Keeping a safe environment, equipment and facilities is the responsibility of businesses, property owners, and those who are in charge of managing properties, such as landlords. Premises liability laws apply to both public and private places so homeowners can be held liable for injuries that occur on their property.
Shopping malls, restaurants, parks, and municipalities are other premises where physical injuries can result from a lack of care and proper precaution or maintenance of the property. Some of the most common injuries that can result in premises liability cases are slip and falls, structure collapses, explosions, drowning, and other water-related injuries.
This area of the law is often misunderstood and to help both injured victims and property owners understand the basics, a Mobile personal injury attorney with Citrin law firm provides information on this legal topic.
How Fault is Determined in Premises Liability Cases
A key element of premises liability claims is who was at fault for the conditions that led to the accident and subsequent injuries. In Alabama, liability for injuries sustained on premises depends on how the injured person is classified according to the law. These areas will help determine the level of protection afforded to victims under the law.
Alabama premises injury victims will be evaluated as:
- licensees – guests/visitors of property owners
- business invitees – these are typically patrons of a business
- or trespassers – this category is provided limited legal protection.
Alabama has an additional specification that protects private landowners who open up their property for public use for activities such as hunting, fishing, and boating, from liability if someone is hurt. The law also provides special rules when trespassing premises accidents involve children because this age group is owed a special duty of care by property owners.
If your child suffered a serious or even fatal injury due to a hazardous circumstance on another person’s property (even if they were not a guest), you may have grounds to file a personal injury suit. Previous examples of children coming into harm’s way because of dangerous property conditions or failure to keep up a safe facility include amusement park ride injuries, poorly maintained playground equipment, and most often, drowning in swimming pools.
Young kids are not the only group prone to falling victim to unsafe premises. Elderly people are also at a higher risk of becoming injured on a property due to hazardous situations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that falls are a leading cause of injury accidents, particularly for older adults.
A Mobile Personal Injury Attorney Is Here to Help
There are steps that homeowners and others who are responsible for property management can take to help keep people safe and avoid unnecessary accidents and injuries. The most important thing is to make sure you are vigilant in following recommended safety standards and using best practices when it comes to upkeep. You should also conduct regular site inspections and when you become aware of an environmental hazard or machinery or structure that needs repair, make sure you take immediate actions to correct the problem.
Preventing slip and fall accidents and other premises injuries through due diligence is the best way to reduce the risk of a lawsuit. When you are injured because of the negligence of a property owner, get the assistance of an experienced attorney with Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys. The caring and skilled team of legal professionals at Andy Citrin has been serving injured victims from all over southern Alabama for nearly three decades.
With unparalleled dedication and extensive knowledge of tort laws in Alabama, the lawyers at Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys have successfully won injured clients over $40 million in verdicts and settlements. Outcomes include many cases involving falls, trips, and slips, as well as other accidents where an individual was hurt and the property owner was deemed liable for the injuries.
Contact our Mobile, Alabama law firm at 251-888-8888 for a free consultation.
Andy is the owner and CEO of Citrin Law Firm, P.C. He founded the firm in 1995 with the goal of helping injured people put their lives back together. His passion for protecting injured people has only grown since he opened the doors of Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys, and he has a history of winning numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients.