Premises Liability Cases: When a Louisiana Business Causes My Injury, What Can I Do?

If a business is responsible for your injury, you can take legal action. In Louisiana law, cases involving parties who are injured while on the premises of a business are referred to as “premises liability cases.” Fortunately, Louisiana law provides potential avenues for legal relief in such circumstances. Premises liability cases fall under personal injury law and are distinct from employment law issues. To illustrate the difference, take, for example, the issue of wrongful termination of an employee. This issue falls under employment law. On the other hand, some examples of situations that might fall under premises liability law are the following:  slip and falls, glass or foreign objects in food that a customer eats at a restaurant, negligent hiring of an employee that leads to physical harm on a business’s premises (e.g., sex offender who later hurts, rapes, or molests someone in connection with the business), and sexual assault and battery by an employer on an employee on a business’s premises. If you are unsure what area of law your injury may fall under, a competent attorney can help clarify any uncertainty. 

While premises liability cases are less common than the stereotypical automobile accident prevalent in personal injury law, premises liability cases are no less harmful. Take the stereotypical slip-and-fall case. Imagine an elderly grandmother walking into a grocery store. She is walking down an aisle with merchandise on both sides stacked all the way up to her eye level. As she is getting ready to round the corner on an aisle, unknown to her, clear laundry detergent has leaked to the floor. No warning sign is conspicuous. The laundry detergent has been on the floor for hours. The clear detergent is not easily recognizable to someone turning a corner down the aisle since it can’t be easily seen due to its opaque nature and because it is along the edge of the corner. This elderly grandmother slips and falls, cracking a hip bone. She later needs extensive surgery because her fracture is severe.  As one can probably imagine from this example, slipping and falling on clear laundry detergent at a grocery store and cracking a hip bone can be dreadfully painful and debilitating.  
 
When you experience a premises liability injury, it is imperative that you seek immediate medical attention if necessary. The last thing you want is for your injury to become exacerbated because of inattention to the healing process. Once you receive initial medical attention, it’s important to continue to comply with all medically reasonable recommendations from your healthcare provider(s). Following this simple step can go a long way toward expediting your healing. 

​If you are harmed by the negligent conduct of a business, know that you don’t have to face that business alone. It can be daunting to try to get compensation for your injury from a business with well-heeled lawyers and insurance companies. However, a fierce advocate can help level the playing field on your behalf. The law exists to hold everyone, even mighty corporations, accountable. The purpose of justice is not to show favoritism to the rich and powerful but to do the right thing regardless of who the parties may be.

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