The truth is that slip and fall accidents are particularly common in Ontario. This is due to the fact that the country is characterized by long and cold winters, particularly common for the northern parts. This is when the walkways get slippery. What is more, there are quite a lot of different retailers who wouldn’t take proper care of slippery surfaces, hence putting the health of people on them in danger.
This is where the Occupier’s liability act steps into the picture. The regulation governs accidents of the kinds and the legal behavior that you should acquire in order to handle them properly. The truth is that slipping and falling is a pretty normal part of your life. However, if the cause was in someone else’s negligent behavior, you have a legal issue.
Does it lead to liability?
When is the slip and fall accident leading to liability? This is the first of the questions that you need to be able to answer to. Unfortunately, there is no precise way to encompass and explain when an owner is going to be liable for someone slipping and falling on his premises. The situations are numerous and they bring in a lot of interesting cases in court.Of course, we could take look at the most common ones of them.
Slip and fall on a slippery retail surface
You are chilling at the mall, scouting around the shops for your favorite sale when suddenly you slip and fall. You hit your head in the process, causing tremendous pain and a potential concussion. The situation is particularly unpleasant because you are dizzy and you need to take a few days of work, causing you to lose a few days of wage.
This is undoubtedly the most common cause for cases as per the Occupier’s liability act. The truth is that if the owner of the store in front of which you fell or the mall itself failed to warn you about the danger, he is pretty much liable for you damages.
Frozen walkways
Another situation which is quite common is when the winters fall upon Ontario. It’s as if the entire province freezes over and the walkways become a challenge to walk on. Slipping and falling isn’t uncommon. In situations of the kind, however, you might be entitled to sue the municipality itself. If it happened at a place where there was no store or other facility that would have been liable, you can direct your claims to the municipality. Of course, the procedure is a bit different and you’d have to account for it. Hiring a lawyer is the best option. Not only do the personal injury lawyers know the loopholes of the law but are acquainted with the nuances that laymen aren’t aware of. As you only have 10 days to file a claim against the municipality, hiring the services of a personal injury lawyer is important.