One of the key parts of understanding a personal injury case is understanding premise liability. One of the key components in winning a personal injury cause and ultimately showing that somebody else is responsible for your injuries is in proving that the premise that they own or live on caused you to suffer from an injury. In other words, legally speaking, premise liability is the concept that when you suffer an injury as a result of a property that is unsafe or hazardous, the person who owns or abides on that property has the responsibility for your injury. Whether it be a slip and fall case or an exposure to some toxic chemicals on the site, it is important to know all the facts about premise liability in order to better your chances of winning a personal injury case.
There are two main components to personal liability that you need to understand. The first part is that premise liability is about a property being unsafe or hazardous, which we already know from above. The second, and more complicated aspect, is that a property owner must have 1) known the property was unsafe or 2) lived on the property long enough to have known the hazardous component of it needed to be fixed. For example, if a wild bird flies in the backyard of your neighbor and hits you on the head, this wouldn’t necessarily qualify as a premise liability case. However, if you slip on the cracking porch stairs that your neighbor’s been saying they are going to fix for years, then you have a much stronger chance of winning a case.
What makes a property unsafe or hazardous?
There are endless ways a property can be deemed unsafe. As long as the property owner took some part in that condition by their action, or lack thereof, you have the grounds for a case. That being said, there are various common trends throughout these cases that point to a property being deemed unsafe. After all, it is the responsibility of every property owner to uphold safe standards of the property so that if someone else is present, they do not suffer from an injury.
Some of the more common ways a property can be deemed hazardous include:
- Bumpy or uneven surfaces
- Exposed electrical cords and wires
- Slippery or wet surfaces
- Open construction
- Potholes
- Lack of light for visibility
- Open toxic chemicals
- Exposed sharp objects such as nails
The ways a property can be deemed unsafe is certainly not limited to this list. However, these are just some of the many ways premise liability comes into play. After all, the injuries that may arise in a personal injury case range from spinal cord damage, bruises and abrasions, broken bones, fractures, and even brain trauma. You should not have to worry about fronting the expensive bill to care for your injury when somebody else’s negligence caused it.
If you or a loved one has suffered from an injury on somebody else’s property and believe you may be able to prove premise liability, it may be in your best interest to reach out to Cohen & Cohen, a group of skilled attorneys successfully serving residents of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia, who specialize in personal injury cases like these.
