When you’re injured on another person’s property, you may be entitled to a large settlement for your damages. However, there are a lot of tricky things about premises liability law that can come into play which could interfere with your settlement, if you don’t have the right knowledge and representation to prove them. Learn how, if you’ve sustained an injury on private property, you can get compensation and what a premises liability lawyer can do to help.
Premises Liability Law
If you’re injured on someone else’s property, the statutes that attach fall under premises liability law. In general, every person who owns, leases or occupies a property has a legal duty of care to the people who set foot on that property, so long as they’re allowed to be there. This means that if there are dangerous conditions, the owner or occupant is obligated to address those conditions to mitigate the potential for injury.
For example, if there is a loose bit of carpet that bunches up and causes the potential to trip and fall, the property owner must repair the problem and until it is repaired take steps to warn others of the danger. If they fail to do so, and someone gets injured as a result, premises liability law might attach.
Who Is Responsible?
Another aspect that it’s important to prove is who is responsible for the slip and fall accident. This is where things can get rather complex. For example, if someone is renting a property, technically the property owner is responsible for maintaining said property. If there’s bad concrete on the front stairs, and someone trips, the property owner could be responsible.
However, it’s also possible that the tenant is responsible to some degree if they did not inform the landlord of the problem, and if they didn’t take steps to mitigate the hazard. Knowing who is responsible can affect the amount of settlement you get.
When Premises Liability Doesn’t Attach
In certain situations, premises liability doesn’t come into play. If you are injured on someone else’s property through your own negligence, they cannot be held responsible. Likewise, in general, if someone is on a property without permission—if they are trespassing, for example—they may not be able to get compensation for injury.
Contact a Premises Liability Lawyer
If you are involved in an accident and get injured on someone else’s property you could be eligible for a range of damages including medical bills, lost wages and future potential earnings, pain and suffering and more, but only if you can prove liability.
Again, these circumstances can get complicated and it’s important to have someone in your corner who can prove responsibility for an accident, who can stand up for your rights and make sure that you get the compensation you deserve. A qualified premises liability lawyer can make sure that your interests are defended, who can navigate the complexities of the law and get you the compensation you deserve. If this has happened to you, don’t go it alone. Call the experienced personal injury attorneys at Peter N. Davis and Associates for a free case evaluation today.