Practice Areas Personal Injury Premises Liability Building Code Violations

Premises Liability Lawyers Helping Boca Raton Residents

States enact certain laws and regulations in order to keep their residents safe, and also to keep their businesses honest rather than taking cost-cutting measures that may put people in danger. One such statute is the Florida Building Code, which was established to set minimum requirements for buildings and other structures in order to maintain the public’s health, safety, and welfare. When structures are in violation of building code requirements, serious injuries can result. The Boca Raton premises liability attorneys at The Grife Law Firm can represent people who have been injured as a result of a hazard on another party’s property in pursuing the compensation that they deserve in order to deal with the harm that they have suffered.

Indicators of Building Code Violations

Many victims who have been hurt as a result of an accident caused by a building code violation may not know that the violation exists. However, being aware of certain hazards that could indicate such violations is a good start in determining whether your injuries may have resulted from a property owner’s failure to comply with the law. Signs of potential violations include:

• Time lapses on inspections of escalators or elevators,
• Broken steps or stairs with missing handrails,
• Uneven walkways without proper indicators or warning signs,
• Lack of sufficient lighting in stairwells, or
• Absence of mats on slippery surfaces or during rainstorms.

In addition to the state building code, other laws and regulations are enacted by local and national entities. These codes regulate all aspects of buildings, from design to construction, and they contain minimum standards regarding the materials used as well as the systems employed, such as mechanical, plumbing, and electrical. Often, violations occur in relation to structural defects, hazardous stairwells, faulty wiring, or a lack of emergency lights and proper exit signs. If someone is injured due to a building code violation, he or she may pursue a premises liability claim to seek compensation for the damages that he or she sustained.

Holding Property Owners Accountable for Serious Injuries

Florida law requires that property owners and occupiers provide a safe environment for visitors and guests. Business owners are held to a high degree of care when it comes to patrons who are on their premises for the purpose of engaging in business transactions, such as grocery shopping, visiting a mall, or eating at a restaurant. Business owners may be liable if an injury is caused by a dangerous condition on their property that was known or that should have been known, if nothing was done to remedy or warn about it. For instance, an escalator that has not been inspected in years, or that was built in violation of safety standards, may be viewed as a known hazard if it stops suddenly and injures a rider.

To receive compensation for an injury caused by a hazard related to a building code violation, a victim must establish a link between the violation and the specific harm that it caused. Although evidence of measures taken by a landowner to address a hazard following a building code violation citation may not be used in a premises liability lawsuit, citations of code violations themselves may be used as evidence of the property owner’s knowledge of the danger.