A property owner has a legal duty to keep their premises safe from dangerous and hazardous conditions. If a property owner fails to uphold their duties, it can result in a serious accident and devastating injuries.
Slips and falls are among the most common ways that people can suffer personal injuries. These incidents describe any accident where a person falls and endures an injury while visiting the land of another party. These injuries can occur almost anywhere and for a variety of reasons. Even people who are currently at home may demand payments for their losses if an apartment management company fails to clear hazards from common areas. As a whole, all property owners have a duty to keep their land safe for invited guests.
Slip and Fall Lawyers Houston, TX
Collecting proper compensation following a slip and fall can be a tedious and complex process. Injured individuals need to prove that they had a right to be on the land as well as that the landowner failed to keep them safe. An experienced accident lawyer may be able to help to meet this rigorous legal standard.
Premises Liability Injuries
A simple fall due to an uneven surface can cause catastrophic injuries. In some cases, it can even result in a permanent disability. Unfortunately, many accident victims fail to pursue compensation following this type of accident, and face significant financial burdens due to steep medical costs from emergency room visits, lost wages from work, and other damages. Working with an experienced premises liability lawyer can help you during this difficult time by taking over every aspect of your case, including negotiating with the responsible party’s insurance company. Premises liability law is very complex and these cases can be difficult to prove. An experienced lawyer from the Amaro Law Firm knows what steps to take to build a strong case that will prove the property owner’s negligence resulted in your fall and subsequent injuries.
The Duties of Property Owners to Keep Guests Safe
In general, every landowner must take appropriate steps to protect others who enter their land. This includes clearing any temporary hazards such as standing water, drying a wet floor, or fixing loose carpeting that may cause a person to slip and fall.
However, slips and falls fall under the general category of premises liability laws. These laws dictate when a landowner must protect guests and what steps they must take to provide that protection.
Premises liability laws separate visitors into three categories:
- Trespassers are people who enter or remain on land without the owner’s permission. The owner here must only refrain from causing any intentional or wanton injury.
- Licensees are people who enter the land for their own benefit, such as being a houseguest at a party. The property owner must only warn a guest about a known hazard.
- Invitees have the greatest protections under the law. These people enter land for the benefit of the owner, such as to buy a product. Here, the landowner must warn guests of known dangers and regularly inspect their land for hazards.
As a result, a slip and fall claim is more complicated than simply showing that an injury happened on another’s property. A Houston slip and fall lawyer could help to explain the classifications of visitors and how they will affect a claim for damages.