College Station Commercial Property Premises Liability Lawyer
Unfortunately, people suffer injuries every day while visiting local businesses and commercial properties. While some of those injuries are minor, others are life-changing and permanent.
If you suffered a serious injury while at work or another business, you should meet with a College Station commercial property premises liability lawyer to learn more about your legal options. A dedicated premises liability attorney from Chad Jones Law could fight to protect your rights and earn the compensation you deserve.
How Commercial Property Liability Claims Work
Texas law requires property owners and the people who manage, operate, or own businesses to adequately care for their property. Business owners should take precautions to keep their property reasonably safe for visitors, customers, and employees. They should regularly inspect their property and maintain it by removing any safety hazards and dangerous conditions. If a person suffers an injury while on a commercial property, they might be able to sue the owner or the people in charge of operating a business on the property. A College Station attorney knowledgeable in the law of commercial property premises liability could review the details of an accident to determine its legal merits.
Duties of Care Differ from Person to Person
A commercial property owner’s duty of care towards people on their property varies depending on why the people are on the property.
Trespassers
Property owners owe only minimal duties of care towards unlawful trespassers. For a trespasser to succeed in a premises liability claim, they would need to prove they were injured because the property owner was grossly negligent.
Invitees
On the other hand, commercial property owners owe an extensive duty of care to invitees, who are lawfully on a property for both parties’ mutual benefit. Customers, business patrons, clients, mail carriers, and the business’ employees are all examples of invitees.
Property owners owe invitees the most substantial duty of care. Texas courts hold property or business owners responsible for safety hazards on their properties if they have knowledge of the risk. For example, if a dry-cleaning business owner knows that there is ice in their parking lot and neglects to remove it the whole day, they could be legally responsible for a customer’s injuries.
Constructive Knowledge
Even if the property owner did not actually know of a risk, a court could deem that they had constructive knowledge and could be liable if they should have known about it. Under this standard, commercial property owners and their business tenants and managers are responsible for regularly inspecting their properties for hidden dangers. If they learn of a hazardous condition on their property, they need to either promptly remove the hazard or warn invitees.
For instance, if a customer trips over spilled cans in a grocery store, the store’s manager and owner might be liable even if they did not know about the spill, depending on how long the spill had been lying on the floor. If the spill occurred two minutes before the fall, the store’s owners would probably not be responsible. However, if the fall occurred four hours after the spill, the owners could be deemed to have had constructive knowledge of the spill. A court could determine that a reasonable store owner should have performed a routine store inspection during a four-hour period.
A hardworking attorney in College Station intimately familiar with commercial property premises liability law could investigate the accident. They could meet with eyewitnesses and people familiar with the property to learn more about the circumstances of the hazard.
Contact a College Station Commercial Property Premises Liability Attorney Today
Texas law regarding injuries on commercial properties is complicated. If you suffered such an injury, you need to reach out to seasoned local attorneys who understand the nuances of the law.
An experienced College Station commercial property premises liability lawyer could reliably guide you through the legal process. Meet with them to review the details of your accident. Call today.
