Van life is more popular than ever, with influencers showcasing their tiny living trends on social media, but house trends don’t stop there: tiny homes, container homes, and more are popping up everywhere. While these new types of homes can be exciting for multiple reasons, they are also leading to more injuries, as a personal injury lawyer can further explain. Understanding injuries in emergent housing trends is essential when considering these new living arrangements.
Common Injuries
Tiny living is growing in popularity due to affordability, mobility, minimalism, and sustainability. The housing market is not what it once was, leading more people to find it difficult to own traditional homes. This new trend of tiny homes allows them to own a home. Plus, many of these homes are on wheels or just traditional RVs, allowing people to take their homes wherever they want. Additionally, the keyword here is “tiny,” which means there is not a lot of space for stuff, leading people to live with fewer belongings, which is more sustainable — not to mention that many of these tiny homes have great sustainable items built into them.
Although these homes have small living spaces, injuries can still happen. To save space, many homes have lofted sleeping areas, which can have ladders or extremely steep stairs leading to them. When sleeping, it is easy for a person to roll out of bed and fall a good distance. On the other hand, steep stairs or ladders provide climbing hazards, leading to potential injuries housing safety concerns.
Space-saving furniture can also lead to many injuries, such as pinched fingers. Trying to fit everything into a tiny home can also cause respiratory issues if the home is not fitted with proper ventilation. Additionally, cooking can pose a hazard in these very confined spaces, illustrating some of the injuries emergent housing risks.
Who Is At Fault
Who is at fault if you roll out of bed in the middle of the night and break a bone? Our friends at Cohen & Cohen explain that this is not always a black-and-white situation. If a safety bar is in place to prevent that and it fails, the manufacturer may be at fault. That company may be liable if that safety bar was broken and a professional was paid to fix it. However, others cannot be held liable if the user did not set it up or use it properly. This highlights the complexity of injuries housing legalities.
In legal cases, more than one party may be at fault. For example, if a faulty bar was installed and a professional also did not fix it properly, both parties can be held liable. Other liable parties might include contractors, builders, or previous owners; if previous owners failed to disclose problems or came up with DIY fixes, they can be found liable for injuries.
What To Do
If you get injured in a tiny home, the first step is to seek medical attention. Once a medical professional clears you, it is time to compile your evidence. Take pictures of your injuries and what caused them. If you have receipts or other documents showing someone else worked on your tiny home, gather those together. Next, contact a lawyer near you. They can take all this information and compile a case to get you the compensation you deserve. If you have been injured in a tiny home, don’t wait — reach out to a personal injury attorney with experience in injuries in emergent housing cases near you.
