Most of us lead busy lives and the last thing we need to worry about when we go somewhere is getting hurt. Unfortunately, we know that there are times when property owners or their employees are negligent in their duties. Their negligence can cause major injuries.
At Soloff & Zervanos Personal Injury Attorneys, our personal injury attorneys want to be your advocate. These cases can become incredibly complex and the property owner may even blame you for your own injury. We will work to secure the compensation you deserve when you need a Philadelphia premises liability lawyer.
Accidents that happen on someone else’s property often occur because of negligence, and when they do, the property owner can be held legally responsible. Premises liability law ensures that property owners maintain safe conditions for visitors. When they fail to do so, and someone is injured as a result, a lawyer can help the injured person pursue compensation. These cases are more than just slip and falls—they encompass a wide range of accident types that deserve proper attention.
When you think of people getting injured on another person’s property, you probably think first of slip and fall incidents. In fact, slip and falls are the number one cause of premises liability cases, leading to over 1 million ER visits annually. These incidents are often preventable. Property owners and their staff need to ensure all floors are kept dry and wet areas are cordoned off and appropriate signs are posted.
Aside from slip and fall incidents, there are many other ways that people get hurt.
If you do not see your injury cause on this list, that is okay. Always speak with a practiced premises liability attorney in Philadelphia before making any decisions.
Many other types of accidents fall under premises liability. Dog and animal attacks, for instance, may lead to serious injuries or infections and are often preventable if the owner secures the animal properly. Elevator and escalator accidents can cause traumatic injuries due to poor maintenance or outdated equipment, particularly in apartment buildings or retail spaces.
Swimming pool accidents are another serious category. Improper fencing, slippery surfaces, and a lack of supervision can create dangerous conditions that lead to drownings or severe injuries. Fires and explosions, especially in rental properties or businesses, may result from defective wiring, gas leaks, or failure to install smoke alarms, all of which point to potential negligence.
Inadequate security is a growing area of concern in premises liability. Victims of assault in hotels, apartment buildings, or parking garages may have claims if the property owner failed to provide basic security measures such as lighting, surveillance, or working locks. Falling objects and merchandise in stores or warehouses can also cause head injuries and fractures, especially when items are stored improperly.
Seasonal hazards like snow and ice injuries are frequent in Pennsylvania. Property owners are required to clear walkways and entrances within a reasonable timeframe after storms. Poor lighting in hallways, staircases, or outdoor areas increases the likelihood of accidents and can also enable criminal activity.
Each of these scenarios demonstrates how wide-ranging premises liability cases can be. A thorough investigation is often needed to determine the root cause and hold the appropriate party accountable.
If you were injured on someone else’s property, you generally have two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit. This deadline is known as the statute of limitations. Failing to take legal action within this window means you lose the right to pursue compensation, even if your case is valid.
Acting quickly also strengthens your case. Evidence such as surveillance video, eyewitness statements, and maintenance records can be lost or destroyed over time. Medical documentation is also more persuasive when it closely follows the date of injury. Promptly consulting a lawyer helps ensure that all relevant details are preserved and that your case starts on the strongest possible footing.
Under Pennsylvania law, the duty a property owner owes to someone injured on their premises depends on the legal classification of the visitor. There are three primary categories: invitees, licensees, and trespassers.
Invitees are individuals who enter the property for a business-related purpose, such as customers at a store. Property owners owe them the highest duty of care, which includes regularly inspecting the premises and correcting known hazards. Licensees are social guests who enter for personal reasons. While owners do not have to inspect the property for hidden dangers in these cases, they are required to warn guests of known issues.
Trespassers, who enter the property without permission, are generally owed the least duty of care. However, there are exceptions, particularly when children are involved. For example, a child injured in an unfenced pool may still have a valid claim under the attractive nuisance doctrine.
Understanding which category you fall under is critical to determining your legal rights and the responsibilities of the property owner. A lawyer can assess your visitor status and explain how it impacts your case.
Victims of premises liability accidents can pursue several types of compensation depending on the circumstances. Economic damages are the most straightforward and include medical bills, emergency care, surgeries, physical therapy, and future treatment costs. Lost wages and reduced earning capacity are also part of this category if the injury impacts your ability to work.
Non-economic damages compensate for more subjective losses such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, anxiety, and reduced quality of life. These are particularly important in cases involving permanent injury, disability, or significant disruption to your daily routine.
In rare but serious cases, punitive damages may be awarded. These are designed to punish the property owner for especially reckless or intentional misconduct. An example would be a landlord ignoring repeated complaints about a broken stairwell that eventually causes a severe fall.
Calculating damages involves more than just adding up receipts. A strong legal strategy considers both immediate and long-term impacts on your health, finances, and overall well-being. A Philadelphia lawyer can help you build a compelling premises liability case for full and fair compensation.
As someone who has suffered a minor or serious injury on someone else’s property, you may be wondering what constitutes an unsafe, dangerous, or hazardous condition. Our premises liability accident lawyer in Philadelphia says that, as you may know, under Pennsylvania law, property owners and those who control, manage, and rent properties have a legal obligation to keep their properties in a reasonably safe condition.
Failure to do so exposes them to litigation. But what is an “unsafe condition” under Pennsylvania law? Any condition on a property that exposes visitors and customers to an unreasonable, hidden, and non-obvious harm is considered hazardous and unsafe.
The determination of which condition can be considered unsafe and dangerous depends on the circumstances of your particular case. For example, if an employee forgot to place the “Warning! Wet floor!” sign after mopping the floor, and a visitor got injured as a result, the condition will most likely be considered unsafe and hazardous.
Whether you still have a right to recover damages depends on the circumstances. Our premises liability accident attorney in Philadelphia explains that a property owner cannot be held liable for injuries resulting from hazards that should have been noticed by visitors.
However, with a skilled lawyer by your side, you may be able to prove that the hazard was non-obvious or unavoidable even though you noticed it prior to the accident.
A common defense mounted by property owners in Pennsylvania to escape liability is claiming that they were not aware of the injury-causing hazardous condition and thus could not have been expected to remedy the hazard or warn visitors about it.
Our premises liability accident lawyer says that you could still collect compensation even if the property owner or occupier in Philadelphia claims that they did not know about the unsafe condition on their property. An experienced lawyer might be able to prove that the property owner should have known about the dangerous condition by inspecting the premises more frequently.
Yes, a property owner can be sued for criminal acts by third parties on their property unless the act was unforeseeable. Generally speaking, it can be proven that the criminal act would not have occurred had the property owner provided adequate security measures on the premises. For example, a lack of surveillance systems or inadequate lighting on the property may be considered “negligent security.”
An unsafe condition is any hazard that exists on the premises and exposes visitors and guests to an unreasonable risk of harm. Depending on whether the hazard was obvious or non-obvious, the injured visitor may have a right to pursue compensation
Unsafe conditions include poor lighting conditions, inadequate security measures, malfunctioning equipment, negligent safety procedures, broken stairs, wet or icy surfaces, and failure to utilize necessary safety equipment, among others.
You may want to speak to an experienced lawyer to determine whether or not the hazard constitutes an unreasonable risk of harm in your particular case.
Generally speaking, your premises liability compensation is divided into economic and non-economic damages and losses. The exact types of recoverable damages depend on the extent of your injury and other circumstances.
Economic damages include medical expenses, loss of income, and loss of future earning capacity, among others. Non-economic losses include mental anguish, pain and suffering, diminished quality of life, emotional distress, and other damages that are subjectively evaluated by the jury.
First and foremost, do not expect your insurance company to be your friend or reliable advisor. Your insurance adjuster may seem friendly, but do keep in mind that insurance companies are businesses that make money at the expense of their customers.
Unfortunately, they minimize payouts and deny claims to maximize their profits. That is why you should not expect anything good from your insurance company. Do not give recorded statements. Do not accept a settlement offer before your premises liability lawyer in Philadelphia evaluates your economic and non-economic losses.
The best way to determine if you have grounds to file a claim or lawsuit against a negligent property owner after you have been injured is to review your case with a Philadelphia premises liability lawyer. It can be difficult to understand whether you have justification to take legal action in the circumstances. By going over the details of your case with a lawyer who specializes in premises liability claims and lawsuits, you can better understand whether it is worth your time to seek compensation for your medical bills and related losses.
Studying an example of a potential premises liability case can help you more thoroughly appreciate why it is not always easy for a victim to determine on their own if they have a right to file a claim. Consider the following scenario: you are shopping at the grocery store. Unbeknownst to you, there is a spill on the floor just around the corner from the aisle in which you are currently shopping.
You turn the corner and slip over the spill. As a result, you sustain injuries. You are now seeking compensation for your medical bills and other such losses resulting from your injuries.
Are you likely to arrive at a settlement? That depends.
At a grocery store or other such location, employees essentially serve as extensions or representatives of ownership and management in regard to premises liability. Retailers are expected to train their employees to monitor their properties for hazards and address them promptly.
You may be able to justify seeking compensation after your accident by arguing that an employee should have noticed the spill and cleaned it up by the time your slip and fall occurred. However, the store owner’s insurer may attempt to deny your claim by suggesting that the amount of time that passed between when the spill formed and when you slipped over it was quite short. Therefore, it might be unreasonable to expect that an employee would have been able to spot the hazard and eliminate it before you were injured.
If you do not have experience negotiating with insurance companies and building strong premises liability cases, you might find it very challenging to counter an insurance carrier’s arguments. This highlights one of the many reasons it is important to coordinate with the experts at a reputable premises liability law firm when seeking compensation.
Insurance companies will generally try to minimize how much they pay out to claimants. As this example demonstrates, if an insurer can find a reason to deny a claim, they will. You thus need representation from an attorney who can conduct a thorough investigation to gather evidence showing that you deserve to be compensated for your losses.
A skilled lawyer can also account for all your compensable losses and damages to determine what would constitute an appropriate settlement. Although it is unethical for a lawyer to promise or guarantee that you will recover a specific amount of money, research consistently indicates that injury claimants who hire lawyers tend to recover more money than those who do not.
When you go to the store or over to someone’s house, the last thing you should have to worry about are hazardous conditions. Unfortunately, we know that the negligence of property owners and the people who work for them often causes injuries.
At Soloff & Zervanos Personal Injury Attorneys, we are going to have your back. Our experienced team will work diligently to secure compensation for the following:
When you need a Philadelphia premises liability lawyer, you can contact us.
You probably know a thing or two about Pennsylvania’s premises liability law even if you are not a legal expert. But how do our state laws apply to your particular case? Will you be able to hold a property owner liable for your injury? Do you have sufficient evidence to prove that the hazard was unreasonably unsafe? Do you really need legal help from a Philadelphia premises liability accident attorney?
Our skilled lawyers here at Soloff & Zervanos Personal Injury Attorneys, will do our best to answer your questions with a free phone consultation. We’ll investigate the facts, determine liability, and fight to secure the compensation you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation.
