While walking in Danville, whether you’re on Geisinger’s campus, in town, or another part of our borough, you could be on someone else’s property and expect to be safe there. When you’re suddenly unsafe because of the property owner’s negligence, and get into an accident that harms you, then you likely will want to take legal action.
At Stapp Law, LLC, we understand how vulnerable a premises liability accident can leave you feeling—you trusted the property to be safe, and when it wasn’t, you got hurt. That’s where our Danville premises liability lawyer comes in.
Our lawyers are experts in personal injuries and premises liability law, and we understand why you want to take legal action. Our job is to protect your rights and ensure the negligent party is held responsible for causing your injuries and damages.
Different Types of Premises Liability Accidents
When you’ve been hurt on someone else’s property and it was the property owner’s negligence that caused it, you might be wondering what you can do. One of the first things you’ll want to clarify is what happened. That way, you can ensure that what you experienced was actually a premises liability accident, and that you can file a claim to recover compensation.
Being aware of what is considered a premises liability accident can help you in your claim as well as any potential future claims if more accidents happen. Here are some of the different kinds of premises liability accidents that can happen in Danville:
- Slip and Fall. When there’s a loose carpet, wet floor without a sign, or uncleared ice from a sidewalk, you could have been the victim of a slip and fall accident. Falls can cause serious injuries and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
- Inadequate Maintenance. Broken stairs, uninspected elevators, and falling objects can all be the result of inadequate maintenance on a property and can all lead to accidents that harm visitors.
- Lead Paint Exposure. Lead paint and other toxic chemicals could be present in a premises and cause serious damage to a person’s health from their exposure.
- Swimming Pool Accidents. While they’re fun, swimming pools can be incredibly dangerous and cause serious damages when falls happen outside of them on their slippery surfaces, or when people drown in the water.
- Dog Bites. When dogs aren’t properly trained or leashed, they might bite others and cause injuries.
- Negligent Security. A property owner is responsible for your safety from violent crimes while you’re on their property. If they could have taken measures to prevent that crime and your injuries, then you could have a negligent security claim.
If you recognize one of these situations above as what happened to you, then you could have a premises liability claim to file against the negligent property owner. Even if you don’t recognize what happened to you in the list above, you could still have a claim.
If you think your situation could fall under premises liability, or you’re unsure and want to ask questions, then you can turn to our Danville premises liability attorney. We will answer your questions and could represent you if you decide to take action.
Pennsylvania Premises Liability Law
When you’re considering filing a premises liability claim, your attorney will work with you. Their knowledge of Pennsylvania premises liability law will be crucial to your case. Our lawyers at Stapp Law, LLC have experience with these rules, and know exactly how to handle your claim.
Our premises liability attorneys know that the biggest aspects of your claim will be proving negligence and determining your visitor classification. In proving the property owner was negligent, your attorney will need to establish that these four elements were present:
- The property owner owed you a duty of care
- They breached this duty by failing to keep you safe
- That breach of duty directly led to your injury
- Those injuries resulted in damages that you suffered
All of these aspects will be used to prove the property owner’s negligence. This will all tie into proving that they knew or should have known about the dangerous condition, they did nothing to resolve the dangerous condition, and that dangerous condition led to your serious and predictable injuries.
With all of that proven, you’ll be one step closer to having a successful claim. Next your attorney will need to establish your classification of visitor status.
The type of visitor who is afforded the highest level of care is an invitee. This means that they were specifically invited onto the property by the owner for the property or business owner’s benefit.
The next highest level of care is afforded to a licensee, however they are not completely protected. A licensee is not explicitly invited onto your property, and are there for their own benefit, but are still generally allowed on the property.
The final category is a trespasser. This type of visitor has not been invited onto the property and is not welcome by the property owner. While the owner does not owe a trespasser a duty of care, they cannot take action to intentionally harm them.
All of this can get complicated, which is why it’s important to have a Danville premises liability lawyer on your side. We’ll be able to determine who was negligent, prove that negligence, and determine your classification as a visitor on the property while you focus on healing.
What Causes a Premises Liability Accident?
Now that you understand all the aspects we’ll need to prove, you might be wondering how they’ll be proven. One of the factors your lawyer will look into is what caused your accident. This will give insight into who was truly at fault and the claim itself.
Here are some of the most common causes of premises liability accidents:
- Inadequate Lighting
- Wet Floors
- Loose Carpeting or Floorboards
- Broken Stairs
- Missing Railings
- Sharp Objects
- Falling Objects
- Out of Inspection Elevators and Escalators
- Uncleared Ice or Snow
- Uneven Sidewalks
- Unmonitored Pools
- Unleashed Dogs
- Negligent Security
These are only a few of the different scenarios that could have led to your injury on someone else’s property. Our Danville premises liability attorney is here to help you recover damages so you can focus on healing after someone else’s negligence caused you harm.
Stapp Law, LLC Will Represent You
Premises liability cases can be confusing, which is why you shouldn’t take one on by yourself. When you hire our Danville premises liability lawyer, you can have peace of mind knowing that our experienced attorneys will make your case as strong as possible. Reach out to Stapp Law, LLC today so we can schedule a free consultation.
