Temple Premises Liability Lawyer
Property owners must keep their property reasonably safe for visitors. If you suffered injuries in an accident on someone else’s property, you might have a claim for your damages under premises liability law.
The effort an owner must extend to make premises safe depends on the facts surrounding the incident, which can make establishing liability complicated without legal help. A Temple premises liability could provide invaluable support throughout this process, helping you hold the at-fault landowner accountable for your losses. Contact a dedicated injury attorney at Chad Jones Law to get started.
Reason for Presence Determines Owner Liability
The degree of responsibility an owner bears for an injury depends on why the injured party was on the property to begin with. An experienced Temple attorney could evaluate whether a property owner fulfilled their duty to maintain safe premises in a particular situation or whether the hazard that caused an injury resulted from negligence.
Invitees
An invitee is a customer, potential customer, or patron of a public space. Landowners owe them the highest degree of care. Owners of commercial property and their lessees must keep their premises free of hazards. They must inspect their property regularly and remove any danger they find as quickly as possible. If an immediate remedy not feasible, they must warn customers of the hazard. When property owners fail to take these steps to protect invitees, they could be held legally liable for injuries that result.
Licensees
A licensee is someone with permission to enter a property who does so for reasons other than business. Social guests are licensees. Landowners must warn their guests of hazards they know about that are not clearly visible. Owners need not inspect their property for hazards or make repairs to protect a licensee.
Trespassers
Trespassers enter property without permission, and landowners have no duty to protect adult trespassers from hazards. However, a landowner may not create a hazard with the intent to harm a trespasser.
The law differs in how it treats trespassing children and trespassing adults. If a landowner knows that children could trespass, they must bar access to anything that could be an “attractive nuisance.” Treehouses, trampolines, pools, construction equipment, playsets, sheds, and other artificial conditions could entice a child to enter the property and get hurt. Landowners can be held liable if their property contains an attractive nuisance and a child enters and suffers an injury. A premises liability attorney can further explain these distinctions and their pertinence to cases in Temple.
Incidents That Can Trigger Premises Liability
There are countless property hazards that could lead visitors to become injured. Many lawsuits that proceed on a premises liability theory involve slips or trips at a business or building open to the public. Other situations that a landowner could have responsibility for include:
- Elevator accidents
- Drownings and near-drownings
- Dog bites and other injuries from domestic animals
- Injuries from falling objects
- Burns from fires, steam, or hot surfaces
- Illnesses resulting from contaminated HVAC systems
- Health conditions due to exposure to environmental toxins
When a person suffers an accident on someone else’s property, they should report the accident immediately to the owner, the manager, or another person in authority at the site. It is crucial to seek immediate medical treatment even if the injury seems minor—accept ambulance transfer to a hospital if it is offered, and if not, go to an emergency room or urgent care center as soon as possible.
An injured person should consult a Temple attorney immediately after an accident on someone else’s premises. A landowner’s insurer will often approach an injured party within a few days or weeks to offer a quick settlement in return for a promise not to sue. These offers rarely provide adequate compensation for the victim’s injuries. A skilled attorney could handle negotiations with an insurer and pursue a fair settlement.
Rely on an Experienced Temple Premises Liability Attorney
If you were hurt on property that belongs to someone else, you could be facing significant medical bills, lost wages, long-term rehabilitative care, and more. It is crucial to understand that you have legal options.
A Temple premises liability lawyer with Chad Jones Law could hold a negligent property owner accountable and ensure that any settlement provides reasonable compensation. Call today to speak with a knowledgeable local attorney.
