Stairways Are A Common Area For Slips & Falls In SW Florida
Corbin Sutter
Premises Liability
For those who own properties in Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, or Fort Meyers, it’s important to know that regardless of whether a property is your residence or a commercial or industrial property you own for work purposes, you have a responsibility to avoid premises liability.All property owners have a basic legal obligation to take reasonable precautions to ensure that no hazards on their properties could injure residents, employees, or visitors. If you are aware of something that poses an injury risk but willfully ignores it, then anyone injured due to that negligence can hold you both legally and financially responsible for damages.
One area that is a common point of premises liability for all types of properties is stairs or stairwells. Because stairs naturally take people to greater or lower heights, any fall from these parts of a building can potentially be very damaging, depending on the height of the fall and the point of impact. Even a small fall from stairs can be serious—or even deadly—if the head is injured.
Because of how widespread stair-based slips and falls are, here are some of the most common causes for such incidents that property owners should keep an eye out for and work responsively to address and prevent.
Missing Or Broken Handrails
Handrails are not just decorative. While many people don’t necessarily use them if they are navigating a flight of stairs empty-handed, for people with mobility issues, the elderly, and even small children, handrails can be essential to maintain stability.
If a handrail is broken, and someone puts their weight on it, this can cause a serious slip and fall.
Broken Or Uneven Steps
Optimal walking requires a flat, level surface, and this remains true when climbing or descending stairs. Another common cause of slips and falls on stairs is if the stairs themselves have a defect. Stairs that aren’t even can cause people to place their feet incorrectly, which causes a trip. The same is true if stairs are broken. Someone putting their foot down and not looking at the steps may not notice the broken step; the result is still a trip and a fall.
If you notice your steps are no longer level or individual stair steps are broken, get this repaired.
Puddles Or Condensation
This doesn’t apply so much to carpeted surfaces, but any hard surface, like varnished wood, concrete, or stone, can become extremely slippery if a spill occurs. Wet surfaces lose their traction, and even for people aware of a spill, there is still a risk of slipping and falling when liquids are present.
For people who don’t know the spill is there, a slip and fall are very likely if they’re not watching where they step as they ascend or descend stairs. Always clean up spills quickly.
Broken Lights
Insufficient lighting is one of the most common causes of falls on stairs and stairwells. Even when people aren’t directly looking at their feet, walking in the dark can be a challenge, and when this involves negotiating stairs, one slip or misplaced foot can result in a tumble.
This is a major concern for common stairwells in buildings, where there may be no windows, and thus all sight depends on the condition of electrical lighting. If any lights illuminating stairs aren’t working, repair that issue quickly.
If you live in Fort Meyers, Sarasota, or the Port Charlotte region of Florida, and you’ve injured yourself by falling down stairs that were not properly maintained, talk to an experienced slip-and-fall attorney about what happened. If negligence was involved, you have legal options to help recover costs from the property owners involved.