The premises safety lawyers at Jaroslawicz & Jaros have represented many plaintiffs who, unfortunately, suffered serious injuries by a fall that was related to stairs and walkways. There are many laws, building codes and industry standards for pedestrian safety while using stairs. Our experienced lawyers will investigate your case by looking at the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the stairways, whether in residential or commercial premises.

The basic rule is that the tread depth and riser height on stairs must be consistent to prevent fall injuries. The tread depth and riser height simply refer to how deep and how high the stairs on the stairway are.

After taking the first few steps, stairway users expect that the conditions they have encountered will continue throughout the stairway. It is for that reason that stairway stairs must be consistent. If the first step of a stairway is seven (7) inches in height, whether the user is going up or down the stairs, the user then expects the next stairs to also be seven (7) inches in height. If the next stair is not also seven (7) inches in height the user may be thrown off balance and fall. Stairs must be consistent in design.

Some steps have what are called nosings on the treads. This is usually a strip made of metal or rubber which is attached to the edge of the step. Nosings on steps must be easily seen and firmly attached, as well as level with the step. Treads, the part a user places their foot on, should also be slip-resistant.

There are a number of safety measures that are used to make stairs as safe as possible. Safety measures include handrails, visible nosing strips, adequate lighting, and signs.

Handrails assist the user to maintain their balance and also to prevent falls. Handrails are used both to support and assist the user, whether going up or down stairs as well as something to grab onto if the user loses their balance and trips or slips on the stairs.

Handrails must be firmly affixed and not loose or rickety, and with enough room to place the user's hand around it, as well as continuing uninterrupted for the entire length of the stairway. Depending on the width of the stairway the codes may require that handrails be on both sides of the stairs and even in the center of a wide stairway.

There are many different causes for a fall on stairs. The stairs may be worn, chipped or cracked. A foreign object or liquid may make the stairs dangerously slippery, or the stairs may be old and rickety. Each of these conditions may cause a person using the stairs to be injured in a fall, and each fall is thus unique to its own circumstance. In other words, how worn, chipped or cracked were the steps, what foreign object or liquid made the stairs dangerously slippery, how were the stairs old and rickety?

As each of the above examples are “fact specific", it is important to take measurements and photographs of the stairs, as well as attempting to obtain a video of the fall, as soon as possible after the fall so that you can then better prove what caused you to

If you or a loved one were injured in an accident and are in need of legal assistance, call the lawyers at Jaroslawicz & Jaros.