A staircase or porch collapse in San Antonio can happen when you least expect it, causing serious or debilitating injuries. If you get injured in this type of incident, you may have the right to hold a property owner or another party accountable. With help from an experienced personal injury lawyer in San Antonio, it can be easier to seek justice and maximum financial compensation for your losses.
What Can Cause a Staircase or Porch to Collapse?
Structural collapses can be extremely dangerous or fatal events. While not especially common in San Antonio, when these disasters do happen, the consequences can be severe. This is why it is critical for all parties involved in the construction, control and maintenance of a staircase or porch to take proper care to prevent these accidents.
Causes of collapses can include:
- Poor property maintenance: structural damage, such as wear and tear over time, could lead to weak wood, rusted supports, crumbling concrete, loose handrails and other issues. A property owner has a duty to regularly inspect the premises and order repairs, as necessary.
- Overloading: exceeding the weight limit on a porch or staircase puts the structure at risk of collapsing. This is especially common at events or gatherings. Property owners have a duty not to allow overcrowding or overloading on vulnerable structures.
- Incorrect construction: if a porch or stairway is built poorly from the beginning, with low-quality materials or violated construction codes, this increases the odds of a disaster such as a structural collapse in the future.
Identifying why your porch or stair accident occurred can help you understand your legal rights. If one or more parties caused or contributed to the incident through negligence, or a failure to exercise proper care, you may be eligible for financial compensation from that party.
The injuries suffered in a stair, porch or other structural collapse incident can vary widely from victim to victim. Common injuries include:
- Bone fractures
- Soft-tissue injuries
- Crush injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Permanent paralysis
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Internal injuries
- Lacerations and contusions
- Emotional injuries
These accidents can be catastrophic, resulting in immense damages and injuries that impact victims for the rest of their lives.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Stair or Porch Collapse Injury in San Antonio?
Determining liability, meaning who can be held legally and financially accountable, for a stair or porch collapse incident can allow you to protect your rights as an injured victim. Identifying who is at fault can give you the right to file an insurance claim or personal injury suit against that person or party.
Structural collapse incidents often fall under the jurisdiction of premises liability law. This area of the law holds property owners in Texas responsible for maintaining reasonably safe environments for visitors. The failure to do so could place liability on the property owner for a related staircase or porch collapse.
If you are a victim in San Antonio, you may have grounds to bring a claim against a property or business owner at a restaurant, bar, sports arena, shopping mall or motel for poor property management. You may also be able to file a claim against the individual owner of an Airbnb, rental space or private residence.
An Attorney in San Antonio Can Help You Seek Justice
Stairway, porch and other structural collapses can often be prevented with proper building construction and maintenance. With help from a personal injury lawyer, you can hold someone accountable and recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. Discuss your case in detail with an attorney at no cost by contact a premises liability lawyer in San Antonio fromHill Law Firm Accident and Injury Lawyers for a free consultation.