Owners of homes and businesses in and around Chicago must take the necessary steps to ensure that their properties are hazard-free and don’t pose dangers to the public.

Leaky gutters can create slick spots that lead to painful falls. Uneven sidewalk surfaces present tripping hazards. Unsecured backyard pools are attractive nuisances that can lead to curious children drowning. Heavy tree limbs can come crashing down onto passersby on the sidewalks. When you consider it from a liability standpoint, dangers lurk around every unlit corner.

How can property owners mitigate their liability?

They say common sense is not all that common, and sometimes premises liability cases bear this out. Owners or property managers should take a critical look around their entire properties for potential hazards. If something is broken, prioritize fixing it.

Make sure that employees are aware of spills. While a sudden spill might not pose as much liability risk as a chronic leak would, if a customer is injured because they slipped in a spill on the floor, they can pursue a legitimate claim.

Lax security exposes customers and employees to dangers

If business owners are cavalier about employee or customer safety and do nothing to protect them from potential violent threats, they open themselves up to civil litigation if injuries result. Courts will examine the concept of foreseeability in evaluating premises liability claims. In other words, did past events or the geographic location of the business make physical assaults likely?

Were you injured on another person’s property or on the premises of a business? If your injuries are linked to negligence on the part of the owner or management, you may be able to seek and recover compensation for your injuries and damages.

Source: The Travelers Companies Inc., “Premises Security and Liability,” accessed June 23, 2017