Common causes of premises liability injuries
Both commercial and residential properties require substantial attention to condition and must be properly maintained to prevent hazardous conditions. Our injury attorneys help clients that have suffered injuries on another’s property due to:
- Dangerous, slippery substances on floors
- Broken stair handrails
- Uneven or broken steps and sidewalks
- Inadequate lighting in walkways
- Negligently placed merchandise displays and walkway obstructions
- Faulty elevators, escalators, doors and windows
If any of these types of conditions led to injuries, you may be able to recover compensation if you can prove that the property owner:
- Knew or should have known about the condition(s)
- Failed to rectify the problem or warn visitors and
- You suffered injuries and damages due to the dangerous condition
A property owner’s duty of care varies based on a visitor’s classification
There are three different classifications for visitors depending on their purpose for being on another person’s property including:
- Invitees – If a property owner invites someone onto their property for the commercial benefit of the owner, that visitor is considered an invitee. This category covers commercial properties such as grocery stores, shopping malls and restaurants. Property owners must maintain, regularly inspect and repair the property to eliminate dangers.
- Licensees – If you invite a friend, family member or any person onto your property for social purposes such as parties, that person is a licensee.
- Trespassers – Owners are typically not liable for injuries sustained by trespassers unless the owner was aware of the trespasser’s presence and failed to warn him about known hazards.
Children are also owed a higher duty of care that requires property owners to take additional precautions to protect children from dangerous conditions, especially conditions knows to attract children such as swimming pools and trampolines.