A nine-year-old girl sustained serious injuries at a marina in Sarasota when a boat fell on top of her. Reports stated that the accident occurred in the marina’s boat storage area, at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron next to Sarasota Bay.
The girl was reportedly volunteering with the day camp at the marina, but she was not involved with the summer sailing camp in any way. Emergency responders called in a helicopter to fly her to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital to be treated for a traumatic brain injury. There were no further updates as to her condition or prognosis. The incident remained under investigation.
Determining liability in premises liability cases
This type of case would fall under the umbrella of a specific personal injury law niche known as premises liability. In these cases, the general idea is that the owner of a property is liable for the condition of that property.
The owner or occupier of any commercial or residential property must keep the property reasonably safe for anyone who enters as a tenant, business visitor or personal visitor. This duty exists because it is the owner (or occupier, in some cases) of the property who has control over the safety of that premises. The visitor has no control in that regard.
Additionally, for a plaintiff to have a viable premises liability claim, he or she must have been using the property in a normal manner. Use of the property must not have been in a dangerous or reckless way, and the individual must not have been trespassing at the time.
To learn more about proceeding with a Florida premises liability claim, work with a skilled Bradenton personal injury lawyer at Goldman Babboni Fernandez & Walsh.