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When we leave our houses, we expect to be safe.
There are always things that can go wrong, but for the most part, we expect to be able to make it through the day unharmed.
You’ve taken all the necessary steps to keep your home safe for you and your family.
When you leave for work, you expect your government to take care of the roads so you can to and from your job with no issues.
Moreover, when you are anywhere except your house, you expect it to be safe there as well.
When you are somewhere like your job, the grocery store, or a sporting event, you expect the venues and buildings to be safe and well maintained.
The owners of the buildings you’re visiting have a responsibility to keep you safe while you’re there.
This is known as premise liability law.
Below we’ll take a look at premise liability law in Georgia.
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What is Premise Liability Law?
Under the Georgia premise liability law, all property owners or occupiers of land must exercise ordinary care to keep the premises and surroundings safe for invitees and guests.
If you own land or a building, and you invite guests to visit, you have to keep it safe for them.
Even though this law is in place, there are still countless individuals injured every year on someone else’s property because of dangerous conditions.
The injuries that arise due to these unsafe conditions can be severe and even life-threatening.
Accidents Included In Premise Liability Law
There are almost countless things that can happen to you while you’re away from home.
Here we will list the most common accidents.
1. Slip and Fall
Slip and fall injuries occur when someone falls on a floor, sidewalk, ramp, stairs or any other surface.
Under premise liability law, the surface as to be broken, cracked, uneven or slippery due to the neglect of the owner.
Maybe a leak wasn’t repaired, unsafe debris wasn’t removed, or a spill wasn’t cleaned in a timely matter.
The property owner also has to display proper warning signs if carpeting becomes loose or wrinkled, and curbing or steps need to be adequately marked.
2. Dog Bite
This one is pretty self-explanatory.
While you’re a guest on someone else’s property, they need to make sure their dog isn’t a threat to you.
If a dog or any other animal chases, attacks, bites or mauls you, your injury will fall under premise liability law.
The owner of the dog or property has to control the animal or give warning of its propensity to bite or chase.
3. Escalator Injury
Escalator injuries occur when you suffer a trip and fall or entrapment related injuries because of a faulty elevator.
This could include improper installation, defective equipment, poor maintenance or a negligent inspection.
Most injuries occur because of excessive speed, a sudden stop or acceleration, malfunctioning emergency controls, unsafe gaps, or entrapment between moving parts of the escalator.
4. Elevator Injury
An elevator claim involves the injury or death of someone due to a collapsed elevator or a sudden stop after an abrupt plummet.
Elevator injuries also occur when the door opens, but there’s no elevator resulting in a fall down the shaft, or malfunctioning elevator doors that trap passengers in the cabin.
5. Fire Safety
Fire safety claims are the result of people who died or suffered burn injuries because of code violations, overcrowding, defective smoke detectors, or malfunctioning fire alarms.
The property owners need to make sure all sprinkler systems are working, provide adequate fire protection equipment, accessible fire exits, and be sure the area is free of fire hazards.
6. Falling Merchandise
This usually happens in grocery or retail stores when something falls from above and lands on a customer or guest causing injury or death.
The owners of the store need to take every precaution to be sure all merchandise is secure on the store’s shelving.
7. Recreational Water Illness
These claims occur at commercial swimming pools, hot tubs, water parks, interactive fountains, or any other recreation venue with a pool.
The illness occurs when someone suffers and waterborne infectious disease after using the water feature.
The pools are typically contaminated with things like pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites because of negligent sanitation practices, or an inadequate filtration system.
8. Peephole Voyeurism
You probably weren’t thinking of this when you started reading this article, but this is more common than you may think.
Peephole voyeurism is an invasion of privacy by companies that own hotels, retail stores or fitness centers that use hidden cameras to conduct voyeurism of their patrons.
The voyeurism usually occurs when the patrons use a hotel room changing area, restroom, locker facility, or any area where someone would expect privacy.
9. Negligent Supervision Of Children
This is usually the most heartbreaking out of all the instances of premise liability law.
The negligent supervision of children involves infants and minors who sustain bodily injury.
It could be due to assault, molestation or abduction because a person or business entity negligently fails to provide adequate supervision or protection for a minor.
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Stay Safe
We assume that every time we venture out in the world that we are going to be safe and taken care of.
We’ve become very spoiled in that way.
But, no matter how spoiled we are, there is always danger lurking close by.
A vicious dog could be waiting for you down the street. The elevator at work could be overdue for an inspection.
Whatever it is, it likely can’t be avoided.
If you’ve been injured due to the negligence of someone else in Georgia, and you’re not sure what to do next, contact The Brown Firm.
The Brown Firm has years of experience dealing with premises liability cases just like yours, and they would love to help you out.
The Brown Firm Personal Injury Lawyers will take you by the hand and guide you through the entire process, ensuring you get everything you deserve.
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