Lots of information on personal injury cases deals with automobile accidents. Still, a large number of accidents take place when someone is going up or down a flight of stairs.

Could the property owner be held liable? Seek the answer to these questions:

• Did the owner cause the stairway’s surface to become a hazard?
• Did the other know about the hazardous surface on the stairway?
• Should the owner have known about the condition of the stairway?

What could become a hazard on a stairway?

• Torn or worn carpet.
• Stairs did not comply with the building code.
• Stairs did not have a handrail.
• Each step was too high.
• Each step was too deep.
• Too much variance in the height of the stairs.
• Some liquid had spilled on stairs’ surface.
• Someone left an object on the stairway.
• The stairs were not well-lighted.

How could someone that had fallen on a flight of stairs determine the presence or nature of a hazard?

• Information about building codes could be found in the library.
• The depth and height of each step could be measured.
• Any carpet could be examined.

A Personal Injury Lawyer in Fredericton could check to see if the property owner had arranged for inspections of the stairway. That would show whether or not the property owner should have known about the hazard.

Defenses that might be used by the property owner

• The plaintiff was not wearing a sturdy pair of shoes.
• The plaintiff did not pay attention to where he or she was going.
• The plaintiff had ignored a sign that warned visitors not to take the stairs. An elevator was available.
• The plaintiff did not seek immediate medical attention, after falling.

Who, other than the property owner might be blamed, if someone falls on a flight of stairs?

The electrician might be blamed, if the lighting was not satisfactory.

A building inspector might be blamed, if no one had reported the deviation from the building codes.

A contractor might be blamed, if that contractor had charged for installation of an acceptable stairway, when there was great variance from one stair to the next.

An architect might be blamed, if the architect’s drawings had failed to provide the maker of the stairs with an adequate amount of information.

Who made the drawings used by the architect? Maybe that person forgot to include all the details that were requested by the architect.

Did someone leave something on one or more steps? What was it, and who left it there?Did some salesperson convince the victim to buy a pair of shoes that was too small or too large? That could have made climbing the stairs difficult. That possibility could only be proven by the lawyer, if the shoes were saved.

If you or a loved one has been injured in such an accident, we empathize with you, while offering legal assistance. Contact https://barapplawmaritimes.ca today and our team of expert lawyers will walk you through the process of filing a claim for damages.