Property owners and legal occupants in Rhode Island are required by law to provide every invitee , visitor and customer a safe environment free of harm or danger. When an individual is injured in a home, business or commercial establishment owned and/or occupied by another in Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, the property owner or occupants can be held legally liable. The victim can file a legal claim or slip and fall lawsuit in Providence Superior Court seeking damages for their injuries or damages caused by the incident or accident.
Premises Liability in Rhode Island
Premises liability is a broad legal term that encompasses a variety of accidents caused by specific conditions on another individual or business property. Some premises liability claims in RI involve injury by foreign substances like exposure to oil, chemicals or toxins. Other cases involve obstructions like debris left in an aisle way, or ice and snow on the property’s walkways and parking lots.
Defective construction, broken stairways, slippery floors
Some RI premises liability cases in Pawtucket, Warwick or Cranston RI involve defective construction, broken stairways, slippery floors, improper maintenance or other defect on the property which causes the victim to slip, fall or trip. Hazardous conditions in Warren, Bristol or Barrington can also cause liability when someone is injured from a lack of supervision, like a child injured at a daycare center.
Proof of Premises Liability, trip and fall
According to the state’s tort law, proving premises liability usually involves showing a direct connection between injury and a dangerous condition. To obtain compensation, a skilled Providence personal injury attorney must demonstrate that the legal occupants or owner knew, or should have known, that a hazardous condition existed and did not take appropriate action. If you were injured in a slip and fall accident in RI then contact a top RI slip and fall lawyer.
Unsafe condition
As an example, there might have been a slippery surface that created an unsafe condition. If the owner or occupant had ample time to discover and clean up, and yet did not take appropriate action, they might be held legally liable. Negligence in RI might also involve not clearing snow and ice from an entryway to a store.
Ensure a safe environment
Determining the amount of “ample” time to hold a party liable might be dependent on the location of the condition. If the slippery surface is on a main thoroughfare at a business entryway or walkway, the owner or occupant should have taken care of the situation by cleaning it up or forming a barricade around it within a brief timeframe to protect the public. Taking care of the situation quickly helps ensure a safe environment on the premises.
Common types of premises claims
Skilled Rhode Island person injury attorneys or Providence slip and fall lawyers handle many common forms of premises liability claims based on conditions that injure victims on public, commercial or personal property including:
• Falling merchandise from retail store’s shelving and displays
• Swimming pool accident
• Escalator or elevator accident
• Stair falls or defective stairwells
• Animal attacks including pet bites
• Failure of a porch rail or deck
• Deck or balcony defect
• Uneven surfaces causing a fall or trip
• Building or floor collapse
• Property accidents related to ice or snow
• Falls, trips or slips on unmarked steps or stairways
• Smoke or fire injury
• Injuries related to spills, water leaks and flooding
• Injuries from physical or sexual assault including rape on another’s property
• Wrongful death, assault or injury as a result of negligent security
• Slip, trips and falls caused by spilt drinks, food, liquids or cleaning agents
• Exposure to toxic chemicals or fumes
• Inadequate lighting
• Housing or building code violations
• Failure to maintain the premises properly
• Dangerous displays in commercial stores
• Uneven walking surfaces and unprotected holes
• others
When negligence can be proven, the property owner or occupants can be found negligent and required to the victim for their injuries and damages. The negligence might involve not safeguarding the public from the dangerous condition adequately or within a reasonable amount of time. Typically, the victim is entitled to receive compensation to cover medical expenses, missed work, damages, pain and suffering directly connected to the injuries they have endured on the property.
