Top 5 Causes of Slip-and-Fall Accidents in Alvin Businesses

People often laugh when someone falls—in fact, slip and fall routines were a common part of comedy shows for many years. But in real life, the injuries from falls often have lifelong consequences that may not be apparent at first.

Knowing the top five causes of slip and fall accidents in Alvin businesses can help you stay alert and hopefully avoid hazards when they appear. If you have already suffered injuries in a fall, knowing the reasons that slip and fall incidents occur most frequently in Alvin can help you build your case for legal liability. While an experienced slip and fall attorney will know how to establish a strong case, you can help in the process by knowing how to gather evidence and the steps to take (as well as what to avoid).

1. Slippery Floors

In our humid climate, slippery floors pose a greater risk than they do in places with lower humidity. When staff at a business wash the floor or someone spills a drink and only wipes up part of it, the floor will remain wet and slippery here longer than it will elsewhere. The humidity can also create condensation that makes floors slick.

Businesses in Alvin do not always account for this, and they fail to take adequate steps to protect customers from harm. For instance, they may install flooring that is prone to become unusually slick when wet, or they may not allow adequate time for the floor to dry before removing warning signs and barricades. Even worse, they may not put up anything at all to let customers know that a floor is wet or to prevent people from walking on a slippery surface.

If you slipped on a wet or otherwise slick surface, it would be helpful to know how long the dangerous condition had existed and what the owner of the premises had done to prevent accidents. The store might have a cleaning schedule that calls for “wet floor” signs to be moved after 10 minutes, but doesn’t require an employee to check to see if the floor is actually still slippery. That type of policy could create liability for negligence on the part of the store.

2. Raised or Uneven Surfaces

It can be very easy for a customer in an Alvin store, gas station, restaurant, or other business to trip over a raised or uneven surface. It could be an unmarked step up, a threshold, or a wrinkle in the carpet—any condition that can catch someone’s foot and cause them to stumble and fall is a hazard that should be addressed by property owners. Similarly, loose tiles, uneven floorboards, and unanchored rugs can cause people to trip or slip and fall.

When the owner of a business invites customers onto the premises to shop or do business, the owner has an obligation to provide an environment that is reasonably safe. When they fail to take the right steps to protect patrons from tripping, they can be held liable for the injuries that result. All the business owner needs to do is inspect (or have employees inspect) for problems periodically, and when they find something like a loose tile or a raised threshold, they need to take steps to warn people and correct the problem if possible. For instance, a business owner could put a traffic cone over a loose piece of flooring to keep people from walking on it until it is repaired. Or if there’s a step up that might be overlooked, they could mark the step and install signs warning people about it. But often, business owners fail to take even these small measures to protect their customers, and when that lack of courtesy leads to injuries, the business owner can be held responsible.

3. Inadequate Lighting

Another basic step property owners should take to secure the safety of those they invite onto their premises is to ensure that there is adequate lighting so people can see where they are going. All too often, business owners fail to install enough lights, or they don’t replace fixtures or bulbs that aren’t working. The lack of proper lighting can cause people to trip over features they would otherwise be able to avoid.

This can be a particular problem for the outdoor portions of Alvin businesses at night. Poor lighting in a parking lot can cause someone to step into a pothole and fall. Or failure to light up outside areas that are in a region known for criminal activity could make a property owner liable for negligent security if someone is attacked on the property.

4. Debris and Poorly Placed Objects

When there are numerous objects to navigate around in a space, it can be very hard to avoid stumbling over something. Often, when a shopper is trying to avoid one hazard, such as a large stack of merchandise in a store aisle, they may walk right into another hazard, like a mop or broom that has fallen over. Part of the obligation to provide a reasonably safe environment for customers is to ensure that employees know the proper procedures for displaying merchandise safely and follow safe practices for handling equipment, such as cleaning supplies, so that these items are not left in a way that can trip customers.

5. Lack of Safety Rails on Stairs and Platforms

When someone falls from a great height or tumbles down stairs, they often suffer catastrophic harm, such as traumatic brain injuries that can lead to wrongful death. This means that the failure to install proper safety railings around platforms and along stairs poses an extreme risk for anyone on the premises. Property owners need to ensure that railings have been erected according to safety requirements, and they need to inspect them regularly to ensure that the railings are still sturdy and secured.

Work with a Legal Team That is Prepared to Fight for Maximum Compensation for Slip and Fall Injuries

While there are many responsible business owners in Alvin, we also have far too many who are entirely focused on selling and not at all focused on safety. When the negligence of a property owner causes you to fall and suffer injuries, that owner should be required to compensate you for the aspects of your life that have been damaged or destroyed. You can never get back the time you’ve lost to injuries or erase the suffering you’ve endured, but your personal injury attorney can help you obtain justice and compensation to offset your many losses.

At DeKeyzer Law, we fight to hold businesses accountable for their negligence, and we know how to stand up to insurance companies to recover full and fair compensation for slip and fall victims. But it is important to act quickly to secure evidence to prove liability, so if you’ve been hurt, we suggest you contact us for a free case evaluation and consultation as soon as possible. Call 713-904-4004 or contact us online now to get started.