When you visit a store, go to another place of business or visit a public space, you likely have a general assumption of safety. While you are out and about, you are probably not thinking about the various hazards that could threaten your health and well-being. However, certain conditions may lead to particular types of accidents, such as a slip-and-fall incident.
A slip-and-fall accident can leave you with painful injuries and other complications that can affect your life in many ways. You may be under the assumption that your accident was your fault or that you should have seen the hazards that ultimately caused you to fall. In reality, you may be the victim of dangerous property conditions and other factors beyond your control.
Place blame in the right place
Hawaii property owners are responsible for maintaining premises that do not needlessly endanger visitors. This means they should attend to tasks like fixing broken elevators, mopping up spills and clearly marking other potential hazards that could cause a person to suffer harm. It is not always easy to determine culpability for slip-and-fall incidents, and businesses will strive to limit liability and place the blame on the victim.
You could have grounds to move forward with a civil claim, but a smart first step will be to carefully evaluate your case and any evidence from the accident. In order to establish liability and successfully hold property owners accountable for what happened to you, you will need to prove one of the following:
- There is evidence indicating the property owner or an employee should have seen the hazard and fixed it.
- An employee or the owner did know about the hazard, yet did nothing to fix it.
- The owners of the property or someone who works for him or her did something that actually caused the hazard.
The success of a premises liability claim may depend on your quick action. These cases are relatively time sensitive, and it is smart to learn whether you have a claim as soon as possible after a slip-and-fall accident. An evaluation of your case can help you understand your options.
A slip-and-fall accident can be quite dangerous and potentially result in injuries that are painful and debilitating. Your accident may not be your fault, and you could actually have a rightful claim to compensation that will allow you to address your physical needs and financial losses.