Lots of people trip or fall down a flight of stairs every year and more than a million people suffer injuries in the US alone. Staircase accidents are extremely dangerous and it is the property owner’s liability for stair accidents similar to any general slip and fall accidents. If you have experienced a stair accident and this fall was a result of property owners’ negligence to maintain the stairs by keeping them hazard free, then you may have rights to file a claim against the building owner to reclaim compensation for your injury. You might also be eligible to claim against other 3rd parties for defective construction or faulty installation.
What are the liabilities for slip and fall accidents on stairs?
Property owner is legally responsible to maintain the premises safe for tenants and visitors (except trespassers) and any owner failing to fulfil this duty is liable to provide compensation to the injured party for their losses incurred such as medical bills, loss of income, property damage, pain and suffering. To claim your injury compensation, you need to do the following:
- You need to demonstrate how a violation in the property owner’s obligations such as poor maintenance, blockage was the immediate reason for your fall.
- You also need to prove that you faced injuries and economic losses due to the accident.
In the case of falls caused due to 3rd party manufacturers or contractors being in violation of the building code causing dangerous conditions such as the crumbling or collapsing of the stairs owing to faulty installation or defective built, you can sue them to claim compensation.
What should you do if you are a victim of slip and fall accident by falling off stairs?
In personal injury cases such as a slip and fall down a flight of stairs, it is your responsibility to collect adequate evidence as soon as possible to establish the premises of a liability claim.
You need to collect the following information:
- Photographic evidence of the condition of the property or the hazards that caused the fall. These include information on the condition of stairs such as slippery surfaces, handrail conditions, stair height or depth. After learning of the accident, the owner may repair the broken stairs or remove the danger. Having photographs is a strong evidence of the condition of the property in comparison to any verbal descriptions.
- Note down all the information about the accident that you can remember. These include information on whether you were going up or down the flight of stairs, the type of clothing and shoes you were wearing, how fast were you walking, the time of the day and the lighting conditions. You will also need to provide details on whether you were carrying anything or talking to anyone or if any witnesses were present at the time of the fall. Collect all the contact information of any eyewitnesses who witnessed the fall.
- Medical proof of all the injuries caused immediately at the time of the accident or injuries sustained as a result of falling down the stairs. These include bruises, cuts, abrasion, scrapes, laceration, head and brain injuries, face damage, neck and back injuries, broken spine, wrist and forearm injuries, leg injuries, broken bones, fractures or dislocated joints. Treating these injuries can be painful and expensive, hence you need to document medical bills and receipts of the expenses you incurred as a proof of the accident.
- Information regarding the property such as the address where the accident occurred, staircase identification incase the property has more than one staircase.
If you have suffered any injuries after falling down a flight of stairs you are eligible to recover damages for the injuries incurred. You can contact a skilled personal injury lawyer to represent your case and recover compensation for injuries including financial losses experienced as a result of your injury.
