Whether you’re a patron at a grocery store or movie theater or a tourist at a Cincy hotel, you have a right to assume that the buildings that house the businesses where you shop, conduct business, or run errands are safe for you to enter. Ohio property owners are required by law to maintain their properties in a manner that prevents visitors to the property and the public in general from experiencing harm while they are lawfully on the property. If you are injured due to the negligence or carelessness of a property owner or his representatives—whether in an office building, school, bank, store, rental property, or even a residential property—then you have a right to seek counsel and assistance of a Cincinnati unsafe building attorney who can file a claim for damages and compensation on your behalf.
Buildings can become unsafe quickly, leaving property owners liable for any injuries caused to people who enter these dangerous structures. A property owner in Ohio owes the property’s visitors a duty of care. This means that visitors can reasonably assume that the premises they enter are safe. There are a few routes that many structures may take to become dangerous, including lack of maintenance and repeated wear-and-tear due to daily use. Whether commercial or residential, the duty of care that property owners owe those who lawfully enter their premises is still present.
Examples of dangerous structures inside a residence include decks, porches, or balconies with broken components, elevators that malfunction, and broken handrails on staircases. Some commercial structures that might pose a risk to visitors include faulty automatic doors, product displays that easily tip over, frayed carpeting, and unsteady overhead shelves. Environmental factors can also make a structure dangerous, including leaking gas fumes or improperly stored medical waste, for example.
In order for a plaintiff to prove a claim against a defendant for injuries incurred due to a dangerous structure or unsafe building, a few elements must be shown.
First, the plaintiff and his Cincinnati unsafe building attorney must show that there was an existing dangerous condition in or around the unsafe building when the injury occurred.
Second, it must be shown that the dangerous condition was known or should have reasonably been known to the owner of the property or his designated agent.
Third, the plaintiff must prove that the owner of the unsafe building failed in the standard duty of care to remedy the unsafe situation by removing it or repairing it in as prudent a fashion that any other person would if the circumstances were equal.
And last of all, the plaintiff must have sustained an injury as a result of the property owner’s breach of duty of care.
If you are injured due to the unsafe conditions on someone else’s property, you have a right to hold negligent or careless property owners accountable for your injuries. Cincinnati unsafe building attorneys with Paulozzi LPA Injury Lawyers can help you file a claim to seek justice for your case, including compensation for lost wages, medical bills and pain and suffering. You can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 888-710-0040.
