When you legally step foot on another person’s property, you have the right to expect that simply being there will not put you in danger of personal injury. But when property owners fail to maintain their buildings and grounds as they have a duty to do, visitors of the property are at risk of an accident. We have seen injurious accidents happen in restaurants, stores, hotels, public areas, and any other venue not properly maintained by those responsible.
If you’ve been hurt in a situation like this, a Lewisburg premises liability lawyer from Stapp Law, LLC can work with you to seek compensation for the injuries and losses you sustained on unsafe property. If you were the victim of carelessness or negligence in a premises liability case, you may be eligible to recover damages like medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. We represent clients and their families in Lewisburg, PA, Union County, and Central Pennsylvania.
What Is Premises Liability?
The owner of a property has a legal responsibility to maintain a safe environment free of hazards. If an owner fails to do this and someone is injured as a result, the owner is, in most cases, at fault for the accident. A property owner has a duty to fix issues like broken handrails, loose carpeting on stairs, gas leaks, dangerous animals not restrained, lack of lighting, and precariously-stacked objects on shelves so no one is harmed by them.
The most common type of premises liability case is a slip and fall accident. At Stapp Law, LLC, we devote an entire area of our practice to representing clients who fall and sustain serious injuries on wet, slippery, icy, greasy, uneven, or otherwise unsafe surfaces. While many people are most familiar with this type of property injury, slip and fall accidents are not the only type of premises liability case. The other most common types of premises liability cases include:
- Swimming pool accidents
- Fire safety issues
- Elevator and escalator accidents
- Ice and snow-related accidents
- Public-owned property maintenance issues
- Amusement park or carnival ride defects
- Construction site accidents
- Inadequate building security
- Exposure to toxins
- Dog bites and other animal attacks
- Inadequate lighting in walking or driving areas
- Carbon monoxide or other gas or chemical leaks
- Falling hazards
- Negligence resulting in objects falling from roofs, ceilings, or high shelves
- Water leaks and flooding accidents
Any other type of poor personal property maintenance leading to personal injury could be considered a premises liability case. If you were hurt on someone else’s property and are not sure if you are eligible to file a claim against a negligent property owner, reach out to our law firm at Stapp Law, LLC for a free consultation. We will conduct a thorough evaluation of your situation to determine and advise you on the best legal options for your case.
What Laws Apply to Property Owners in Pennsylvania?
Like most states, Pennsylvania has laws requiring property owners to maintain their property so it is safe for visitors, a requirement referred to as a duty of care. Property owners have a legal duty to protect three types of visitors, categorized as invitees, licensees, and trespassers.
Invitees
An invitee is someone who enters a property for social or business reasons, given express or implied permission by the property owner. This could include a patron at a restaurant or a customer in a store. Property owners must fix any known or unknown hazards to protect invitees from harm on the property.
Licensees
When someone enters a property under the authority of the law, they are considered a licensee. Licensees may include law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical responders, and other similar positions under the authority of the law. Property owners have an obligation to protect this group of visitors from only known hazards.
Trespassers
Individuals who have not been invited to visit a property are known in legal terms as trespassers. Property owners do not have a legal duty to protect this group from known or unknown hazards. However, property owners may not purposely cause harm or injury to a trespasser. If the trespasser is a child, property owners should ensure the property is safe.
What Type of Damages Can Be Recovered in a Premises Liability Case?
As with most types of personal injury cases, injured victims of another party’s negligence in a premises liability case may be entitled to economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages cover the more calculable expenses like medical bills that the victim incurs as a result of the accident, while noneconomic damages refers to the less-tangible losses like pain and suffering.
As experienced personal injury lawyers in Pennsylvania, we know the immense impact that these kinds of losses can have on a person’s life. If we represent you in filing your Lewisburg premises liability claim, the law team at Stapp Law, LLC will help you seek full compensation for all the injuries and losses you suffered in the accident. These may include:
- Medical bills and expenses
- Lost wages and loss of future income
- Costs associated with recovery, rehabilitation, or in-home care
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Inconvenience
- Emotional anguish
- Psychological trauma, such as PTSD
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Permanent disability
The injuries sustained in an accident on someone else’s property can be severe and long-lasting. Common premises liability injuries include traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), fractures and broken bones, sprains, and back injuries. The medical care these types of injuries require often leaves victims with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. Premises liability law exists to protect victims of another party’s negligence from bearing the financial burden of their errors.
As Lewisburg premises liability lawyers, we work hard to fight for justice for every client we serve. To learn more about how to proceed after a premises liability injury, reach out to Stapp Law, LLC to schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced attorney. We never charge a fee to discuss your case and how we may be able to help you move forward.
