Are you prepared and safe when it comes to Halloween festivities? According to many sources, Halloween is one of the deadliest nights of the year for pedestrian accidents, with children being the most at-risk group. How can you keep yourself and your children safe while trick-or-treating? Take a look at these tips:
Top Personal Injury Areas
Sometimes, general trends for certain types of lawsuits come and go. However, in the world of personal injury, there are several big areas that tend to make up the bulk of personal injury claims. Can you guess what they are?
Tips For A Safe Holiday
The holiday season is a fun and enjoyable time, but it also comes with its own hazards and safety risks. However, there are ways to avoid and/or reduce your risk in your own home and when you're out visiting others during the holiday. Some things to keep in mind are:
Retail Stores and Slipping on Floors
Do you sometimes enter a retail store or other public establishment and think "Huh, well THAT sidewalk/ramp/curb/entrance/puddle doesn't look safe". Chances are, you are probably right. Sometimes, these unsafe walking conditions lead to accidents, which then makes those businesses potentially liable for slip-and-fall lawsuits. One such accident occurred recently at a Big Lots in San Diego, CA. A woman fell in a Big Lots after she slipped and fell on a patch of dirt of the floor, which caused her to fall into a soda display shelf. As a result, she developed shoulder and neck injuries, had multiple surgeries, and required physical therapy afterwards. The injured party's attorney reported that Big Lots doesn't have a set sweeping schedule, and instructs employees to sweep "as needed". They implied that this lack of cleaning schedule may have, in part, contributed to the conditions responsible for this accident. The results of this trial have not been released yet, but it will be interesting to see what happens.
Man Sues After Breaking Leg In Apartment Parking Lot
An eastern PA area man is suing his apartment complex in a recent case highlighted through PennRecord.com. According to the report, the resident broke his leg after falling on the parking lot in February 2016. The man alleges that there was a significant amount of ice and snow on the parking lot that had not been properly removed by the building's management services. The resident is suing the apartment complex for failing to maintain the apartment complex exterior in safe condition, given the winter weather.
Halloween and Premises Liability
If you are expecting to welcome trick or treaters onto your property this Halloween, there are a couple things that you should be aware of. First, if you are a homeowner, you have a responsibility to keep your property safe for anyone entering your property. These people are owed a duty to be protected from certain dangerous conditions that you either caused or created, know about, or should have known about. These types of cases are known as premises liability cases, or more commonly, "slip and fall" cases. Second, you could be responsible for injuries if it happens on your property, and you breached the duty owed to the people entering your property. At the law firm of Douglas V. Stoehr, we have experience in handling premises liability or "slip and fall" cases, but we would prefer that no one gets injured this Halloween. We can provide a few tips for you to keep in mind while decorating, and getting ready to hand out candy:
- Make sure that your walkway, sidewalk and/or steps are well-lit and visible from the street to your front door.
- Make sure that any dangerous conditions on walkways, sidewalks and steps are repaired or marked clearly to let people know of the dangerous conditions
- Remove anything that may cause an individual to trip or fall while on your property, i.e., decorations and extension cords.
If you or a family member is a victim of a premises liability or "slip and fall" case, please call Attorney Doug Stoehr's Altoona, PA area firm at 814-946-4100 to discuss your potential claim. As always, remember to have fun and be safe out there this Halloween.
Large Settlement for York, PA Man's Premises Liability Injury
Premises liability cases are more common than what many people may think. This one particular case, however, resulted in a very large claim for a York, PA man. According to news reports, an 80-year-old man was at a shopping center in York Township when he tripped over an unmarked step, and his head and face went into the edge of a chair of a neighboring tattoo parlor. The corresponding fall did extensive damage, including the loss of vision in one eye. This injury left him functionally blind. After the man took legal action, he was recently awarded four million dollars for injuries. For more on the news report, please click here.
PA Boy Injured on Exposed Metal in Obstacle Course
Injuries can happen at any time, even when you're out having a fun and family-friendly day with your family. One such case recently happened in West Chester, PA. A family was out enjoying family time at a mall, where their young child went through an obstacle course set up there. The child was injured when an exposed piece of metal in the obstacle course hit his head, causing substantial injury to his scalp. The family is suing based on claims that the defendants failed to properly supervise the installation of the course, as well as inspect the course and surrounding area, in addition to other charges. To read more about the case, click here.
Be Careful Who You Serve: Premises Liability
When throwing a party or inviting friends over, most people are concerned with cleaning their homes, preparing the food, and making sure that there's enough to drink. Although these things are important, it is also important to remember that, as hosts, you are responsible for what your guests ingest at your party. Many hosts believe that, if their guests are 21 or older, they should be able to consume as much alcohol as they want without hosts having to monitor them. This is a common misconception. If a party attendee leaves the party drunk and causes injury or accident to themselves or another person, the hosts are partially responsible for the injuries. This is true not only at a home-based party, but also at such public gatherings as graduation parties, wedding receptions, and other celebrations.
Taking Care On Winter Sidewalks
In preparation for the winter season and in an effort to keep homeowners and business owners safe, OSHA recently posted an article about how to reduce your risk for premises liability, both home and workplace, this winter season. Here are some of their tips:
