Slip and fall accidents are some of the most common personal injury claims, often occurring in grocery stores, restaurants, and retail shops. These cases rely heavily on evidence to establish a property owner’s liability. A piece of evidence that can significantly impact the outcome of a slip and fall case is surveillance footage from the scene of the accident. If you fell and were injured it is important that you fully understand your rights and options. Work with an experienced Pike County, KY premises liability lawyer to discuss your situation and begin building your case.
What is Premises Liability?
Premises liability law is a legal concept that makes property owners responsible for accidents and injuries sustained on their property. Under this law, property owners are legally obligated to maintain a safe environment for guests, employees, and consumers who may enter their property legally.
How Can Surveillance Footage Impact a Slip and Fall Case?
In a slip and fall case, the main issue is determining whether or not the property owner/person in charge was negligent in maintaining a safe environment. Surveillance footage can impact a case by providing a clear and objective picture of the events that transpired including what happened before, during, and after the slip and fall.
The video will provide evidence of the owner’s actions or inactions and can help prove whether they knew about the hazard, should have known about the hazard, took action to prevent accidents, ignored the situation, etc. It will also show how the accident occured and whether or not the victim reasonably could have avoided being injured.
Is Surveillance Footage Beneficial or Harmful to the Plaintiff?
The answer to this question depends on the contents of the video footage. If the footage shows that the property owner took reasonable steps to prevent accidents it could be disadvantageous to the plaintiff’s claim. However, if the footage proves that the property owner failed to take cautionary measures it could demonstrate their negligence and benefit the plaintiff’s case.
For example, consider a slip and fall case where a drink was spilled in the grocery store. The surveillance footage shows the manager walking by the spill, putting out wet floor signs, and roping off the area before leaving to get supplies to clean it up. A man then walks by, ignoring the roped-off area and trying to get to the cereal behind it. Even though the man falls and gets hurt, the video will prove that the managers took reasonable and necessary steps to rectify the issue.
However, if the video shows that no employee or manager checked on the aisles for nearly an hour and the plaintiff unknowingly walked into the unidentified spill, falling and injuring themselves, it could prove that the manager or owner was negligent. An hour is plenty of time for an employee to find and clean up the spill and failing to do rounds and check on the status of the store is negligent.
If you are wondering how surveillance footage can help your slip and fall case, reach out to an experienced attorney for more information and representation.
