Slip And Fall Accident Attorney in Hilo Serving Throughout The Big Island

Experienced Hilo Personal Injury Attorney Handling All Manner of Premises Liability Claims in Hawaii

Customers and members of the public have the right to expect that the premises of an establishment are kept safe and well-maintained. Nobody has better knowledge of the condition of the premises than the property owners themselves, and it only makes sense that property owners should be held liable when an accident occurs on the premises due to their negligence. In Hilo and throughout the Big Island, attorney Louis P. Mendonca represents persons injured on the premises of others due to a slip, trip or fall, dog bite, negligent security, or other premises liability claim.

Slip and Fall Claims

Employees and management in grocery stores, restaurants, retail stores, hotels and other businesses must be diligent to keep their premises safe from a slip, trip or fall hazard. This duty includes making periodic inspections of the premises and promptly removing any hazard, or putting up a warning until the condition is repaired, such as placing a sign on a freshly-mopped floor or a notice about an unmarked step. Below are examples of just some of the many causes of slip and fall or trip and fall accidents:

• Food or drink spills in grocery stores and restaurants
• Puddles on the floor due to condensation from refrigerators, air conditioners or drink dispensers
• Wet and slippery entrances from rainwater, ocean water or pool water being tracked in
• Boxes obstructing aisles
• Improperly stacked merchandise falling off shelves
• Torn or bunched-up floor mats at entrances and exits
• Broken escalators or misleveled elevators
• Unmarked steps
• Broken steps or missing handrails on stairs
• Cracked or broken sidewalks

Slip and fall accidents can be challenging cases to bring against a property owner. Many conditions are only temporary in nature, and it is up to the injury victim to prove that the condition existed for an unreasonable period of time before the accident – so that the property owner knew or should have known about the condition but failed to address it. If the condition is more permanent in nature, such as a broken step or steep drop-off, the owner may claim that the defect was obvious and was avoidable had the victim been paying proper attention where he or she was going. Hilo attorney Louis Mendonca knows how to investigate a slip and fall accident and build a strong case that persuasively demonstrates the property owner’s negligence.

Dog Bites

Dog owners can be liable when their dog bites a person due to their negligence, such as by taking the dog out off-leash or leaving the yard unfenced. Owners are strictly liable for injuries caused by their animals regardless of whether the owner knew their dog might be dangerous or not, so long as the victim was not trespassing and did not provoke the animal. If the owner did know that the dog was vicious or had bitten before, the owner is absolutely liable for any injuries caused.

Dog bite injuries can be painful, debilitating and traumatic, especially when the victim is a child, as is so often the case. Louis P. Mendonca, Attorney at Law, understands the many different standards of Hawaii dog bite law which may apply to a particular animal attack, and he will fight to see that victims of animal attacks get the compensation they need to deal with their often-serious physical and emotional injuries.

Negligent Security Injuries

Property owners who invite the public onto their premises should also provide a reasonable amount of security to keep their guests safe from robbery, assault or other criminal activity. For instance, hotels should ensure that their parking garages, hallways and stairwells are well-lit to deter criminal activity. Security cameras, keyed entries, gates, alarms and security guards or patrols may all be in order, depending on the circumstances. Nightclub owners may need to employ bouncers or security guards to keep the peace and remove disorderly patrons, but owners and management should also ensure that bouncers are properly trained and supervised so that they do not harm guests through an overzealous performance of their duties. Property owners and property management companies can be held liable for injuries that occur due to their negligent or unreasonable security failures.

Call Attorney Louis Mendonca in Hilo for Help with a Hawaii Premises Liability Claim

If you have been injured by a slip and fall or trip and fall on another’s dangerously unsafe premises, or if you have been hurt due to negligent security or a dog bite through no fault of your own, call the dedicated and experienced Hawaii slip and fall accident attorney Louis P. Mendonca for a free consultation regarding your case, in Hilo at 808-961-6690.