At Jones & Swanson, we help people who have been injured in a variety of ways. Although many of our cases involve car wrecks, we also enjoy the opportunity to assist clients in what are generally known as premises liability claims. These types of legal claims hold property owners responsible for maintaining their premises in a reasonably safe manner and warning their guests of dangerous conditions. Unfortunately, Georgians are often injured when these property owners fail to alleviate or warn of those dangerous conditions which can include things like broken stairs, hidden holes, hazardous chemicals, regular criminal activity, and biting dogs.
In April of 2011, such an event occurred at medical offices in Marietta, Georgia. As Attorney Chase Swanson’s client walked through the offices’ parking deck, she tripped and fell on the rubber-like material joining two portions of the concrete deck. The material was in a state of disrepair, causing it to inconsistently stick up out of the concrete in such a way as to create a trip hazard to our client and other invitees on the premises. The property owner and management company were clearly aware of the state of disrepair of this parking deck, as orange cones and caution tape had been placed at similar seams on every other level of the deck. Unfortunately, the company chose not to repair the hazardous deck or to warn invitees accessing its building from the top level of the deck. As a result, our client unknowingly walked across the seam, tripped, fell and significantly injured her right wrist, elbow and knee.
Ultimately, our client required surgery to repair her broken elbow. Despite surgical intervention and formal rehabilitation, she continued to struggle with painful popping in her wrist and forearm. As a mother of young children, the inability to use her right arm made caring for them extremely difficult and continued to make other activities painful as well. The injuries our client sustained in the fall may remain problematic for the remainder of her life. Fortunately, Attorney Chase Swanson was able to negotiate a settlement in an amount acceptable to his client. She was able to use this compensation to cover expenses that she incurred as a result of the fall, such as medical costs and pain and suffering.
Georgia law requires property owners to keep their premises and approaches safe for invitees such as Mr. Swanson’s client. This duty includes the appropriate inspection of the premises and repair hazards to invitees, or at least warning of such hazards so as to alert unknowing visitors to the potential danger. If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of this type of negligence by a property owner, contact Jones & Swanson today for a free consultation at (770) 427-5498.
Categories: Slip and Fall
