Property Owners’ Liability (Slip & Fall)

Law Topics >  Cause of Injuries > Property Owners' Liability (Slip & Fall)

The phrase "slip & fall" is well recognized in our litigious culture. Slip & fall legal practice deals with the concept of premises liability. An owner of property ("premises") owes a duty to his guests ("invitees") to keep his property in a reasonably safe condition. So, if you slip & fall on a banana peel while at the local grocery store, your grocer may have breached his duty to provide you, his customer, with a reasonably safe shopping experience. If such a breach caused your injury, you may be entitled to compensation from the grocer.

The primary question involves whether the complained of dangerous condition is an unreasonably dangerous condition. That is, just because a banana peel is on the floor does not mean you will necessarily win a slip & fall case. For instance, if you threw the banana peel on the floor and thus its presence there was no fault of the grocer's, the grocer may not be liable. Likewise, if the grocer roped off the area where the banana peel fell, yet you entered that area anyhow, the grocer would probably not be liable. Slip and fall pictures may help you win deserved compensation. Of course, aside from simple slip & falls, there are many other types of injuries that may be sustained on another's property.

There are some other peculiar rules involved with premises liability. Many judges determine exactly what duty or responsibility a landowner or land possessor owes to another person who is on his land based on the status of the person who is on the land. That is, the owner or possessor owes a different duty to a trespasser than he does to his guest.