At Cuming & Gillespie LLP, one of the Greater Calgary Area’s leading personal injury law firms, it’s our job to provide our clients with accurate and up-to-date information on the laws governing accidents, injuries, and responsibility here in Calgary throughout Alberta. We also strive to provide the same caliber of information here on our website, so everyone in Calgary has access to the quality information they need to protect their rights and their families.
In Part 1 of this article, you learned that customers are very different from employees when it comes to a Calgary business’s liability for injuries. Most employees are covered by Alberta’s Workers’ Compensation Board for injuries that take place in the workplace or during the performance of their employment-related duties, and would not need to seek compensation for injury-related expenses and damages in most cases.
Customers that have been injured at a Calgary place of business due to the business owner’s negligence, however, need to deal with the business directly (or with the business’s insurance company) to receive compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages arising from their injuries. There are limits on the types of accidents that business owners can be held accountable for, though, and this article will take a more detailed look at that aspect of personal injury law.
Calgary Business Owners Must Maintain Safe Places for Calgary Shoppers
All property owners in Calgary have a responsibility to maintain safe properties that limit the potential for injury to guests and others on the property. For business owners who open their properties to the general public, this responsibility is especially important, and the duty of care they owe their customers is relatively high. Business owners must not only respond to hazards that can appear suddenly—things like spills in grocery store aisles that can cause slip-and-fall accidents or a broken floor tile that can cause a tripping hazard—but they must also take proactive steps to avoid creating dangerous situations.
Stacking items so high that they have the potential to fall over and injure a customer could be considered negligence in a business, for instance; allowing customers to use tools or equipment without proper training or safety gear—such as at an indoor rock climbing facility or outdoor paintball arena, for example—could also create a significant liability for Calgary business owners.
Simply put, if there is a danger to customers that a Calgary business owner could have reasonably foreseen and prevented, the business can typically be held liable for any injuries that result from that hazard. In Part 1, we used the example of a meteorite falling into a business as an example of an unforeseeable/unpreventable accident; other more common accidents like a driver crashing through a business’s wall or a sudden weather event causing building damage would likely not lead to liability on the business owner’s part.
Seeking Compensation from a Calgary Business for YOUR Injury
If you or a family member has been seriously injured due to a business owner’s negligence and you would like to speak to a leading Calgary personal injury lawyer, please contact our office today for a free initial consultation.