Property owners have a duty to keep their buildings’ occupants, employees, and visitors safe from harm.
They must complete ongoing maintenance and repairs to prevent the accidents that lead to serious injuries or death.
If you’ve been injured on someone else’s property, you may be entitled to receive compensation for the damages resulting from an accident.
You can recover lost wages, medical expenses, and other losses that can impact the wellbeing of you and your family.
What is the Owner’s Duty of Care?
A duty of care is essential to demonstrating a property owner’s negligence and its role in causing your injuries.
The duty of care is a legal responsibility that exists in the workplace, home, retail businesses, roadways, public spaces, and other settings.
Accidents that lead to injuries or death occur when property owners fail to keep entryways, stairs, and other areas safe.
But the responsibility of the property owner is only limited to reasonable measures that prevent predictable injuries.
This includes repairing broken or missing handrails, installing lighting, and removing obstructions that could cause injuries.
Not all dangers can be avoided. So understanding how negligence and the duty of care apply to your injuries is critical to the success of your legal claim.
What is a Property Owner’s Responsibility
Property owners breach their duty of care when their negligence leads to a risk of injury. Premises liability cases result from injuries caused by the failure of owners to maintain their property.
Visitors include anyone who has the expressed or implied permission to be on the property. Individuals who are injured may file a legal claim based on premises liability.
Common safety hazards include obstructed entryways, slippery or unstable surfaces, faulty elevators, and toxic materials among others.
Injuries include falls, fractures, burns, and lacerations. More severe injuries that involve trauma to the brain or spinal cord can lead to permanent disabilities.
The circumstances surrounding an accident must be considered, and there are elements you need to demonstrate in order to prove that the property owner was negligent.
Getting Compensated for Your Injuries
There are many factors to consider when filing a legal claim against a property owner who has breached a duty of care. Your personal injury attorney can help you navigate the complexities involved in these cases.
Having the right legal resources ensures that you get the compensation you deserve while holding any liable parties accountable for your injuries.
Individuals who may be injured on someone’s property include invitees, licensees, and trespassers.
Invitees include anyone who has an expressed or implied invitation to be on the property. This includes customers, service professionals, and contractors.
Licensees are those individuals who have been invited to the property for social reasons. Family members, friends, and neighbors are included among licensees.
Trespassers are those individuals who enter a property without invitation. The property owner’s duty of care doesn’t apply to trespassers unless the individual is intentionally harmed.
Getting compensated for your injuries requires you to show the courts that the property owner’s negligence resulted in your injuries and damages.
You must show that a duty of care existed and that the damages resulted directly from a breach of that duty.
With the right legal strategy, you can get compensation for your injuries, pain and suffering, the loss of income and future employment, and other damages.
Property owners have a duty of care to their visitors. Knowing that a property owner acted negligently helps you hold them accountable for your injuries.