Your home is a place of refuge, but in a natural disaster or other unexpected event, it’s not uncommon to suffer serious injury at home. Burn injuries, falls, head injuries, and other injuries can easily happen after a serious disaster.
September is National Preparedness Month. This is a great time of year to make sure you’re ready for any emergency. Being prepared can help you stay safer, reduce your risk of injury, and ensure you’re ready for most events.
Right now, many companies are offering work from home arrangements. When employees work on site and are injured on the job, workers’ compensation pays for needed medical expenses and some lost wages.
But what happens when the injuries occur at home?
For many Miami homeowners, their swimming pool is one of the largest concerns when it comes to premises liability. After all, if a guest is injured on the property, homeowners may face legal claims. Even if a child trespasses on the property, the owner may be liable if the child is injured in the pool.
And pool injuries are a concern in Miami. There are many ways people are injured in pool incidents each year. There are drownings and near-drownings where survivors are seriously injured because they are deprived of oxygen for minutes. Head injuries, slip and fall injuries, and spinal cord trauma as well as fractures and lacerations are also common around the pool.
A homeowner’s association (HOA) is an organization with a board of members who oversees the common areas, rules, and compliance of condos, co-ops, townhouses, planned communities, and other living spaces. If you live in a property with an HOA, you pay regular fees to the organization and follow the community rules. In turn, the HOA maintains common areas in the community and creates a pleasant place to live.
HOAs have a duty of care to members, including the members of community who pay their fees and follow HOA rules. They also have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of members of the community.
Short-term rentals allow residents of Miami, Hollywood, and other South Florida communities to rent out part or all of their property. Visitors to South Florida can stay in a condo, vacation home, room in a house, or even on a boat, booking through platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO.
HPIM1351.JPG
When things go wrong with a short-term rental, however, determining liability can be difficult and securing fair compensation can be challenging. Many short-term rental guests and hosts turn to Miami premises liability claims attorneys to sort out their situations.
Hot tubs can be found in Key West hotels, homes, spas, gyms, and other locations. For hydrotherapy or for relaxation, hot tubs are a treat for the senses with warm water, scent, and whirlpool jets. Quality, well-designed hot tubs which are properly maintained are a safe way to enjoy the water, but manufacturer defects and owner negligence can result in hot tub injuries.
Garage doors are an important safety feature of many homes, allowing cars to be stored safely. Many homeowners in Monroe County with attached garages also use their garage doors as primary entrances to their homes. In condos and apartment buildings, garage doors allow entrance to the building and allow residents to safely enter and exit a property.
Unfortunately, in some cases, garage doors can pose a hazard. If they are poorly designed or maintained, they can collapse on someone and cause serious injury. In cases where negligence leads to an injury, you may have a premises liability claim in Monroe County or a personal injury claim.
Whether you’re renovating your home in North Miami Beach or buying a newly-built home from a developer, you’re likely dealing with contractors and maybe the subcontractors they hire.
While many contractors in North Miami Beach are skilled and stand by their work, the legal team at Flaxman Law Group has worked with far too many homeowners who have been injured or have been forced to live in an unsafe home due to contractor negligence. If a contractor completes shoddy work on your home and refuses to make it right, you do have legal options and you may be able to file a claim to seek compensation for your damages.
This week, the thoughts of the entire legal team at Flaxman Law Group are with the families and individuals affected by the condo collapse in Miami Beach. While at this time the cause of the collapse is unknown, engineers have spoken before about the challenges of building in areas with shifting sands, especially as climate change may be contributing to rising sea levels.
Over the past few days, the team at Flaxman Law Group has been asked whether Miami Beach condo and apartment claims are possible in cases where a building experiences structural integrity problems which lead to injury.
The holiday season brings many opportunities for creating special memories and for following family traditions. Before this holiday is fully upon us, however, it’s time to think safety. Holiday decorations and plans bring with them their own risks, and you can reduce those risks by planning ahead:
Florida Injury Lawyer Blog