When you manage a business, you have every right to be concerned about lawsuits and legal issues that could arise. You do not want to be sued or even think about being sued. At the same time, you need to know if your company can be sued for personal injury. There are a few things that might happen, and you can read through these tips to learn about the process. You also need to consider how you will protect your company from these lawsuits.
Personal Injury Cases Are Not The Same As Workers’ Compensation
A personal injury attorney is prepared to sue your business when you are not offering workers’ compensation to an injured worker or contractor. Remember that workers’ compensation allows you to pass on the liability for an injury to the insurance carrier.
This means that your injured employees cannot sue you. If they sue, they are suing the insurance company for coverage or the denial of a claim. If you do not have workers’ compensation coverage or you have misclassified an employee, you could be sued for their injuries.
The majority of personal injury cases brought against businesses come from outside contractors, customers, and other businesses.
Clients Or Customers Are Injured
When clients or customers are injured on your premises, they can file a personal injury lawsuit against your business. Personal injury lawsuits depend on the plaintiff proving that you were negligent when managing your space.
If your building, property, or services offered on the property are not maintained or managed properly, you can be sued for personal injury damages by an injured client or customer. You must be diligent when caring for your property and facilities. You should also have a record of all the services and maintenance that have been provided. If you cannot prove that you are caring for the property, you will look negligent in the eyes of the court.
Outside Contractors Who Are Working For You
Outside contractors do not qualify for workers’ compensation under the law in most states. Because of this, they have the right to sue when they are hurt on your property or in your building. A contractor who came to the building to give you an estimate for new shelves in your warehouse might have slipped and fallen. When they were injured on your property because you did not tend to a wet floor, they can sue you for their injuries.
Passersby Or Onlookers
When you manage a construction company, you need to keep your construction site in excellent condition. The debris that comes from your site could cause injuries, or debris on the street might cause someone walking by to slip and fall. If you are working in a public space, you need to blockade the area to prevent injuries to passersby. If someone is hurt when they are walking across your construction site, they can sue because you did not close off the area.
You may also have issues with water spray from your construction site, tools that cause injuries, and workers are moving material near bystanders. If you have not taken care to protect your worksite, someone could be hurt. They can sue you for negligence, and you will need to prove that you were not negligent.
Defective Products
When your company manufactures defective products, you can be sued for personal injuries caused by those products. For example, a company that makes car parts might produce a defective part that needs to be recalled. If an accident occurs and your parts are found to be the problem, you can be sued for personal injuries resulting from those accidents.
A personal injury attorney can investigate every part of your company to learn why you are producing faulty parts. It may be found that you were sold substandard raw materials. The attorney will then go to the company that sold you substandard materials. The chain of liability can stretch quite a long way until the guilty party is found.
You Need To Protect Your Business Today
You can protect your business easily if you have insurance that protects you against personal injury lawsuits. You should also ensure that your business is managed properly. You can be found to be negligent if you have not maintained your location or worksite. You could also be found guilty of negligence if you are not manufacturing the appropriate parts for your clients. Ensure that you have taken care to make the right choices and avoid these lawsuits as much as possible.