Slip and Falls in Public Restrooms: What You Should Know

Slip and falls can happen anywhere, including in a public restroom. Should you be injured in a slip and fall in a public restroom, you will want to know whether or not you could be entitled to compensation for your injuries.

You would often be because a public restroom is just that: public. It could be in a commercial business like a restaurant or a shopping center or another location open to the public like a school or a hospital. These places are required to identify, warn about, and fix potential dangers that could result in somebody suffering an injury. A failure to do so may leave them liable for your damages.

To understand more about this topic, we’ll first dive into what causes slip and fall accidents in public restrooms. Then we’ll discuss the types of injuries that are associated with slips and falls of this nature. Finally, we’ll look at how you can seek compensation following a slip and fall in a public bathroom.

What Causes a Slip and Fall Accident in a Public Restroom?

Any number of factors can cause a slip and fall accident. Anything that creates a dangerous walking area, such as wet floors or debris, can result in somebody suffering a slip and fall.

But a slip and fall cannot just be from something like lousy balance if you want to seek compensation. If you slip and fall because you are having an awkward moment, that is not the fault of the establishment you are inside. If, on the other hand, you slip and fall from a dangerous condition, then you may have the grounds for a lawsuit.

This is because those who open their premises up to the public have a duty to maintain a reasonably safe space. This duty does not apply to off-limit areas as these are not open to the public. But what it does extend to is any and all public washrooms on the premise.

Washrooms are prone to high traffic, and this makes them vital areas for premise owners to pay attention to and maintain. It must be noted, as well, that restrooms can generate many dangerous conditions simply by their nature. Conditions such as:

• Overflow: When a toilet at home gets clogged, we tend to fix it before we leave the room. But a clog in a public restroom may take some time for management to get to; meanwhile, other people flush the toilet without realizing it. This is a recipe for overflows, which can create slippery conditions. In addition, sinks can also clog and overflow or even be left on by accident over long periods of time.
• Damaged Flooring: Cracked floors are a risk no matter where they are located, but restrooms have a tendency to suffer cracks at a higher rate than other areas because of the high traffic and often wet conditions.
• Debris: We’ve all entered into a public restroom that has been in total disrepair, with toilet paper and worse flung all over the walls and floors. Yet these disaster zones are rare. More common is for a couple of pieces of debris to be scattered about, but it only takes one poorly placed piece of debris to cause a slip and fall.
• Leaks: Anywhere there is a sink or toilet, there is the potential for leaks. Small leaks may go unnoticed by management, yet water can collect on the floor and lead to slippery conditions.

Keep in mind that many slip and fall accidents are due to multiple dangerous factors, such as a combination of slippery conditions and damaged flooring.

What Injuries are Associated with Bathroom Slip and Falls?

Slip and fall accidents primarily cause many of the same injuries associated with blunt trauma. It is possible to suffer serious cuts and scrapes through a slip and fall accident, but it is more common for injuries suffered in this manner to be along the lines of sprains, broken bones, back injuries, neck injuries, spinal injuries, or head injuries such as concussions or even traumatic brain injuries.

No two slip and fall accidents are ever exactly the same. This means that the compensation being sought could vary greatly from one case to another. For example, one individual may suffer a broken arm. There would be medical bills and lost wages to be recovered through a lawsuit.

But another individual may suffer a traumatic brain injury and no longer be able to take care of themselves going forward. This individual may seek to recover not just medical bills and lost wages but also seek compensation for paying for ongoing medical assistance or a live-in nurse.

How Do You Seek Compensation Following a Bathroom Slip and Fall?

Slip and fall accidents are premises liability cases. These are personal injury cases that argue that the owner or manager of a premise failed to maintain that premise to a reasonable degree, resulting in injury. Much of the same work goes into winning a premises liability case as a personal injury case.

One of the most important things to do after a slip and fall is to document the area and the dangerous conditions quickly. This may be slightly harder in a public restroom, as filming or taking pictures can be an issue. However, evidence such as photos of the dangerous condition, the testimony of eyewitnesses, and even medical records can all help to make a compelling case.

Should I Work with an Attorney?

Slip and fall cases may seem straightforward on the surface, but they can be much harder to win when they go to court. After all, you know for a fact that you were injured because of a leaky sink but proving what you know to be true to a courtroom requires more than just your conviction.

That’s where the assistance of an experienced slip and fall attorney can help. Not only do they understand how the law on the topic works, but they also understand what makes for compelling evidence and how to put together an argument in a manner that the court would respect. In addition, they can help you throughout the process to better understand what is happening and how they expect things to go. They may even be able to connect you with helpful resources that could assist you with bouncing back after your slip and fall accident.