Pursuing A Premises Liability Claim: 3 Qualifications That Must Be Met

What is premises liability law and how does it affect you?

Premises liability law refers to the statutes and regulations regarding personal and commercial property and the safety of those who lawfully enter said property. As with most other types of personal injury cases, a premises liability case can arise when a person is injured due to someone else’s negligence. Specifically, premises liability cases involve someone being injured on another person’s commercial or personal property through no fault of their own. Our personal injury attorneys in Lebanon MO are here to help you understand a few of the unique aspects of premises liability cases.

In Order To Receive Compensation, You Must…

1. Prove Negligence On The Property Owner’s Part
Simply being injured on someone else’s property does not automatically guarantee you to compensation for your injuries. In order to build a solid case, you must prove to the Court that the property owner was aware of the risks and failed to take the necessary steps to minimize them or warn others of their existence. For example, if the property owner displays “Caution: Wet Floor” signs and you slip and injure yourself due to the wet floor, the property owner can likely not be held liable for your injuries.

2. Be On The Property Legally
Property owners have a legal obligation to keep visitors and patrons safe – but only those visitors and patrons who enter the property legally. If you injure yourself while breaking into a convenience store, for example, you will likely have difficulty making a solid case for compensation. Similarly, if you are trespassing on another person’s property and their dog attacks you, you may not be eligible for compensation for you resulting injuries.

3. Be Injured Through No Fault Of Your Own
In order to build a strong premises liability case, you should ideally be in no way responsible for your injuries. The lines become blurred if you could be blamed for your own injuries. For example, the property owner could make a case that you are personally responsible for your injuries if you were behaving recklessly or were intoxicated at the time of the accident. 

Our Premises Liability Attorneys Are Here To Defend Your Rights

If you slipped and fallen (or been otherwise injured) on commercial property, we recommend scheduling a consultation with our slip-and-fall attorney at the Lake of the Ozarks. We can evaluate your case to help you build a strong argument and guide you through every step of the proceedings. Our firm has represented injury victims in a variety of slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accident claims, including the following:

• Grocery stores
• Restaurants
• Office buildings
• Bars
• Hotels
• Shopping malls
• Apartments or buildings
• Private residences