Lawsuits are a mess that you do not want your business involved in. This is because of the drain they can have on both your monetary as well as your time resources. For small businesses, especially, the need to avoid any type of lawsuit is heightened due to the tight budget such businesses operate on.
A slip and fall refers to an accident where a customer or visitor to your premises trips on or due to something in your environment that causes them to fall and injure themselves. If at all it is established that it was negligence in the part of the business that caused them to fall, then you will be liable for all the subsequent damages. This might result in a very costly affair if they do go ahead and sue you. To avoid this, you must take all measures necessary to protect your business from slip and fall accidents. Here’s what you can do.
• Small Business Insurance
Business insurance is your first line of defense when it comes to protecting yourself against slip and fall liability. As mentioned earlier, despite how good you might be at maintaining your premises, a slip and fall accident is not out of the realm of occurring possibilities. As such, you need an insurance cover that will take care of the business in case of such an event.
The comprehensive general liability insurance is a policy you should have as it provides you with both legal and monetary protection during your case. As such, you should ensure that your liability policy can provide enough coverage against any potential damages assessed against the business.
• Duty of Care
Taking good care of your business premises is the best way of ensuring that such accidents do not occur in the first place. This means going out of your way to look for any potential hazards that might be lurking on your business property, such as a bunched carpet or a cracked sidewalk. Spillages and items lying carelessly around are mistakes that you should never allow to happen. Thus, making routine inspections to ensure that your premises are in good condition is essential.
Moreover, you are legally required by law to exercise a legal duty of care. As you are inviting customers onto your property, you owe your invitees a high duty of care which implies inspecting, making repairs, and warning your visitors of any potential hazards that might be on the property.
Generally, when a slip and fall lawsuit is made against a business, the law imposes a reasonable person standard on the business owner. This means that claiming ignorance about the condition that caused the accident will not suffice in court. If it is determined that any reasonable individual in charge of the property would have noticed the issue and taken the necessary steps to remove the hazard, then the business owner will be liable for any damages that follow regardless of their ignorance claim. Thus, paying close attention to the care and maintenance of your property is imperative.
Nevertheless, even if your property is in excellent condition, people can always find a way to fall and injure themselves in your premises. This means that you can expect a slip and fall lawsuit at any moment. However, by following the above tips, you will be able to significantly reduce the probability of being held liable in case of such an accident. Doing this protects your business and livelihood against costly slip and fall lawsuits.
A slip and fall lawyer is also a vital asset to have as they specialize in personal injury cases. They will be able to prove that your establishment was not at fault if someone fabricates a slip and fall lawsuit against your business. Moreover, they will work with you to ensure that your business remains liability free. Are you looking for a Tampa personal injury attorney?
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