Ontario Premises Liability Lawyers
Slip and fall accidents may sound harmless, but in actuality, they can cause unsuspecting accident victims to sustain serious injuries. When these accidents occur on someone else’s commercial or residential premises, the property’s owner and/or occupier may be responsible for providing injured accident victims with financial compensation for damages they have incurred as a result of their accident.
In the context of premises liability claims, the term “occupier” might refer to:
- Landlords
- Property managers
- Business owners/managers
- Maintenance technicians
- Landscapers
- Superintendents
- Tenants
- Anyone who controls access to the space
- Anyone responsible for the property’s maintenance
- And possibly more
According to the province’s Occupiers’ Liability Act, property owners/occupiers are responsible for regularly inspecting their premises, performing maintenance as required, and adequately addressing potentially dangerous issues in a timely manner. If a hazardous maintenance issue cannot be repaired or removed, property owners/occupiers should supply their guests with sufficient warning. By taking pre-emptive, precautionary measures, property owners/occupiers might help unsuspecting guests avoid injurious accidents with painful and expensive consequences.
Property owners/occupiers are required by law to provide their visitors with a duty of care. The people responsible for a space’s maintenance should be aware of potentially dangerous issues on the premises, because they are legally bound to perform regular inspections. If a property owner/occupier knows about a maintenance hazard– or should know about it– but fails to take any action, they may be considered negligent.
Depending on the nature of the premises, the negligence of property owners/occupiers can cause tenants, customers, employees, visitors, neighbours, delivery agents, couriers, passersby, and other guests to sustain injuries in a slip and fall accident. The severity of these injuries will largely depend on the conditions of the accident scene, the manner in which the accident occurred, as well as the age and medical condition of the accident victim.
If you sustained serious injuries as the result of a slip and fall on someone else’s property, you might be entitled to compensation. To learn more, book a free initial consultation with our Ontario premises liability lawyers by contacting us today.
Who is Most at Risk of Injuries Caused by Ontario Slip and Fall Accidents?
Across the country, slip and fall accidents account for the majority of injuries requiring hospitalization sustained by senior citizens. It is estimated that between 20-30% of all seniors in the country will be involved in a slip and fall accident each year.
While slips and falls can have disastrous outcomes for accident victims of all ages, for senior citizens, the repercussions can be particularly devastating. Slip and fall accidents are responsible for 95% of all hip fractures sustained by seniors; in 20% of those instances, the consequences are fatal.
That said, depending on the conditions of the accident scene and other factors leading up to the injurious event, slips and falls on someone else’s property can have serious outcomes for accident victims of any age. In Ontario, slip and fall accidents on another party’s commercial or residential properties could cause accident victims to sustain:
- Broken or fractured bones
- Back and neck injuries
- Concussions
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries (SCIs)
- Paralysis
- Sprains and strains
- Musculoskeletal injuries
- Nerve damage
- Soft tissue injuries
- And more
Sustaining injuries in a slip and fall on someone else’s property can have profound effects on an accident victim’s life. In addition to suffering physical pain, injured accident victims are often forced to endure mental anguish, emotional distress, and financial uncertainty.
If you have incurred financial losses because of the injuries you sustained on someone else’s property, our premises liability lawyers serving all of Ontario may be able to provide you with beneficial legal advice and assistance. To schedule your free initial consultation and learn about options that might be available to you, call 1-800-JUSTICE today.
How Do Slip and Fall Accidents Commonly Occur?
The maintenance issues that often lead to injurious slip and fall accidents often sound innocuous. Unfortunately, these commonplace, mundane issues on someone else’s premises could cause an innocent visitor to sustain severe injuries with life-changing consequences. Common examples of maintenance issues that often cause Ontario slip and fall accidents include:
- Recently mopped floors
- Spilled liquids
- Broken or missing handrails
- Poor lighting
- Wet floors
- Uneven surfaces
- Loose carpeting
- Cracked sidewalks
- Potholes
- Cluttered walkways
- Broken tiles
- And more
In addition to these potentially dangerous issues on someone else’s property, every Ontarian will be able to appreciate that one of the most common hazards that can lead to injurious slip and fall accidents is uncleared ice and snow. Unfortunately, if your accident was the result of a property owner/occupier’s failure to adequately clear snow or ice from their premises, you may not have much time left in which to act.
Early in 2020, Bill 118 received royal assent, enacting the Occupiers’ Liability Amendment Act into law. As a result of this relatively new piece of legislation, Ontarians who have been injured because of snow and ice on someone else’s property have only 60 days from the date of their accident to serve the negligent property owner/occupier with a notice of claim.
Because of this new amendment to the Occupiers’ Liability Act, if you were injured because of snow or ice on someone else’s property, time is truly of the essence. Even if you are uncertain whether you intend on pursuing legal action, speaking with our Ontario premises liability lawyers immediately could prove hugely beneficial.
Call Our Ontario Premises Liability Lawyers Today
If you were injured in an accident on someone else’s property, our premises liability lawyers may be able to provide you with important legal advice and assistance. During a free initial consultation with our Ontario premises liability lawyers, you will have the chance to review the circumstances of your accident, ask questions about your case, and receive personalized legal advice about options for financial recovery that might be available to you.
To learn more, call Preszler Injury Lawyers today and claim your free initial consultation with our Ontario premises liability lawyers.
