Slip-and-Fall Dangers in the Summer: What You Need to Know

 Summer is the time when most of us love to gather outside for swimming pool parties, barbecues and other fun activities. But, it may also be the time for us to take certain precautions and steps toward ensuring the safety of children and guests. Before hosting a party, all property owners should make sure that their yards are safe for visitors. It may be the last thing you may want to worry about. But, think about it this way. You don’t want a memorable occasion to be marred by a slip-and-fall accident or worse, by facing a personal injury lawsuit. As a host, it is important that you make sure that your yard and home are accident-proof.

Steps Property Owners Can Take
Here are just a few steps property owners can take to help ensure that their homes are safe for visitors and guests in the summer:
• Injury-proof your deck. This is the time to fix any loose boards or replace rotten wood that may cause a serious slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident. Hammer any nails that are sticking out. Secure railings and make sure that they are at least 3 feet high.
• Make sure you have adequate lighting. Even with the long summer days, parties often go on into the night and after dark. By having bright lights in your yard, you can help avoid trips or collisions with objects, which can cause painful injuries. All paths and outdoor stairways should be properly lit. It would also be a good idea to invest in outdoor LED or solar lights.
• Secure the pool area. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 30 percent of unintentional injury deaths among children 1 to 4 occurred due to drowning in backyard pools. If you have a pool, make sure the areas around it are kept dry to prevent slip-and-fall accidents. Use layers of protection such as a pool fence, a gate that can be locked and alarms that will alert you if there is unsupervised activity near the pool or in the water. This is especially important if you have young children visit.
• Fix up your property. If you have broken stairs, protruding tree roots or cracked walkways, now is the time to fix them. These pose serious trip-and-fall hazards.
If You Have Been Injured
If you or a loved one has been injured on someone else’s property, you can seek compensation for your losses by filing a premises liability lawsuit. Injured victims can seek damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
If you or a loved one suffered injuries because of a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys with the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Our law firm recovered $1,700,000 for a woman who slipped and fell and received no hospital or medical treatment for one month after the accident.
Please call our offices TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496) to discuss your slip-and-fall case or trip-and-fall injury or accident case. WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com