Query: Do You Have an Injury from Slipping And Falling on a Wet Floor?
Context: A wet floor is an inherently dangerous condition. It can cause an individual to slip and fall, stumble, or fall on the ground. Often there are injuries as a result.
The dangers associated with a wet floor seem obvious. However, the condition often goes unattended or ignored by a property owner or manager. This enables members of the public to come into contact with these dangerous situations, and possibly causing severe injuries to the victim.
In fact, our cultural media, like tv shows and movies, often show slip and falls as funny. But oftentimes, they are anything but. Slip and fall victims can be seriously injured as their legs go out from under them and they land on their head, neck, or back. As you can imagine, a slippery floor in a grocery store is no place to hit your head after falling from a height of 5ft or so.
Under the laws of Chicago and of the state of Illinois, property owners have a duty to keep their businesses safe for customers. This extends to owners of residential properties as well, including apartment buildings and condominium complexes. This means that a landlord must take steps to prevent wet floors from occurring and to fix the situation should it arise. Failing to do so may make a landlord liable for any injuries that result to a patron who slips and falls on a wet, dangerous floor.