Residents of Louisiana apartment buildings, and those entering the home of another person, have an expectation of safety on the property. Owners that fail to provide a safe environment may be exposed to significant financial liability for any ensuing injuries.
A Louisiana woman injured in an apartment last year is pursuing legal action against the owner of the building. The woman’s injuries were the result of a slip and fall accident in her apartment. She alleges that she slipped because a leaking air conditioner unit had caused water to collect on the floor. She is claiming that the building owner was negligent in not inspecting the premises or providing adequate warning of the danger, even though they knew that the condition existed. The fall resulted in injuries to the woman’s head, back and neck.
Liability for slip and fall accidents falls under the umbrella of premises liability when they occur on property owned or maintained by another person or entity. These accidents are typically caused by damaged flooring, inadequate lighting and wet floors. In order to establish liability on the part of a property owner, an injured person often needs to show that a dangerous condition existed on the property and that the property owner was aware of the condition.
For residential property, to establish that a landlord is liable for a slip and fall injury, the injured victim must prove that the landlord could control the condition, it was reasonable for them to repair it, it was reasonable to think that someone could be injured as a result and the landlord’s failure to avoid the accident caused the injury.
Property owners, and those in charge of maintaining property, have a responsibility to keep their premises safe for those entering it. This duty applies to commercial and residential property when the owner knows of, or would be expected to know of the condition.
Source: The Louisiana Record, “Apartment complex sued after leaky air conditioner allegedly causes accident, injuries,” Andrey Burin, March 24, 2015