A variety of people and entities can be liable for a slip and fall in an airport. The responsible party in your situation will depend on the facts of your case.
Potential Defendants in an Airport Slip and Fall Injury Claim
The party whose negligence caused your injury will be responsible for your losses. Sometimes, more than one person, company, or government agency will be liable. Some of the potential defendants in these cases include:
- The vendor of a fixed shop, restaurant, or kiosk for any spills or tripping hazards inside the venue or near the entry.
- The airport authority, if the accident happens in a public airport. Usually, airport authorities are government agencies that have limited liability. Such cases have different rules and procedures, but we know how to handle claims against the government.
- If you were hurt in a private airport, the owner can be liable. A careless vendor might be responsible for your losses, depending on the facts.
- A careless individual whose negligence caused your slip and fall can be liable, whether the accident happened in a public or private airport. For example, someone walking in front of you spilled a coffee, causing you to lose your footing and fall.
It is possible for someone else to be liable for your injuries. We will have to take a look at your case to determine who might be responsible.
Elements of Negligence in Airport Slip and Fall Injuries
You have to be able to prove negligence to successfully sue someone for financial damages for a slip and fall injury. We will have to establish all four of these facts to show negligence:
- Duty of care. The defendant must have owed you a legal duty of care. Let’s say that you slipped and fell in a restaurant at the airport. The restaurant owed you a duty to take reasonable steps to keep its premises safe for patrons.
- Breach of duty. It is considered negligence when someone’s actions do not measure up to a legal duty of care. Returning to the scenario previously offered, there were frequent spills at the drinks station where the servers refilled soft drinks for customers. The restaurant should have placed absorbent, non-skid mats around the area to prevent falls, but it did not.
- Causation. The negligence must be the thing that caused the harm. You slipped and fell on spilled soft drinks because of the restaurant’s negligence.
- Measurable harm. You must have quantifiable harm, such as physical injuries, from the incident.
In a situation like this, the facts meet all four required factors. The restaurant will be liable for your losses.
When a Property Owner Can be Liable for Your Slip and Fall Damages
Under Georgia law, the landowner can be responsible for accidents that happen on the property under the legal theory of premises liability. We have to prove all three of these elements to hold the property owner liable:
- There was a dangerous condition on the premises. Let’s say that the airport bathrooms often had puddles on the floor from leaking toilets
- The owner knew or should have known about the hazard because the cleaning crew regularly reported the plumbing problem.
- The landowner did not take reasonable measures to correct the problem or warn people to prevent injuries. The property owner should have sent plumbers to fix the leaky toilets and cordoned off the area to prevent injuries until the repairs. The owner ignored the problem until someone slipped and fell, striking her head on the tile floor and sustaining a traumatic brain injury.
This scenario satisfies all three elements of premises liability, and thus the landowner would be liable for the person’s injuries.
Damages in Airport Slip and Fall Accidents
Every case is different, so we cannot say how much compensation you can get without first talking with you and investigating your accident. You might get financial damages for things like medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering, among other things.
How to Get Help for Injuries from a Slip and Fall in an Airport
Sometimes it is hard to figure out whose negligence caused your injury. Do not worry. We can talk with you about the facts of your case, learn more about the extent of your injuries, and let you know if you might have a claim for compensation.
We investigate every slip and fall case we take and stand by our clients through every step of the claims process. We will try to discover every potential defendant who might be liable for your losses. You can focus on getting better while we take care of the rest, like gathering the evidence to build your case. We can negotiate directly with the insurance company on your behalf and, if the insurer refuses to pay a fair amount for your injuries, we can file a lawsuit to go after financial damages.
Call S. Burke Law today at 404-842-7838 for a free, no-obligation consultation.