Whether you are walking on a sidewalk or in a parking lot at nighttime, down an indoor stairwell, or through the hallway of an apartment complex, proper lighting is pivotal for your navigational skills. When this does not exist, you may become more susceptible to slipping, tripping, and falling. With that being said, please follow along to find out how inadequate lighting can contribute to an accident and how a proficient Miami slip and fall lawyer at the Law Offices of Gonzalo Funes, PA can help you rectify your situation with legal action.
How does inadequate lighting contribute to an accident?
Inadequate lighting means the illumination from a lighting fixture has burnt out, is being obstructed by an external object, is too bright and then too dim in neighboring areas, or is overall poorly designed, given the space it is meant to fill. Under any of these conditions, inevitably, you cannot see where you are stepping.
For example, in a parking lot without overhead lighting at nighttime, you may not see the uneven surfaces ahead of you, whether they be cracks, potholes, curbs, or weather-related debris. Here, you may lose your footing and take a fall.
Or, in an indoor stairwell with inadequate lighting, the individual steps may blend in together. You may accidentally miss one and, sadly, tumble the rest of the way down. , and you may accidentally miss one.
Lastly, in an indoor hallway with inadequate lighting, your depth perception may be thrown off. Without realizing how close a wall, door, step, or other obstruction is to you, you may walk into it with full force and get seriously injured.
Who should be held responsible for your poor lighting accident?
You should not and cannot blame yourself for tripping and falling over an obstruction when you could not see it due to the poor lighting. Also, it is especially not your fault if there was no better, alternative path for you to take, not to mention that you were a welcome visitor on these premises to begin with.
Rather, you should redirect this energy and hold a property owner responsible for the injuries and damages from your poor lighting accident, in a premises liability claim. With your claim, your overall goal should be to prove the property owner’s negligence in the matter.
Specifically, you may want to start by identifying the local building codes and safety standards the property owner violated with the inadequate lighting on their premises.
Then, you may acquire maintenance records, past incident reports, or even witness testimonies referring to the fact that the property owner knew or should have reasonably known about the inadequate lighting on their premises. But ultimately, they failed to address it before they welcomed you onto your premises, thus resulting in your fall injuries and damages.
To conclude, there is no need to go through the important step of presenting your legal case alone. Please seek the support and assistance of a talented Miami-Dade County personal injury lawyer. Contact the Law Offices of Gonzalo Funes, PA, today.
