Most people in this world walk—they walk to get their mail, walk into the office, walk to the bus stop, walk while grocery shopping, and walk for exercise. Walking is a huge part of most of our lives, as it gets us to where we are going. However, walking has also led to slip and fall accidents and injuries that have caused people to become injured or disabled due to hazardous premises.
In order to prevent slips and falls in Georgia, we need to understand how they occur. Statistics indicate that the majority of falls occur from slips and trips—these are same-level falls, not accidents involving staircases. These slip or trip and fall accidents can occur when there is little traction between the floor and a person’s shoes, if a person’s foot strikes something while walking, or if there is an unexpected change between the ground and a person’s feet.
How Can Slips and Trips Be Prevented?
An individual can select the proper shoes for the activity at hand, take care, walk at the appropriate pace, and make sure to pay attention to where he or she is going in order to prevent being injured in a slip or trip and fall accident. However, people may be walking carefully—and wearing the appropriate shoes—when their feet strike something or contact a slippery walking surface or uneven ground without warning.
To prevent accidents, properties need to be properly maintained, repaired when necessary and attended to in order to help prevent falls. Property owners or property possessors need to:
- Put out caution signs for wet floors
- Clean spills immediately
- Mop the floors often
- Make sure carpets are not torn
- Secure rugs and mats
- Remove debris and obstacles from walkways
- Keep stairways, walkways, and other work areas well lit
- Repair cracked and uneven flooring
Property owners, landlords, property possessors, and employers have a responsibility to provide safe environments, free from hazards. When failure to caution off a hazardous area, failure to provide adequate lighting, failure to fix a broken stair, or failure to clean up spilled liquid from the ground occurs, lack of maintenance by the property possessor could be the cause of your Atlanta slip and fall accident.
Call Shane Smith Law to speak with a skilled Atlanta slip and fall attorney at (980) 246-2656 and receive a complimentary case consultation today to find out more about your rights.