Business liability: What if someone gets hurt?

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As a business owner, you have plenty of responsibilities on your shoulders. You do not want to add to them by having someone getting hurt within your premises. That is why you need to carry business liability insurance. Because it will protect your business from personal liability claims.

Besides the possibility of having someone get injured at your business’ physical location, you also run the risk of someone being injured by the products you sell. If your product is unsafe, does not include an appropriate warning message, or if the manufacturer of the product inherently makes it hazardous, you may find yourself being sued by a customer. They may be saddled with medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and other expenses, and not having business liability insurance may have catastrophic consequences for your business.

You should also consider getting workers’ compensation insurance which will take care of your employees if they are injured while on the job. This policy will pay for their medical expenses while they recover and, if the injury is more extensive and severe, for a prolonged period of time.

Are you liable if someone gets hurt while on your property?

If you run a business, you expect guests and customers to be around to buy your products or services and make your business grow. However, you also run the risk of someone suffering an injury while at your premises, even if they are just trespassing.

Determining if you may actually be held liable depends not only on how this person was injured but also on what their status was while they were visiting your property. Under premises liability laws you owe your customers a duty of care. These laws indicate that you have a higher liability for the injury of someone who was on your property because they were invited as opposed to someone who was simply trespassing.

You may be liable for negligence if someone gets hurt because you did not maintain your property the way the law requires, which is the way any reasonable person would.

What if someone gets hurt when visiting your business?

As a visitor to your premises, your customers or potential customers always enjoy the highest standard of care. It is expected that they will not encounter any hazards while there which means it is your duty to repair or fix any dangers that may be present. And if there are any intrinsic dangers such as uneven floors or slippery surfaces, proper warning signs should be placed as to be visible to anyone in the area before they slip or trip and fall and injure themselves.

As a business owner, it is your responsibility to offer a safe space to all visitors. This may require constant monitoring of the area to make sure no new dangers may be present. This could be an electrical cord that was left in the middle of an aisle after some repairs were done, a puddle of water due to a broken pipe, or anything else. As soon as this situation is noticed, it must be taken care of in order not to put anyone visiting at risk.

Having a consultation with personal injury lawyers may help you understand in which cases you would be liable if someone gets hurt or if you are being sued by an injured customer.