Personal Injury on Private Property

Who Is Responsible for a Personal Injury on Private Property?

A property owner is required to provide a duty of care to invitees and licensees. They must observe the area to ensure there are no safety hazards lying around that could cause serious injuries, or even death, to those entering the premises.

If a property owner fails to take notice of a hazard, and that particular hazard was the main cause of a visitor's injury, the property owner will likely face a premises liability lawsuit regardless of whether the property was being utilized for commercial or residential motives.

Victims of a premises liability accident are welcomed to contact our skilled Los Angeles premises liability attorneys at West Coast Trial Lawyers. We will help strengthen your claim and negotiate with insurance companies to ensure you get a fair settlement offer. With our track record of winning more than $1 billion in settlements for our clients, we are confident that we will deliver a good outcome to your case.

To schedule a free consultation at our Los Angeles personal injury law firm, please reach out to our 24/7 legal team by calling (213) 927-3700 or filling out our quick contact form.

Company Liability for Personal Injuries

Business owners are expected to keep a safe environment for any individual that steps into it. To reach this objective, the business owner is required to inspect the property to make sure that everything is in good condition. Failure to perform this action will result in an individual being harmed, thus resulting in a premises liability case against the business owner. This is primarily why inspections are important. Regular inspection will find defects or damages, which will then make it easier for the business owner to know exactly what to fix.

When it comes to the duty of care, it is required for the business owner to provide anti-slip devices for rainy or snowy weather. Additionally, they may have warning signs available to give individuals a head’s up about puddles or a slippery floor on their private property. If a business owner follows through with either of these actions, they will keep individuals safe from harm.

One thing a business owner is not liable for is an altercation on their property. Business owners are not responsible for the actions committed by a third party. If two individuals get into a physical altercation with each other, then none of them are eligible to bring a premises liability lawsuit against the private property owner.

However, if these actions were foreseeable, there is a chance that the business owner may have the responsibility to prevent this altercation from occurring. An example could be individuals being continuously assaulted or robbed due to lack of security in the private property. A victim has the authority to initiate a premises liability suit against the business owner due to their injuries, along with not accommodating to a foreseeable issue.

Homeowner Liability for Personal Injuries

Homeowners have a variety of responsibilities for invitees, licensees, and trespassers.

• Invitees. This group gets the most protection. Homeowners are expected to make sure their home is in good condition for the safety of their friends, family, or guests. Responsibilities include checking around the house for any potential defects that may result in a foreseeable injury.
• Licensees. Homeowners must give warnings to licensees about any dangerous conditions that are in their private property. Once they are notified, the homeowner has no liability for any potential harm or damage that may come about for the licensees.
• Trespassers. Homeowners are expected to put up fences, locked gates, or signs to prevent trespassers from stepping into their private property.

In a homeowner’s property, there are different types of structures in a home, or around it, that may classify as dangerous. This includes:

• Stairs. Homeowners may be held liable for an individual’s injury if they fell down the stairs due to insufficient lighting. Another example would be not having a handrail appropriately set in place, thus causing the individual to lose balance and injure themselves.
• Pool. The most common victims of swimming pool deaths are children. This is why it is important for a homeowner to make sure that they provide enough warnings and barricades to prevent children from entering the pool.
• Glass-Sliding Door. Generally, homeowners would not be held liable if an individual were to get injured just by simply walking into a door. However, if the door was not properly constructed beforehand and the incident was a foreseeable act, then the homeowner would potentially be held liable for the individual’s injuries.

Contact Us to Find Out How We Can Help

If you have sustained injuries as a result of a premises liability accident, our skilled Los Angeles premises liability attorneys at West Coast Trial Lawyers will help you recover compensation for the losses you have suffered, including medical bills, property damage, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Contact us today by calling (213) 927-3700 or filling out our quick contact form to schedule a free consultation with our experienced, caring, and compassionate legal team.