The purpose of Illinois’ premises liability law is to protect people when they enter another’s property from hazardous conditions. The classic example of a premises liability accident is a slip and fall on a wet linoleum supermarket floor. A supermarket slip and fall is not the only way a person can suffer an injury or die on another’s property. Premises liability cases arise when victims suffer injuries from falling debris, fall into holes, fall into an unattended swimming pool, come in contact with exposed wires, trip on items, or walk on defective decking or a broken staircase that gives way. Property owners and possessors owe people who come onto their property or their land a duty to protect the guests and visitors safe.
Any person can experience a severe injury or die from a fall. Perhaps many people associate injuries from a fall with an older person who struggles to move freely and breaks a hip bone. Those accidents are common. However, younger people are not immune to getting hurt on someone else’s property. A person who falls down defective stairs or is victimized by a structure collapse might suffer a traumatic brain injury, spinal injury, paralysis, or death. Head injuries can happen in other circumstances as well. A slip and fall incident on a wet floor could cause a head injury if the victim’s head strikes the ground or is violently thrown around. The severity of the injury could range from permanent brain damage to a concussion.
Broken or fractured bones are a common injury as well. Fall victims tend to shoot their arms straight out from their shoulders to break their fall. Broken arms, wrists, fingers, collarbones, and dislocated shoulders can quickly happen when someone falls or trips. As mentioned above, a fall victim may break a hip bone, pelvis, back, spine or leg. In these scenarios, the victim could experience torn or ruptured muscles, tendons, and ligaments, along with spinal disc injuries.
Burns, dog bites, electrocutions, and drowning are also potential injuries a person might suffer while because someone failed to keep their property free from hazardous conditions.
