’s property – obviously, that is evidence enough that the owner of that property is negligent and therefore liable for that person’s injuries, right? Not necessarily. In reality, slip and fall cases require careful investigation, reconstruction, and analysis. In many cases, proving fault can be extremely tricky and beyond the grasp of all but the most experienced and highly skilled attorneys.
When it comes to handling cases involving slip and falls and private property, Port Orange area personal injury attorney Joe Horrox has the knowledge, wherewithal, and history of success necessary to represent even the most complex claims successfully. If you or someone in your family has been injured in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, or if a member of your family has been tragically killed in such an accident, Mr. Horrox can help you obtain the full measure of damages to which you are entitled under the law.
What constitutes “private property”?
Under the law, there are two basic types of private property: commercial and residential. Both business owners and homeowners owe visitors onto their properties a duty of care. However, this does not mean that business owners and homeowners are expected to exercise this duty in precisely the same manner.
Consider the following scenario. Imagine that you enter a grocery store, and an employee tells you that there is a spill in aisle six. You start shopping, walking up and down each aisle, and you innocently walk down aisle six forgetting that you were advised of the spill. The liquid is clear and not at all obvious to you, and there is no sign warning you of the spill. You slip, fall, and injure yourself. There is a good chance that the cursory warning provided by the employee at the entrance of the store will not be considered sufficient and that the store may be held liable for your injuries.
Now imagine that you enter the home of a friend, and she tells you that she spilled a gallon of water in her kitchen and that you should stay out of there until she has a chance to clean it up. After a half-hour, you decide that it’s probably safe enough to walk into the kitchen. You find out the hard way that you were wrong. You slip, fall, and injure yourself. Unfortunately for you, you are almost certainly liable for your own injuries because your friend’s warning of the potential hazard was more than sufficient, even though it was quite similar to the warning issued by the employee of the grocery store.
Context is everything in slip and fall cases. A skilled attorney such as Joe Horrox will be able to pinpoint any act of negligence and build the strongest case possible around it.
Learn More about Slip and Fall Accidents on Private Property
To learn more about slip and fall accident cases involving private property, please contact Joe Horrox Law today.