Trade Show Injury

I suffered a trade show injury. Who’s responsible?

Under U.S. premises liability law, property owners are responsible for acts causing injury that occur on their property if they fail to take reasonable measures to eliminate hazards. When the property owner fails to take reasonable steps to provide a safe venue, they may be liable for your injuries. 

Premises liability cases typically focus on the property owner’s liability. However, there may be factors that mitigate the venue owner’s liability when a person is injured on their property. For example, the venue owner might have no liability if they were unaware of the potential hazard. A trade show injury victim needs a Las Vegas premises liability lawyer to handle their case to prove the property owner was or should have been aware of the hazard but failed to take steps to eliminate the safety risk.

I was injured at a business conference. Who’s responsible? 

Injuries can occur anywhere, including business conferences. Whether you were injured at a trade show, business conference, or concert, determining liability begins with understanding the nature of the injuries and their cause. 

Duty of Care

Suppose you were at a business conference and tiles fell off the ceiling. The tiles struck you when they fell, causing injuries. Premises liability law infers the liable parties would be the property owners because they have a duty of care to ensure they maintain a safe property. 

Reasonable Culpability 

Culpability determines the percentage of responsibility a party has for events that occur. When tiles fall from a ceiling and strike business conference attendees, the venue may be fully or partially culpable or have no liability.

Suppose the venue hired contractors to repair the ceiling before the event. The contractors assured the venue they’d completed the repairs and that the ceiling was safe. An investigation revealed the contractors used the wrong materials to secure the tiles. In that case, the contractors may be liable for the injuries.

Suppose another attendee threw something at the ceiling, causing the tiles to fall. In that case, sole liability may fall on the attendee who threw the object. However, suppose the venue knew the person would throw objects at the ceiling and permitted this action without ensuring the objects wouldn’t dislodge the tiles. In that case, the venue may be fully or partially liable.

Who Stands Liable for Concert or Event Injuries?

Concerts and events often attract thousands of attendees. Concerts may be featured events during a trade show. Several parties could be responsible for injuries occurring at a concert or event, including the following:

• Trade show organizers
• Venue owners
• Event planners
• Event security
• Attendees
• Performers

An investigation may be required to assign liability. For example, suppose someone performing at a trade show concert encouraged the audience to engage in actions that caused injuries. The performer may be solely liable. However, suppose the actions caused injuries because the event planners exceeded the venue’s capacity. In that case, they may be partially or solely responsible for the injuries.