Premises Liability

Premises liability is an area of the law dealing with injuries that occur while on someone else’s property as a result of negligence on the part of the property owner. The law requires that property owners take certain measures to reasonably protect the safety of people who have lawfully entered their property from injury. This includes business owners, municipalities and homeowners.

Premises liability covers such a large range of potential injuries that it is impossible to list them all here, but, any serious injury suffered while on someone else’s property may be grounds for a premises liability lawsuit. Unfortunately, there are many conventional hazards that property owners fail to take seriously, including: exposed beams, sharp edges, falling tree limbs, exposed electrical wiring, etc. These can all result in serious injury or death.

While the general public is often aware that accidents resulting may potentially be grounds for a premises liability lawsuit, many are unaware that they may also sue for the actions of third parties while on someone else’s property. In certain circumstances, property owners may be held liable for robberies and thefts that occur on their property if it can be shown that they were negligent in providing adequate security. Robberies at ATM’s, gas stations, hotels and department stores have all been successfully prosecuted due to the property owner’s failure to provide adequate security for their customers. This is especially true when the incident directly resulted from the property owner’s failure to take action when there has been a history of such problems on the premises.

With regards to children, the condition and safety of schools, daycare centers and other youth facilities becomes particularly relevant. Substandard conditions become even more critical when children are present. Injuries due to unsound, defective or neglected playground equipment are common if caretakers, teachers and school officials fail to take the necessary safety precautions.

Vigil Law Firm, P.A., has experience litigating electrocution cases against some of the largest power companies in the state. The presence of high-voltage wires increases the danger level and potential for a catastrophic injury or death for utility workers or individuals working on or around them.

Employers and contractors have a responsibility to provide a safe work environment not only for their employees but also the public in general. Vigil Law Firm, P.A., litigates cases involving unsafe work sites, and other work-place dangers.

In order to prosecute these cases, it is often necessary to secure an animator or filmmaker to create a computer generated animation or video to reenact the incident and show a jury how the injury occurred. This is also true for medical animations and visual aids needed to precisely demonstrate the nature and severity of the injury suffered. Additionally, experts are often called in to testify about the dangers present at a specific location and to indicate what, if any, measures were taken to prevent this sort of accident from happening. These efforts and more may be required to prove negligence on the part of the property owner. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury or wrongful death while on another person’s property, you must act as soon as possible to ensure that justice is served. Vigil Law Firm, P.A., has extensive experience seeking compensation for our clients in cases of premises liability, and we know what it takes to convince a jury and the court of a property owner’s negligence.