When you are going about your daily business, visiting a friend’s home, or shopping at a store, you expect to be safe. People assume that property owners take care to keep their visitors reasonably safe from hazardous conditions.
Unfortunately, not every owner is as diligent as they should be, resulting in accidents that cause injuries to innocent people. If you were hurt while visiting someone else’s property, consult a well-practiced personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
A Mount Dora premises liability lawyer could assess your situation and determine whether the property owner failed in their legal obligations in your specific case. If you could prove the owner was negligent, they owe you compensation to cover your losses.
An owner or tenant is negligent if they fail to use a reasonable standard of care to protect visitors. Property owners have no obligations to trespassers but owe a duty of reasonable care to people with permission to be on a property. Premises liability law can get complicated because the extent of the duty depends on why the visitor was on the property.
If the property is open to the public for commercial purposes, the visitor is an invitee, even if they did not intend to spend money while there. Property owners and tenants must regularly inspect for obvious and hidden dangers that might harm an invitee and repair any hazard within a reasonable time. They must post warnings to protect invitees until they repair a dangerous condition.
Licensees are social guests or people on the premises for their own reasons with permission, such as meter readers or delivery persons. Property owners and tenants have no duty to inspect their property for dangerous conditions, but they must warn licensees of hidden hazards that would not be obvious. There is no duty to repair for the benefit of a licensee.
A Mount Dora property injury lawyer could evaluate whether an injured visitor was an invitee or licensee when they entered the property, then determine whether the owner or tenant met their duty of care. If they could compile evidence indicating the owner or tenant breached their duty and caused the visitor’s injury, a legal professional could begin negotiating for appropriate compensation.
Many premises liability cases derive from slips, trips, and falls, but many other situations could lead to a claim. An attorney represents people who suffer injuries due to:
Anyone who suffers an injury on another party’s property should seek immediate medical treatment. A thorough medical examination soon after the incident could prevent further harm and give the injured person the best chance of a smooth and rapid recovery. In addition, a medical record describing the injured person’s condition soon after an incident is proof that connects the accident to the injury.
A person injured on someone else’s premises should seek legal representation from a Mount Dora lawyer as quickly as possible. Depending on the circumstances, an insurance company for the property owner or tenant might make contact soon after an accident. Although the insurance representative might seem sympathetic, their job is to induce the injured person to settle a matter quickly, for as little as possible. Referring the insurance company representative to a legal professional could ensure that the company engages in good-faith negotiations to reach a realistic settlement.
Laws restrict the time allowable for people to bring lawsuits. When someone intends to bring a claim for personal injuries, they typically have two years from the date of the incident that caused the injury.
However, the time to act might be shorter if the accident took place in a government office building, recreational facility, or other government-owned property. If the claim is against the state or a local government, Florida Statute § 768.28(6)(a) says that the injured person must submit a written notice to the appropriate agency within three years of the accident date. If the claim is for wrongful death, the family members must submit a written claim within two years of the death.
A Mount Dora attorney is familiar with the time limits that might apply in a specific premises liability case. They could preserve an injured person’s rights by filing all paperwork on time.
If you were hurt on another person’s land or business, you could have a case against the owner or tenant responsible for maintaining safe conditions on the property. If so, you could collect compensation for your injury-related losses. Place a call to a Mount Dora premises liability lawyer to find out whether you have a viable claim today.
The Umansky Law Firm Criminal Defense & Injury Attorneys
