Poorly maintained and defectively designed pools pose a huge threat to the general public. While we often associate pool-related dangers with a person’s swimming ability, that is not always the case. Multiple types of serious injury can quickly occur when a pool is not well-designed and properly maintained. Hazards that commonly result from bad design and poor maintenance include:

• Diving injuries: These injuries are usually critical and the result of defective pool design.
• Drownings and near-drownings: Events like this can be instigated by defective drains and pumps or inadequately maintained pools.
• Improperly enclosed or maintained: Pools that are not properly enclosed and maintained to a reasonable measure of safety are a major factor in whether or not a person is at risk for death or injury.

Swimming and pool-related injuries are frequently serious or even fatal. They leave families with hundreds of thousands of dollars in hospital bills and the responsibility of providing a lifetime of care.

Drowning accidents, particularly when children are involved, are a parent’s worst nightmare. For every child who drowns in Mississippi, five more are hospitalized with submersion-related injuries. Whether it’s a bathtub, lake, or swimming pool, where water is concerned, drowning accidents are always a possibility.

People can drown in just two inches of water. Infants, babies, and children are at an increased risk of drowning in just about any depth of water. If you or your child sustained an injury caused by poor design, improper maintenance, or negligent supervision related to a body of water, it is important to speak with a Tupelo premises liability attorney about your case.

A hole or crack in a floor presents a potentially hazardous situation to guests, customers, employees, and patrons. Property owners and business owners have a duty to keep their property in a safe condition. Examining the property on a routine basis is part of running a successful and safe business. If there are any holes or cracks in the floor, they need to be fixed right away.

If a hole or crack in the floor goes unattended or unrepaired, it can put visitors at risk for a trip and fall injury. Hospitalization caused by inadequate property maintenance is common, so property owners need to make sure their floors are in good condition at all times.

Falling merchandise can cause serious, catastrophic, or even deadly injuries. Big box stores are known for having huge stacks of merchandise on their floors, but injuries caused by falling merchandise can occur in any kind of store including hardware stores, grocery stores, and pet stores.

Any time a retail store or business stacks their merchandise excessively high or in a negligent or unsecured fashion, the potential for falling merchandise injuries is present.  The leading causes of falling merchandise accidents in Mississippi are:

• High stacking
• Negligent packing and stocking of merchandise
• Improperly secured merchandise
• Customers were not warned of potential danger

Shopkeepers have a duty to make sure all of their employees have been trained in how to properly and safely stack merchandise. Guests have a right to expect their shopping experience to be safe and free from falling merchandise.

Violent crimes should be thoroughly examined to make sure that inadequate or negligent security did not contribute in any way to, or pave the way for, the actions of those involved. Property owners are required to provide prudent and reasonable security measures for their customers, guests, or patrons.

Some examples of inadequate security include:

• Inadequate lighting
• Insufficient or security personnel
• Broken or non-existent security equipment
• Negligent hiring or improperly trained security personnel
• Sparsely staffed areas
• Broken gates, windows, locks, or other security items
• Unlocked gates or openings in fences
• Inadequately maintained property
• Noise levels
• Negligent money handling procedures
• Unsafe store closing policies and methods
• Lack of patrols and areas left unsupervised
• Not taking increased security measures despite being in a high-crime area
• Negligent or non-existent incident reporting methods

If you or a loved one was the victim of a crime in a place that lacked proper security, you need to reach out to a Tupelo personal injury attorney regarding your case right away.

Protruding objects are a serious danger to unsuspecting patrons, clients, and pedestrians. If a property is not well-maintained, and objects are left protruding, people can be seriously injured or worse. People have a right to expect the properties they visit to have reasonably clear and clean walkways. Some common types of protruding objects are:

• Tree roots
• Broken floor tiles or floor lights
• Decorations obstructing a walkway or footpath
• Renovation or construction debris
• Trash
• Untrimmed bushes or broken fences
• Uneven bricks or stones on walkways
• Poorly constructed merchandise displays
• Any out-of-place, concealed object

Depending on the seriousness of your accident, a trip and fall caused by a protruding object can put you in the hospital, and leave you facing large medical bills and a long recovery.

Very few accidents are as unpredictable and dangerous as a slip and fall. The injuries caused by slip and fall accidents are rarely minor bumps and bruises. In most slip and fall cases, victims sustain traumatic brain injuries, concussions, fractured bones, muscle tears, and other severe injuries. Negligent causes for slip and fall accidents involve:

• Objects or debris left in walkways
• Spills that are left unmarked or unattended
• Asymmetrical flooring
• Broken or uneven stairs
• Loose or improperly stored electrical cords
• Missing or broken handrails
• Slippery walkways or floors with no posted warning

If a store owner is negligent in keeping paths, walkways, and other common areas clean and free from spills, debris, or other potentially dangerous hazards, visitors are at risk of being injured.

Most people don’t think about how safe stairs are until they fall. We take stairwell safety for granted because most of the stairwells we use on a regular basis are up to code, well-lit, and safe. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The leading causes of Tupelo stairwell accidents include:

• Poor lighting
• Inadequate maintenance
• Hazards and obstructions
• Lack of handrails
• Faulty design
• Broken or uneven stairs
• Spilled liquids
• Lack of warning signs
• Code violations

Regardless of what type of stairwell accident resulted in your injury, it is important to seek the guidance of a Mississippi personal injury attorney who has a proven track record with premises liability cases as soon as possible.