Yuletide season is obviously the best time to give parties. To share jolly time with friends, you are going to hold a party. As a party host, your desire is to hold a successful celebration with all good cheers that come with the occasion. However, on the way to your place, someone slips and falls on your driveway.
The most common reaction would be for the person to pick himself up feeling fine; but there is also the great possibility that the slip and fall was not as simple as it appeared. The slip-fall injury has resulted into some serious pain. The accident will not only ruin your party but you are also liable for your guest’s injuries.
To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Avoid this scenario to happen especially during holidays or at any time. Here are some simple safety precautions you can take to ensure that everyone gets to and from your party in one piece:
1. Discover all potential indoor hazards. As a property owner, you have the responsibility to safeguard the people you invited to your home. It is your duty to apply ordinary care in keeping your premises safe at all times. Be cautious of the safety inside your home. Identify loose stairs and dangerously broken appliance that might cause injury. As soon as you view any danger, immediately rectify the problem. But if pressed for time during a party, you can warn your guests as they arrive.
2. Identify any potential outdoor hazards. Your property includes both the interior and exterior of your home; as the yard and driveway. Always keep the driveway and walkway to your door clear and free of any dangers or obstructions. You have to take double efforts during the winter season, especially when you’re expecting guests. Safety measures simple consist of shoveling after snow and sprinkling walking surfaces with salt. These remedies will minimize the risk that someone will fall and end up injured.
3. Just in case of accident; be prepared for potential legal consequences. If a guest or even a close friend ends up hurt on your property, you may find yourself in some legal trouble. Even if your friend or the victim does not want to make a fuss, the insurance company often when a claim is made.
If you believe that the fault is not your own making, don’t give in to whatever the insurance reps ask you to pay up. Contact a legal personnel and fight back; depending on the circumstances, perhaps it will be the insurance company to foot the bill for your guest’s injuries and not you.
So before planning that holiday party, be sure you have made a thorough pre-party premises inspections. Include this as number one in your to-do list. Yes, it surely is extra effort to tidy and make you place safe and sound but it’s better than facing a potential slip-fall lawsuit.
Link – http://blogs.findlaw.com/injured/2012/11/slippery-walkway-can-ruin-your-holiday-party.html