Fatal Slip and Fall Accident: Landlord Negligence

Fatal slips and falls are not the most common occurrence, but can most definitely happen to anyone. Landlords have a responsibility for the safety of their property, but sometimes this does not hold true. If you are hurt in a slip-and-fall accident on your landlord’s property, you may be entitled to compensation from them. If you or someone you know has been injured or wrongfully died because of a hazard created by a landlord, such as improper signage or wet floors at their business location, then they may be liable for your accident.

Did the Landlord Know About the Fatal Slip and Fall Accident?

Some tenants find it difficult to receive many services from their landlords. For one reason or another, some landlords just won’t take ownership of maintenance concerns that they should, without a doubt, take care of. Landlords that operate in this manner rely on tenants and visitors lacking the ability to take meaningful action to compel the landlord to act. However, the landlord can be responsible for paying medical expenses if a visitor or tenant is facing injuries due to bad upkeep or negligence. It is a landlord’s duty to take reasonable precautions to prevent exposing guests to an unjustifiable risk of injury. If negligence contributed to the occurrence of an injury or death, landlords could face liability. The landlord’s responsibility to remedy maintenance issues that pose safety risks depends on several factors.

A Landlord’s Duty to Maintain Property Safety

It may not always be appropriate to hold a defendant responsible for issues that it was unaware of and hence powerless to resolve. On the other side, the risk of responsibility increases if a landlord is aware of a hazard but does nothing to address it. In that case, the landlord would be a negligent party. Examining issues of notice can be a crucial step in the process of obtaining information for potential litigants. It’s possible that the landlord ignored many reports concerning a trip risk. The landlord may be deemed to have received notice in some situations, such as when a problem has persisted for a time even if it wasn’t given any independent reports.

It is more probable that a landlord will be accountable for harmful conditions they create and fail to address.

Fatal Slip and Fall Accident

Many people who have suffered a slip-and-fall injury may not exactly know who is responsible. Is it their responsibility, the landlords, etc? It can be difficult to assess what constitutes negligence and how much of that negligence caused the accident. It becomes unreasonable for the landlord to ignore an issue the more likely it is to result in harm. Issues like a broken stair, cracked tile in the corridor, or torn carpets increase the risk of harm, hence an urgent need for upkeep on the issues.

In any premises liability case involving landlords, the location of the hazard is an important consideration. If the landlord has no control over or knowledge of the hazard’s location, responsibility may instead fall on the tenant. If the landlord was aware of the issue and disregarded the requirement under the lease to rectify it, this raises more significant issues.

Contact a Los Angeles Attorney Today

The number of variables determines the amount for which the landlord is accountable. Improper maintenance or unreasonably dangerous conditions that contributed to the accident hold the landlord accountable. In general, a landlord is responsible if there are defects in their maintenance of the property that caused an injury. Find out more about your case and how to obtain the right compensation for your accident.

Wrongful death cases are one of our many practices. Contact our office and speak to a specialized attorney for your case. Please reach us by phone at 310.943.1171.