Prevent Personal Injury on Your Property This Fall

Being a homeowner comes with a wide variety of responsibilities, including the upkeep and ongoing maintenance of your property. With the arrival of cooler weather, it’s especially important to begin clearing clutter, removing hazards and making repairs to the exterior of your property.

Slips, trips and falls happen quickly and can result in significant personal injuries that leave victims unable to return to work or their regular day-to-day activities. Fortunately, November is a great time to prepare for the snow and ice that is on its way.

Tips to Avoid Personal Injury on Your Property

If you are a property owner in physical possession of a property, it’s your responsibility to take the proper steps to ensure that all visitors are safe. Regularly inspecting the exterior of your property should be a priority. Here are some tips to help prevent accidents on your property:

• Look for uneven surfaces, crumbling concrete or other tripping hazards
• Repair leaky eaves troughs to prevent dripping or pooling water that can later turn to ice
• Carefully inspect your driveway, walkways and any exterior steps
• Test any railings to ensure they are secure and make any necessary repairs
• Check exterior lighting, especially those illuminating porches, walkways and driveways

The best way to prevent slip and fall injuries is to always maintain a clean and safe property environment. This may require more work, but it outweighs the consequences of failing to do so. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, the following are some of the criteria used to determine whether or not the appropriate standard of care was applied:

• Whether the danger was foreseeable
• Whether the occupier’s conduct was in accordance with acceptable standards of practice
• Whether there was an adequate system of inspection (considering the risks involved) in place and carried out
• Whether the danger was allowed to exist for an unreasonable amount of time
• The ease with which the danger could have been prevented

If you are injured due to someone’s negligence in maintaining a safe property, an Ontario injury lawyer can help find out if you may be entitled to damages. Our team of experienced personal injury lawyers have the expertise to ensure you have access to all of the benefits available to you. Contact us at 1-800-563-6348 for a free consultation.

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This blog post is presented for information purposes only. The information contained in this post should not be construed as legal advice from Ferguson Barristers or the individual author, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal advice on any matter. You should not act, or refrain from acting, based on any such content or information without seeking appropriate legal advice from an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.

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