Premises Liability Attorneys in Los Angeles

Premises Liability Attorneys

Imagine walking through a grocery store, your foot catches onto a loose floorboard, and you trip and twist your ankle. Who could be held liable? Could you sue the grocery store owner? Could you sue the grocery store staff?  This is one of the most common types of personal injuries that happen every day. Each year, around 1 million people go into emergency rooms because of a slip-and-fall incident. Many of those are not even aware that they could seek compensation for their injuries. 

Another way to describe this type of situation in the legal field is called premises liability. Premises liability is a legal claim made for injuries caused on someone else’s property.

Premises Liability Examples

• Dog bites: when a victim is attacked by defendant’s dog, the victim could bring a legal claim against the dog owner 
• Swimming pool accidents: when a child drowns in a hotel swimming pool that has not been gated properly
• Water damage: when a tenant sues the landlord for failure to maintain the water pipes, a water leak occurs, and water damage destroys the tenant’s personal property
• Slip and fall accidents: this occurs when a customer slips on objects on the floor in a store. The customer may have a legal claim against the store owner. 
• Construction site accidents: many are injured at construction sites when construction workers fail to put up a hazard sign and close the area. 
• Parking lots: the plaintiff who is robbed in a dimly lit parking lot may have a claim against the parking lot owner for failure to reasonably maintain the lit area.
• Falling trees: those who walk down the street and are injured by falling branches from landowner’s trees could have a potential premises liability claim against the landowner for failure to maintain their front yard in a reasonable manner.

If any of these circumstances apply to you, don’t hesitate to contact our attorneys for a free, no risk consultation today. Our attorneys will determine whether you have a valid legal claim. We have offices located in almost every major city in California and Nevada. Premises liability comes into play in a variety of circumstances, that is why it is important to hire a skilled Los Angeles premises liability attorney. We have a routine success rate getting compensation for our premises liability accident victims. 

Who Is Liable in California Premises Liability cases?

In order to be liable under California premises law, your premises liability attorney must meet certain elements. These elements may differ depending on the state you are located in. Usually, the plaintiff must be able to prove all these elements in order to bring a claim against the defendant in court. If the plaintiff fails to meet any of the elements, then the defendant could potentially win and the case will be dismissed. Elements include:

The defendant owned or possessed the property where the injury occurred:

• This is a very important factor. Many clients hesitate when getting an attorney because the person that they are bringing a claim against is not the landlord. California does not require that the defendant be considered a landowner. Anybody who rents, leases, or occupies a property could be liable under premises liability. Each case varies, and defendants are better determined during a consultation.
• Another common misconception is that the defendant must be one person. The defendant could be multiple people, even a corporation. For example, a corporation that runs and maintains an apartment building could be held liable for any water damage caused by their failure to maintain the water pipes. 
• Employees could also be held liable under premises liability. For example, if employees fail to maintain and clean the floor of the store, they could be held liable when a customer slips and falls on an object. 

The defendant failed to provide ordinary care, and acted negligent.

• Different ways to show negligence could include the known dangerousness of the hazard, the length of time that the defendant knew of the hazard, prior incidents that put the defendant on notice of the hazard, complaints to the defendant regarding the hazard that put the defendant on notice of the hazard and failure to mitigate the hazard. 

The plaintiff was injured because of defendant’s negligence in providing ordinary care.

• California also imposes a duty onto landowners for trespassers to maintain the land in a reasonably safe condition. Although they initially enter the landowners land illegally, a trespasser may have a legal claim for premises liability against a landowner.

 The negligence caused plaintiff’s injury.

Other factors may also be considered during trial, such as where the property is located, and what the defendant could have done to reduce the risk of causing injury.

Defendants in Premises Liability Lawsuits

• Store owners
• Store managers
• Hotel managers
• Restaurant owners
• Employees
• Corporations
• Property management companies
• Tenants
• Government entities (like metro bus) 
• Nightclub owners 
• Homeowners

What Compensation Can I Recover Under California Premises Liability?

The amount of compensation differs based on each case. To better determine the amount of compensation you are qualified for, contact our experienced premises liability attorneys today. Damages that the defendant may end up paying could include medical bills (such as medication and physical therapy), pain and suffering, job loss, emotional distress from the injuries, etc.

Damages Recovered by Premises Liability Lawyers

We understand that the injuries one sustains in a premises liability could be very severe, requiring thousands of dollars in medical bills, but our skilled premises liability attorneys may at least be able to help victims and their families get financial compensation for the damages they’ve suffered. Compensation in these cases can often cover damages such as:

Common Premises Liability Injuries

Premises liability accidents can lead to a huge variety of different injuries because of their many causes. These types of accidents may not be as common as car or bike accidents, but they can still have significant, lifelong consequences for victims and their families. These are some of the most common injuries suffered in premises liability cases:

• Broken bone injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Burns
• Catastrophic injuries
• Electric shock
• Spinal cord injuries
• Nerve damage injuries
• Head injuries