Getting injured on another person’s property can be frightening. All it takes is a few seconds to cause serious injury to a person. In this blog, a slip and fall lawyer will discuss:
- What premises liability is;
- Who may be responsible for your injury; and
- The most common premises liability accidents
Our hope is that by reading this educational piece, you’ll be able to get the help you need with your potential claim. Let’s get started!
What Is Premises Liability?
Premises liability is an area of law. It covers claims made after someone is injured on another person’s property. A well-known example of premises liability is a slip and fall. However, slip and fall isn’t the only premises liability claim. We will cover the most common premises liability claims toward the end of this post.
One of the major questions people have when they are involved in this sort of accident is: Who is responsible for your injuries?
Who Is Responsible For Your Injury?
There may be more than one person responsible for your accident as our friends at Herschensohn Law Firm, PLLC can share. Take a slip and fall on an icy or wet sidewalk in front of a grocery or retail store. Premises owners must take care of the dangerous area. However, the staff members and managers also may have some culpability. For example, if they knew the front entrance was covered in ice, they may have an obligation to ensure that salt was put down to minimize the potential danger. They may also have another obligation to place signs alerting shoppers of the risk.
If you’re hurt at a friend’s party, BBQ, or wedding, the property owner may have the obligation to maintain the area where the injury occurred. For example, if you trip over a sprinkler head, you may be entitled to compensation. There may also be a property manager whose job it is to protect against similar issues.
A lawyer will be able to help determine fault.
Most Common Premises Liability Accidents
In addition to a slip and fall, some of the most common premises liability accidents include and is not limited to:
- An accident at a hotel or AirBnb;
- Construction site negligence, such as falling equipment or other dangerous situations;
- An accident in a parking lot;
- Swimming pool accidents;
- Fire caused by inadequate maintenance or building code violation;
- Ice, snow, and rain accumulation;
- Poor lighting in stairwells or on the property;
- Tripping on a cracked sidewalk;
Essentially, if you are on someone else’s property and you are injured, they might be responsible. If they are negligent in maintaining the premises, then it is their fault. Personal injury and premises liability covers a wide range of issues, so multiple kinds of injuries are eligible for compensation. A legal expert is the best way to determine who is at fault and what sort of compensation you might be looking at with your specific case.
If you are injured on someone else’s property, contact an attorney near you for help immediately.