Businesses in and around Danville have an obligation to keep their customers and other visitors safe.
This is only fair since these businesses rely on these people for revenue and for important supplies and services, all of which keep the business profitable.
This legal obligation is broad.
To give some common examples, businesses will need to keep the public walkways, including the parking lots and sidewalks, clear of obstacles. The business will also need to make sure that the walking spaces are properly maintained and free of snow, ice and water or other slippery liquids.
Likewise, businesses also need to watch out for other hazards on their property. Customers can get injured by falling objects or dangerous obstacles and machinery. Even shopping carts can flip over and injure a customer.
Likewise, businesses may have an obligation to provide adequate crowd control and security on their premises. Businesses do not have to prevent every illegal act on their properties, but they should adjust their reasonable security measures when there are grounds to do so.
Basically, businesses in Virginia have to take reasonable steps to prevent personal injury to their customers. When they do so, the risk of a customer getting hurt decreases, sometimes dramatically.
Customers can suffer serious injuries on a business’s property
Virginia businesses should not take this obligation lightly. Too often, something as avoidable as a slip and fall on water or ice can lead to a person’s suffering a severe or even debilitating injury. For example, spinal cord injuries and head injuries are always a possibility.
After an injury on a business’s property, a victim may have the option to claim compensation for the business for items like medical and other expenses as well as for lost wages. A victim may also be able to claim further compensation for noneconomic losses like pain and suffering and emotional distress.