New York City Tourism in a Blink

By: Patricia Woloch
 

Unsafe buildings causing damage or injury fall under the category of "premises liability" actions. Premises liability is itself a form of personal injury law. Accordingly, if you have been injured while on the property of another person because of the negligence of the owner or property manager, you may be entitle to damages for your injury.

Types of Unsafe Buildings

Premises liability or unsafe buildings injuries may occur in many places such as:

· office buildings

· shopping malls

· hospitals

· parking structures

· apartment buildings

· schools.

Under the law, grocery stores must clean spills up quickly, commercial buildings must fix stairs or railings that are damaged or defective, and shopping malls are required to provide adequate security for their customers.

Situations Giving Rise to Premises Liability Actions

Premises liability cases involve accidents that occur due to negligent maintenance, or unsafe and dangerous conditions upon property owned by someone other than the accident victim. Property owners and business establishments have a duty to provide a safe environment for individuals on their premises.

While there are many different types of premises liability cases, "slip and fall" or "trip and fall" are the most common. In a "slip and fall" case the victim may slip on a wet area on the floor causing injury. In a "trip and fall" case the victim may trip over stairs, debris or uneven pavement causing injury. Other common situations giving rise to premises liability accidents include uneven floor surfaces, poorly marked changes in elevation, slippery surfaces, broken sidewalks, uneven elevators and broken steps.

Premises liability cases also involve incidents of negligent security, especially when a serious crime or attack occurs that could have been prevented through better security conditions.

In general, premises liability law involves any type of injury sustained on another person's property.

Common Premises Liability Injuries



Premises liability injuries can include:

· Bone breaks or fractures

· Elevator injuries

· Spinal cord injuries

· Head injuries (including traumatic brain injury)

· Assault (both physical and sexual)

· Rape

Recovery for Premises Liability Injuries

Property owners have a legal duty to keep their buildings and surrounding premises in reasonably safe condition, and if you are injured in an unsafe building or a structure, you deserve to be compensated for the damage done to you. Likewise, if you are attacked because of negligent security in a building or parking garage, you are entitled to receive damages. Crucial to recovery is being able to show how long the defect or substance was there, how visible it was, and how much notice the owner had of the dangerous condition before the accident.