SLIP AND FALL ACCIDENT LEADS TO PREMISES LIABILITY LAWSUIT

February 25, 2015
dhdlaw

On Feb. 18, a news agency reported that a couple has filed a lawsuit against a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, newspaper and a cultural center for injuries related to a slip and fall accident last summer. According to the report, a West Moreland County, Pennsylvania, couple claims that the wife fell down and suffered injuries after slipping on the floor during an event sponsored by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

According to the complaint, the couple were in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 21, 2013, when the accident occurred. The couple says that they were in attendance at function sponsored by the newspaper and held at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. In the complaint, the wife claims that she slipped and fell while on her way to the restroom from the auditorium.

The couple is claiming that the newspaper and the cultural center are both responsible for the allegedly unsafe and hazardous conditions at the event. According to the complaint, the couple maintains that both defendants should have realized that the walkway may have had a freshly waxed surface and that the polish of that surface might have posed a danger to patrons.

The couple is claiming damages over $35,000 in the lawsuit. The wife reportedly suffered fractures to her right elbow, right patella and left foot. The lawsuit also indicated some damage to one of the wife’s teeth.

Pennsylvania residents have a right to expect that landowners willremove unnecessary dangerous conditions which may be dangerous to individuals allowed on their property. This does not just apply to correcting slippery or unsafe surfaces. For example, a landowner can incur premises liability in situations where there is poor lighting or inadequate security for the prevailing conditions. A common area inside an apartment mailbox room or near an ATM machine are both good examples of conditions which might require proper lighting and security.

You may be entitled to sue a property owner if his or her failure to remove or correct dangerous situations caused your injuries. Your Pennsylvania personal injury attorney can review the dangerous or hazardous conditions and determine whether you should move forward with your claims.

Source: Penn-Live The Patriot-News, “Pa. couple sues newspaper over wife’s slip-and-fall injury” John Luciew, Feb. 18, 2015