Personal Injury Law in Ireland
Protecting Yourself
No one likes to talk about it, but accidents do happen in private residences. There's nothing worse than having a family member or close friend injured while at your home. It's never pleasant for anyone involved, which is why it is important that you have adequate insurance against accidents that occur in your home.
Of course, while insurance will usually protect you in the event of someone getting injured at your home, the fact remains that there are things you can do to lessen the risk of accidents occuring in your home. While nothing eliminates the chance of an accident altogether, taking steps to make sure your home is maintained and safe can go a long way towards an accident-free home.
1. Start with your front walk. Look for cracks in bricks or pavement and have any you find repaired as soon as possible. Make sure that your driveway and walkways are cleared of obstacles and free from uneven surfaces and cracks.
2. Take it one step at a time. Check your front stoop for loose boards, raised nails or screws, or cracks. If your stoop is concrete or brick, look for cracks, loose bricks, or crumbling mortar. Have any defects you find repaired as soon as possible.
3. Next, look at your entryway. Make sure that the threshold is as level as possible and that obstructions don't block the way the door swings. If your door consists of a lot of clear glass, consider having decorative etchings or stickers put on it to make it more visible so that someone doesn't accidentally run through it.
4. One, two, three, floor. Take a close look at your floors. Check to make sure that they are level. If your floor is constructed of wood, make sure the floorboards are tight and that nails, screws, or other adhesion types are flush with the floor and don't create depressions and aren't sticking up. If your floor is made of carpet or covered in rugs, check the floor coverings for holes, depressions, and lumps. These can cause those wearing unstable shoes to trip and fall very easily. If your floor is tiled, make sure that any defective or broken tiles are replaced as soon as possible.
5. Check other doorways throughout your home. Make sure that thresholds are level and free from items that might cause guests to trip an fall.
6. And in the backyard... again, check any steps you might have and replace any broken or defective boards, bricks, or other materials. Have concrete areas that are cracked, heaving, or broken repaired or removed. Make sure your yard and lawn are as level as possible given the terrain, and that any incidental holes are filled in.
7. Make a trip through your home looking up. Mark low doorframes where it is prudent to do so, and make sure that items hanging from the ceiling are well out of danger of falling and hurting someone. This is especially important for hanging plants, as the soil and plant can be very heavy. Check your ceiling hooks to make sure that they are secure and not in danger of falling.
While preventative measures won't absolutely protect you and those you care about from injuries at home, it will lessen the risk of a personal injury accident happening where you live.
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The solicitors at Damian Nolan & Co.,
Solicitors (incorporating William A.
James & Co.)
have more than 40 years of combined experience
in the following areas of law:
Residential conveyancing, commercial conveyancing, family law, divorce, separations, child custody matters, personal injury*, business law, wills and probate, civil litigation*, employment law, defamation, civil litigation*
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