How to Prevent Winter Slip and Fall Accidents

There is no denying that Indiana took on a significant amount of snowfall these past two weeks. Right now, businesses, apartment complexes and offices all across the state are coping with and mitigating the inevitable trails of snow, slush, sleet, and ice brought in by foot traffic. So, right now, it is important to ensure that visitors and tenants are reasonably protected against these inclement environments, both indoors and out. Under Indiana’s premise liability laws, businesses and employers have a legal duty of care to do so.

If you are a property owner, continue reading to learn some helpful tips for avoiding winter weather-related slip, trip, and fall accidents, as well as what to do if you are injured on the property of another.

Indiana Slip and Fall Personal Injury Attorneys
Indiana Slip and Fall Personal Injury Attorneys 317-881-2700

Winter Safety for Property Owners

It is important to be prepared, first and foremost. Watch the weather reports and keep up with changing conditions. This will allow the property owner or property manager time to plan and arrange the proper maintenance procedures. Keep in mind that freezing ice that melts and then refreezing is dangerous as well and salting should take place quite often.

We all know that snow and ice lead to wet floors. So, it is wise to be prepared with warning signs, dry mops, fans and most importantly constant inspections to look out for dangerous conditions so the dangerous condition may be fixed before people are injured.

If your employees upon inspection see icy or slippery conditions at work, advise them to be sure to immediately notify a supervisor before any accidents can take place and they should remain with the dangerous condition to warn patrons of the store and the employee who found the dangerous condition should send some other employee to advise a supervisor so that the warning signs, dry mops, fans are brought to the where the dangerous condition exists.

Slip and Fall Prevention for Employers and Places of Business

Employers are encouraged to pass around memos, send emails, give out pamphlets, and hang posters to promote optimal workplace safety inspections at all times. Staff training and safety seminars are another effective tool to further protect staff and customers from slip and fall accidents. A proper inspection schedule and inspections training are vital to keeping the premises safe for all who enter the premises.

It is important for businesses to stay on top of wet surfaces and floors, and post Wet Floor signs in areas that have just been mopped and cleaned. Exterior snow and ice removal is another factor that must be reasonably addressed by business owners to ensure their staffs and guests are protected, especially against melting snow and related hazards. Ice-melting salts should be applied after proper snow shoveling and inspections should be performed and documented as being performed.  Moreover, a business and apartment complexes should designate a representative to watch weather reporting services so the property can be made safe for customers before the customers begin arriving and before tenants have to walk on the sidewalks to get to their cars to go to work. 

Were You Seriously Injured at Work in a Slip and Fall Accident in Indiana?

Contact the Law Office of Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to speak with a seasoned Indiana workplace injury lawyer about your best options for pursing legal action after being seriously injured or incapacitated in a slip and fall accident. Our Indiana injury attorneys do everything possible to obtain the full and fair compensation that is rightfully owed to our clients. We retain the proper skills, legal resources, finances, and more to obtain fair and full relief for accident victims. Contact us today at 317-881-2700 to schedule a free case evaluation over the phone, via video conference, or in-person at our Indianapolis law office. We represent clients throughout the State of Indiana.

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Were You Injured at a Store After Falling on Ice or Snow?

Premise liability is a staple principle of tort law. If you were recently shopping at a local store that did not take the proper precautions to protect its patrons from falling on snow and ice, or being involved in an accident as a result of neglected snow and ice removal, you could be entitled to certain compensation for your related damages and losses.

Continue reading to learn more about premise liability in Indiana, including how to get started evaluating your potential personal injury case.

Indianapolis Slip and Fall Lawyers 317-881-2700
Indianapolis Slip and Fall Lawyers 317-881-2700

Basics of Premise Liability

Premise liability refers to an area of the law that holds property owners legally responsible for any harm or damages caused to people who are on their premises. For clarity, a property’s “premise” is defined as inside and outside the property, sometimes including sidewalks and access property. Furthermore, factors of premise liability differ depending on whether the injured person was invited onto the property, licensed to enter the property, or trespassed onto the property.

Situations like structural hazards, violence and assault, food poisoning, animal attacks, swimming pool accidents, and bonfires, are general examples of premise liability cases, however, one of the most prevalent types of premise liability cases involve slip and fall accidents. In the case of snow and ice, if a store owner does not properly manage the removal of the accumulation on their premises, it can result in slippery walkways outside, slippery floors inside, obstructed fire escapes, unleveled surfaces, car and pedestrian accidents, and other hazardous conditions.

If a property owner is aware of unsafe conditions or should have been aware, and allows the unsafe conditions to continue by failing to eliminate all hazards, they are putting visitors and customers at risk of being injured. In such cases, if a person is involved in an accident caused by a property owner’s negligence, and as a result of the accident injuries occur, the property owner could be held legally liable for that person’s related damages and losses, such as hospital bills, medical expenses, lost work wages, pain, suffering, and more.

Premise Liability Organizations

Important organizations related to premise liability law in Indiana are the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). 

Indiana Slip and Fall Attorneys

Slip, trips, and fall cases are some of the most complex, thus requiring the attention of a seasoned personal injury law firm. If you were recently injured after falling on snow, ice, or any other hazard, it is vital that you contact a licensed Indiana slip and fall attorney as soon as possible to learn your rights to compensation.

Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700
Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700

At the Law Office of Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C., we offer free initial consultations to get you started on the right path toward financial recovery. There is no out-of-pocket obligation to pay unless we recover a settlement for you. Call 317-881-2700 to schedule your introductory appointment with a skilled and knowledgeable accident lawyer you can trust.

Can a Property Owner Be Held Liable for Injuries to a Trespassing Child?

Premise Liability Claims 317-881-2700

Premise Liability Claims 317-881-2700

Children are filled with curiosity and liveliness, two highly influential factors to their growth and development. But sometimes curiosity and spirit can initiate boldness, which can get children into trouble; trouble, at the most unfortunate times, being injury or harm. If a child were to trespass onto another person’s property and injure themselves, who would be responsible for their injuries and subsequent losses? Are there are certain laws in place to protect them and their families in this type of situation? Continue reading for answers to these child injury premise liability inquires and more.

Common Principles of Premise Liability

Premise liability is the legal principle that holds property owners, occupiers, and even renters accountable for any injuries or harm sustained by another person on their premises. These cases are ruled by the notion of negligence, and whether or not the owner or occupier demonstrated such negligence that caused unintentional harm to another person. A property owner has a certain duty of care to take reasonable action to maintain safe and hazard-free premises. But if a person trespasses onto anothers property and sustains an injury, the property owner is not liable. In the past, even child trespassers injured on private property were owed no duty of care by the premise owners. Modernly, this is not the case anymore.

The Attractive Nuisance Ordinance

If something is so enticing to a child that it motivates them to enter onto another person’s property, it is considered an attractive nuisance. Things like trampolines, swimming pools, tree houses, ponds, creeks, boat docks, construction equipment, heavy machinery, power tools, holes, wells, tunnels, exotic animals, staircases, junk cars, lumber piles, fire pits, sand dunes, low roof tops, and more are examples of attractive nuisances. Under modern law, property owners must retain a duty of care by keeping safe premises in the case of trespassing children. This is called the attractive nuisance ordinance, and is an exception to premise liability law.

Premise Liability Claims 317-881-2700

Premise Liability Claims 317-881-2700

Since modern law no longer expects children to understand what it means to trespass, and not appreciate the dangers it could involve, property owners have a special legal responsibility to make sure their premise is safe for kids that might enter their property unexpectedly. Property owners and occupiers are legally obligated to practice this special responsibility if they believe their premises might attract the interest of children, and is accessible by children.

If property owners, occupiers, or renters fail to meet this duty of care, they can be held liable for any injuries sustained on their property to children. Of course, courts also take into consideration a child’s age and intellectual capacity in order to determine whether or not they could understand the potential risk of injury on a person’s property. For example, if a person is digging an open pit in their backyard for a new swimming pool and hangs a sign that says “DANGER DO NOT ENTER”, they can still be held liable if a young child who cannot read enters their property and falls into the pit. On the other end of the spectrum, if a teenager with no mental handicaps enters the same property and sustains injuries, the owners may not be held liable for their damages.

For more details about attractive nuisances, premise liability, and child injury claims, consult a personal injury lawyer for trusted information and advice.

Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C.

Personal Injury Lawyers

Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700

Call Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to set up a free initial consultation with a child injury lawyer in Indianapolis, IN today. Personal injury attorneys, Daniel Craven, Ralph Hoover, and Keith Blazek have extensive trial and litigation experience in premise liability and child injury cases. We offer free initial consultations and never charge lawyer fees unless we win your settlement. Call 317-881-2700 today for more information about child injury claims and premise liability in Indiana.