Trust me, seeing those nasty puddles of urine all over the floor in a public restroom is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Slipping on it and getting injured is a much nastier alternative.
Almost all commercial businesses, shopping malls, retail stores, schools, restaurants, hospitals, and other public establishments in Seattle and elsewhere in Washington offer public restrooms to guests. Yes, a public restroom can be the best place on Earth, especially when you have been looking for it for the past 30 minutes, but this convenient facility can change your life forever… in a bad way.
We are talking about slip and fall accidents and other public restroom accidents, which are not unheard of in Washington state. More often than not, these accidents are caused by the negligence on the part of the owner of that public restrooms. In Washington state, property owners have a duty to maintain their premises in a safe and sanitary condition free of any dangerous conditions.
And yes, the accumulation of puddles of urine in a public restroom falls under the category of a dangerous condition that can cause injuries if not cleaned in a timely manner. “However, puddles of urine in a public restroom are not the only type of dangerous condition,” warns our Seattle public restroom accident attorney at Russell & Hill, PLLC.
Slipping and falling in a public restroom was definitely not part of your plan. But now that you have been injured and will have to take time off work to receive medical treatment and get back on your feet, you may be wondering who can be held liable for your slip and fall accident in a public restroom.
More often than not, victims of public restroom accidents are able to file a premises liability claim against the owner of the public restroom for its failure to (a) maintain the premises in a safe condition and (b) remedy hazardous conditions in a timely manner. However, the owner of the public restroom is not at fault for your accident 100 percent of the time.
“When it comes to determining liability in a public restroom accident, it will be critical to determine who owns, inspects, maintains, and controls the location where you sustained your injury,” explains our experienced public restroom accident attorney in Seattle.
If a property owner is not able to keep his or her premises in a reasonably safe condition, he or she has a legal duty to warn guests of any non-obvious or hidden hazards. Yes, it is true that public restrooms are visited by thousands of people each day, which makes them extremely difficult to maintain and keep safe for all guests.
However, you may be able to prove that the property owner failed to do enough to fulfill his or her duties. Regardless of whether your public restroom accident was caused by leaks from sinks or toilets, overflow caused by clogged toilets or sinks, cracked or damaged flooring, or debris and spilled liquids on the floor, you may be able to seek reimbursement for your damages and losses.
Some of the most common injuries sustained in public restroom accidents include but are not limited to:
If you have been injured in a public restroom, you will want to consult with a Seattle public restroom injury lawyer to find out more about your legal options. Contact Russell & Hill, PLLC, to seek a free consultation about your case. Call our offices at 206-516-2045 today.
