It is the general responsibility of business owners in North Carolina and across the country to protect their patrons and employees from dangerous conditions that could lead to accidents. Parties who are injured as a result of such accidents may want to know more about premises liability law, which is designed to protect unsuspecting individuals from known hazards.
In a premises liability lawsuit, a claimant may be able to recover damages if they can show that their injury occurred as the result of the business owner’s negligence. The dangerous condition that caused the injury must have been present long enough for the owner to have had time to address the issue. If the owner neglected to make the area safer, he or she may have to pay damages to any people who were injured on the property.
Dangerous conditions that may cause an accident and give rise to a lawsuit include cluttered aisles, unstable shelving, wet floors, torn carpeting and poor lighting as well as any assault that might occur on the property. The most common type of accident that business owners should be aware of are slip-and-fall accidents.
Although workers’ compensation might cover employees for injuries suffered at the workplace, personal injury lawsuits that are filed by customers, vendors, and even trespassers can seriously compromise a business’s bottom line, so such lawsuits may be vigorously defended. North Carolina residents who have suffered an injury as the result of a business owner’s negligence may find it beneficial to seek legal counsel. The attorney could investigate the accident and work to establish liability on the part of all responsible parties.