Every homeowner has a duty to keep his or her home safe. This is useful not only for protecting your household members but also your guests. Don't forget that you may be held responsible for a guest's injuries or death in your home. According to statistics, falling is the leading cause of unintentional home injury deaths. Therefore, preventing falls will go a long way in avoiding personal injury lawsuits. Here are a few measures to help you prevent falls in your home:
Perform Prompt Repairs
One of the surest ways of getting a personal injury lawsuit is to let a guest get injured due to a known defect in your home. For example, a home guest who uses your old, rotten and weak stairs and falls, will most likely demand compensation for his or her injuries. Therefore, ensure that there are no holes on the floor and the floorboards do not stick up – in short, carry out prompt repairs to avoid injuries due to broken-down fixtures.
Keep Your Home Tidy
Tidying up your home not only makes it easy on the eyes, but it also prevents accidental falls. Ensure the toys, beauty products, old books are all out of the way. It's particularly important to keep the walkways, such as alleys, stairs, and other areas that guests may frequent, free of clutter.
Be Careful With Your Entrance
An entrance with uneven steps may be nothing more than a nuisance at the best of times, but it can become a serious hazard in bad weather. Therefore, light up your entrance so that guests can see where to put down their feet. Also, keep it clear of obstructions such as rocks or toys that may trip visitors to your home. If there are stairs, then install handrails or grab bars.
Install Grab Bars and Handrails Where Necessary
Some parts of the house are more difficult to access than others. For example, going up or down stairs is risky for anybody, but it's riskier for invalids and the aged. Installing handrails and grab bars in such areas make them safer. If you decide to install these safety features, make sure you have them installed professionally since poor installation may also lead to injuries.
You may be liable for accidents that occur on your residential property if the court finds you negligent. If you live in a rental property, your landlord may be to blame if the injury occurred in areas he or she controls. Consult an injury attorney, such as those at the Owen Law Firm, to get further clarification
