Generally speaking, when you hear about “premises liability” or “slip and fall” cases, you probably think about an icy or wet surface causing problems for an individual. Or you may think about a dangerous condition, such as destroyed or frayed carpeting or a broken staircase, that causes some to injure themselves. These are classic examples of conditions that can spur a premises liability or slip and fall claim.
What you generally don’t hear about, though is poor lighting causing someone to slip or fall. But it indeed can be a legitimate cause for a premises liability or slip and fall claim as a story out of New York shows.
The story in question involves a plumber who was working on a heating renovation project for a school district. He was going down a flight of stairs to get to some equipment that he needed to do his job, but as he went down the stairs, some poor lighting made him slip. He injured himself — suffering a broken leg which required surgery.
He filed a lawsuit against the school district, but a lower court did not allow his claim to move forward. He appealed the decision, and an appellate court sided with the plumber. His case can now proceed.
Slip and fall incidents can happen due to a wide range of causes and circumstances. No matter the specifics, these incidents can cause career-ending or life-threatening injuries. You need legal help in order to hold the parties at fault responsible.
Source: Post Star, “Slip-and-fall lawsuit against Queensbury school district can proceed,” Michael Goot, March 6, 2017