Good lighting helps people stay safe. When a property owner allows poor lighting to continue, it may create a serious safety risk.
In Texas, this risk can lead to a valid premises liability claim if someone gets hurt. If you slip and fall in a store, hotel or on someone’s property, a lack of safe lighting could justify legal action.
What are the consequences of poor lighting?
Poor lighting can cause many dangers. A person might trip over steps, stumble on uneven flooring or miss a wet floor sign. Without clear visibility, it becomes harder to avoid hazards. This type of accident can happen in parking lots, stairwells, sidewalks, stores or apartment complexes.
What are the lighting requirements in Texas?
Texas property owners must keep their property reasonably safe. This duty of care includes making sure areas people walk through have enough lighting. If someone gets hurt because of poor lighting, that person may have a right to seek damages. However, the injured person must show that the owner knew or should have known about the lighting problem. The person must also show that the owner failed to fix it in a reasonable amount of time.
For example, if a stairwell light has gone out and someone falls, a claim might succeed. But the injured person must show the owner knew the light had been out for a while or had time to notice it. Courts may also look at whether the area often gets dark or if others had reported the same issue before.
How can you file a successful claim?
To support a premises liability claim, you may need photos of the scene, witness accounts and proof of your injuries. The goal is to show that the poor lighting made the area unsafe and that the accident would not have happened if the lighting worked.
Texas law protects people from preventable harm on unsafe property. When lighting fails to meet basic safety standards, and someone gets injured, the owner may need to answer for it.