Many Texas residents use stairs every day to navigate their way through buildings and homes. It’s rare that a fall happens, but when someone takes a tumble on a staircase, the resulting injuries can be catastrophic. This is why property owners are legally required to maintain their staircases in a way that keeps them free of potential tripping hazards. Failing to maintain safe stairs can open up a property owner to serious liability concerns in the event of an accident.
Here is a list of potential problem that could lead to a property owner being liable in the case of a stair-related fall:
— Steps that have worn down or become rounded.
— Steps that are littered with trash, debris, pieces of paper, gum or dirt.
— Steps that are polished or waxed with materials that don’t offer a non-skid surface.
— Steps that have a broken or missing handrail.
— Steps that lack sufficient lighting to make them easy to navigate in the evening hours.
One of the most common kinds of premises liability claims relates to stair-related falls. When someone falls and seriously hurts him or herself on a staircase that has one of the above issues — or another serious premises liability problem — the injured person may have a viable claim to seek financial damages in court. Of course, if the plaintiff wishes to prevail in such a case, he or she will need to prove that the property owner knew — or should have known — that the danger was present and failed to correct it in a timely fashion.
Source: FindLaw, “Indoor Slip and Fall Accident Conditions,” accessed June 09, 2017
Michael Zimmerman
Michael nació en Houston, Texas. Estudió en las universidades de Baylor y Texas State, donde se licenció en Ciencias en 1987. Se especializó en Biología y en Química. Terminó su educación legal en Texas Southern University en 1990, obteniendo un Doctorado en Derecho de la Escuela de Derecho Thurgood Marshall. Fue admitido en el Colegio de Abogados del Estado de Texas en 1990.
Valora este post
Cargando...