PREMISES LIABILITY ATTORNEYS IN NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS

Understanding Premises Liability & Its Consequences

A premises liability accident is a type of personal injury case where the injury was caused by an unsafe or hazardous feature on a person's property. Property owners have the responsibility of making sure their property is safe and maintained.

Unsafe or dangerous areas need to be sufficiently labeled or made known. For instance, if there is water on the floor in a grocery aisle, that area needs to be blocked off and labeled with a "wet floor" sign until it can be mopped up to prevent slips, trips, and falls.

Many personal injury cases, including premises liability cases, are based on negligence. Negligence means the property owner has failed to take appropriate care of their property. If you are the victim of a premises liability injury, contact an attorney in Naperville, Illinois immediately to begin the pursuit of due compensation for your pain and suffering.

Common Causes of Premises Liability Accidents

Not every premises liability accident is the result of a property owner's negligence. But many injuries are caused by unsafe property conditions. The most common causes of premises liability accidents include:

• Dangerous outdoor conditions such as excessive ice or snow accumulation with negligent or inconsistent use of snow/ice removal services

• Failure to provide and maintain adequate outdoor lighting

• Failure to maintain safe walkways, sidewalks, and parking lots by patching cracks, ditches, trenches, and potholes

• Failure to remove icicles or to provide sufficient signage warning pedestrians of falling materials

• Broken or missing handrails on stairwells, decks, or escalators

• Failure to provide adequate signage on slippery floors

• Using excessive water, wax, or polish on flooring

• Failure to secure edges of rugs and carpeting

• Failure to supervise areas with a high risk of falls

• Failure to provide and maintain nonskid surfaces on steps and stairs

• Failure to keep shelving or items on shelves secure

What to Do if You’re Injured on Commercial Property

If you fell on an icy sidewalk outside a gas station or tripped over misplaced merchandise at a grocery store, you may be entitled to compensation. However, there are important steps you must take to ensure you are healthy and are not actually at fault for your injury.

1. Seek medical attention even if you don’t think you are seriously injured. Whether an ambulance is called or you go to a doctor later that week, it’s important to be checked out by a professional to ensure you don’t have any subtle injuries that can worsen over time if you don’t treat them properly.

2. Gather evidence at the scene of the incident. If you fell on a wet spot, take a picture of the puddle, and its surrounding areas. If there was a wet spot without a “Caution” sign near it, the business could be held liable for your injuries and will be obliged to pay you compensation.

3. Talk to witnesses to help figure out what actually happened. Sometimes we aren’t always cognizant of what’s going on around us, so someone that saw the event occur may have a better understanding of the incident. If your injury prevents you from gathering this information from witnesses, you or someone you were with should write down their contact information so you can reach out later.

4. Tell an employee what happened if none saw the event occur. Most places will have official procedures they must take to write down and report for their own purposes. When doing so, simply state the facts of what you know. Do not admit fault or apologize because this can have a great effect on your case and settlement amount.

5. Reach out to an attorney as soon as you can. Throughout Naperville, Illinois, we have guided many people through their injuries and towards large settlements. No amount of money can make up for what you had to endure during your accident, but compensation can help you pay for your medical bills, money lost while you were away from work, pain and suffering, and much more.

You are not alone. Many others are in the same shoes as you; we have helped them, and we can fight to help you reach a favorable solution, too. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, $4 billion are awarded to compensate premises liability injury victims each year. Don’t let your injury put you into financial turmoil. We will strive to fight for your rights.