Situations Where You Can Sue a Business for Personal Injury

Personal injury lawsuits are a legal recourse available to individuals who have been harmed as a result of another party’s negligence or wrongful actions. This can include physical injuries, emotional distress, and financial losses. As per the United States Courts, the number of personal injury cases filed in the US courts surged by 97 percent in the year 2020.

Businesses, like any other party, can be held liable for personal injury if they are found to be responsible for the harm suffered by an individual. However, determining whether a business can be held liable for personal injury can be a complex process that depends on a variety of factors.

This article will provide an in-depth analysis of the conditions under which a person can sue a business for personal injury. We will explore key concepts such as negligence, product liability, and premises liability, which are the main grounds on which personal injury lawsuits against businesses are based.

Product Liability

One of the conditions under which a person can sue a business for personal injury is product liability. Product liability refers to the legal responsibility of a manufacturer, distributor, or seller of a product for any harm caused by a defect in the product. This includes harm caused by design defects, manufacturing defects, and failure to provide adequate warning or instruction.

When it comes to defective products, there are three main types of claims that can be brought against a business:

• Design defect: This refers to a defect present in the product’s design. This means that the product is inherently dangerous or defective due to its design, regardless of how it was manufactured. For example, if a car has a design defect that causes the brakes to fail, the manufacturer can be held liable for any resulting injuries.
• Manufacturing defect: This refers to a defect that arises during the manufacturing process. This means that the product was manufactured correctly, but something went wrong during the manufacturing process, making the product unsafe. For example, if a batch of medicine is contaminated during manufacturing, the manufacturer can be held liable for any resulting illnesses.
• Failure to provide adequate warning or instruction: This refers to a defect that arises from a lack of adequate warning or instruction about the product’s safe use. The baby formula lawsuits against Similac and Enfamil are examples of this type of product liability.

In order to file a product liability lawsuit, the first step is to determine if the statute of limitations has expired. Different states have different statutes of limitations. For Texas, it is two years, whereas, for regions like St Louis, Missouri, the statute of limitations is only five years.

This means that if you are a resident of St Louis, the lawsuit must be filed within five years of the occurrence or the discovery of the injury. It is highly recommended that the plaintiff hires a St Louis personal injury attorney to have a successful case, as they have knowledge of the legal process and experience in handling similar cases. This can help to ensure that the case is properly prepared and presented in court.

Premises Liability

Premises liability is a legal doctrine that holds property owners and occupiers responsible for maintaining a safe environment for visitors and guests. This includes taking reasonable measures to prevent accidents and injuries that may occur on their property.

When it comes to premises liability, there are three main types of visitors that a property owner or occupier may have on their property: invitees, licensees, and trespassers. Whereas invitees and licensees have permission to be on the property, trespassers do not. Therefore, property owners and occupiers owe the lowest duty of care to trespassers and must only refrain from intentionally injuring them.

When it comes to premises liability, common hazards that can cause accidents and injuries include but are not limited to, wet or slippery floors, uneven pavement, poorly lit areas, inadequate security, and hazards caused by natural weather conditions.

It’s also important to note that in some cases, a business may be held liable for the actions of third-party contractors or vendors if they were working on the property under the direction of the business.

Negligence

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention lists unintentional injuries as one of the major causes of death for Americans in the age group of 1-44 years old. And a major chunk of these unintentional injuries is a product of the other party’s negligence.

Negligence is one of the key conditions under which a person can sue a business for personal injury. It refers to the failure of a business to exercise reasonable care, resulting in harm to an individual. Negligence is a legal theory that is widely used in personal injury cases, and it’s based on the principle that individuals and businesses have a duty to act in a way that will not cause harm to others.

To bring a negligence lawsuit, the plaintiff must prove three elements:

• The business had a legal duty to exercise reasonable care.
• The business breached that duty by failing to exercise reasonable care.
• The plaintiff suffered an injury or harm as a result of the business’s breach of duty.

The standard of care that the business is held to is that of a reasonable person in similar circumstances. This means that the court will consider the level of care that the business took to prevent harm and whether the business had any warning signs or knowledge of potential dangers.

For instance, if a store owner knows that a certain aisle is prone to flooding and does not take steps to address the issue, and a customer slips and falls, the store owner may be found to be negligent.

It’s also important to note that a business can be held vicariously liable for the actions of its employees or independent contractors if they were acting within the scope of their employment or under the direction of the business. This means that if an employee of a business acts negligently, their employer can be held liable for the harm caused.

Conclusion

In conclusion, personal injury lawsuits can be filed against businesses when an individual is harmed as a result of the company’s negligence or wrongful actions. However, determining whether a business can be held liable for personal injury can be complex and depends on a variety of factors.

This article has provided an in-depth analysis of the conditions under which a person can sue a business for personal injury.understanding these conditions and the legal process, individuals can make informed decisions about whether to pursue a personal injury lawsuit against a business and how to protect their rights best.