The Basics of Slip and Fall Lawsuits in Georgia Explained

What happens when a person slips and falls at a business, and gets injured as a result?

That is a question that has to be answered far too often for those who patronize the businesses in and around the Atlanta area.

For those who are injured by slipping and falling at a place of business, or other places where they were invited, there is an answer.

Georgia law protects the rights of those injured, that is why contacting a great Greenville mass tort attorney to enforce those rights is in your best interest.

The area of the law that protects those injured after slipping and falling is part of the wider body of law known as personal injury or tort law.

The basic premise of all tort law is that all of us (including property owners) are under an obligation to act reasonably so as to prevent others from being injured because of our negligence.

This duty to act in a prudent and reasonable manner extends to property owners via premises liability laws.

Property Owner’s Duty

The law of keeping property (or premises) in a safe manner so as to keep those who use the property safe begins and starts with property owners.

The rule is that once a property owner invites a member of the public onto his or her property to buy things, such as in the case of a store, or to use the property, such as in the case of an amusement park, the owner is under an obligation to exercise ordinary and reasonable care to keep the place safe from hazards.

This duty and obligation extends to people who work for the property owner.

What does a property owner have to do to show they are acting in a reasonable manner to keep a place safe?
Some examples include:

• Supervising areas where customers walk to ensure they are free from hazards and debris;
• Keep a running log of inspections showing that areas are inspected;
• Systematic cleaning of areas prone to spills and creating dangerous areas (such as produce aisles in grocery stores).

These are just a few examples, but show how a property owner is under a duty to ensure their property is safe for those who patronize them.

Invitee Duties

There are cases where the owner is not liable for accidents such as slips and falls that cause damage to a victim, but those situations are few and far between.

In the majority of cases where a victim is not entitled to a recovery, he or she knows about the hazard or dangerous situation on a person’s property and chooses to act in a negligent way, resulting in injury.

An example of this would be when a person sees an aisle in a store with milk spilled on the ground, and chooses to run through it, then being injured.

In a case like that, it would be hard to recover damages.

Basically, an invitee to a property is required to act reasonably, as well, but not keep the property safe themselves.

Of course, a qualified Atlanta premises liability lawyer is the best source of information regarding when a victim has a case for premises liability and can recover for an injury.

So, if you have recently been injured in an accident, contact us.

Your Premises Liability Attorney Serving Atlanta

At The Angell Law Firm, we are here to help victims of accidents, like slip and fall accidents, recover from their injuries.

This includes time lost at work, medical bills, pain and suffering, and more.

The mass tort lawyers at Angell Law Firm are here to help all those victims as their personal injury attorneys in Atlanta.