You have a reasonable expectation of safety when you are lawfully at a business, hotel, or other property. Therefore, property owners must use reasonable care to ensure that conditions on the premises are not dangerous. At a minimum, a property owner must warn its guests about unsafe conditions. Depending on the circumstances, the owner of the property may owe a different level of care to different visitors, according to premises liability law.
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When a business owner and/or operator neglects to protect visitors from hazardous conditions, property visitors may be at risk for serious injuries. In many cases, the accidents and injuries that result from property owner negligence are entirely preventable.
If poor conditions on someone else’s property in Washington, DC harmed you or a loved one, then you may be able to collect compensation for your medical bills and other damages through a premises liability claim.
Filing a successful premises liability lawsuit against a business, recreational facility or hotel can be challenging. The property owner may possess valuable evidence, like video surveillance recordings, or they may have already fixed the dangerous condition soon after the incident.
An experienced, Washington, DC premises liability attorney from Regan Zambri Long PLLC can investigate your accident and take steps to preserve valuable evidence. We have experience with premises liability cases in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. We have also obtained multi-million dollar settlements for clients who were seriously injured at nightclubs, ski areas, snow tubing parks, hotels, and office buildings. For example, in one case, we obtained a verdict of $5 million for a child who sustained a permanent brain injury due to an unsafe diving board at a swimming pool.
To put it simply, premises liability holds a property owner and/or operator responsible for any damages that are the result of an injury on that person or entity’s property. For example, a customer is shopping at a grocery store when they slipped on a pool of water that leaked from a broken freezer case. The customer fell, breaking their hip and leg. There were no warning signs around that mentioned the broken case and the store’s employees were aware of the situation. Since the store did not create a safe environment for all visitors of the property, the customer may have a premises liability claim.
Common types of a premises liability claim include:
Property owners may owe different levels of care to different visitors, according to premises liability law. For commercial properties, the business invitee duty of care is the highest standard since property owners stand to profit from an invitee’s patronage. Store owners must usually take steps to promptly identify and address all known and unknown hazards on their property. Still, the reasonable steps an owner must take will depend on the type of business and other circumstances.
For private property, homeowners can be held liable if a guest is injured on their property st. These laws do vary by state; however, in Washington, DC, a homeowner has different responsibilities, depending on the classification of the visitor:
Social guests and others who may enter private property with an owner’s implicit permission, such as mail carriers, are licensees. The standard of care owed to licensees is lower than that owed to invitees. Generally, homeowners are only liable for unaddressed dangers that they knew or should have known about and had failed to mention to the licensees. For example, the homeowner does not mention the broken step on the porch to the mail carrier, who then trips and falls.
Since trespassers enter a property without the owner’s permission, in most cases, owners owe them no duty of care. The landowner does not have to protect trespassers, other than refraining from willfully harming them. However, an exception exists for child trespassers.
An adult should know not to trespass, but a child may not. A child also may not be able to recognize and avoid certain dangers. Therefore, property owners have a duty to address certain conditions that may endanger a child trespasser or even lure a child onto the property.
If you sustained injuries due to a dangerous condition on someone else’s property, our Washington, DC premises liability attorneys are ready and willing to assist you. With more than 100 years of combined experience, our premises liability lawyer has the resources and legal knowledge required to protect your rights and guide you through the legal process and client sign. You do not have to face this stressful and time-sensitive situation on your own; a premises liability lawyer from our law firm can support you every step of the way.
Our Washington DC personal injury lawyers have recovered millions of dollars in compensation for our clients. Our firm has an established reputation for pursuing legal excellence. As our client, you will enjoy peace of mind in knowing that your rights will be protected from start to finish. We will do everything in our power to secure the maximum compensation you need to pay for injury-related expenses, such as medical bills and lost income, as well as full compensation for all of the physical and emotional consequences of your injuries and life insurance.
Attractive nuisance refers to a feature on a property that could cause a child to trespass, leading to an injury. A common example of an attractive nuisance is a swimming pool or other type of water feature. The law requires property owners to minimize the risk of an attractive nuisance by putting up fencing or taking other steps to keep children from harm.
Negligent security occurs when a victim of a crime has suffered an injury on someone’s property that could have been avoided if adequate security measures were put in place. For example, an individual was assaulted in the parking lot of a bar, a crime that could have been stopped if the bar had proper lighting and video cameras in the parking lot. Premises liability law states that an individual who has been injured by a third party could hold the property owner liable where the injury occurred.
The answer depends on where the accident occurred. If the accident happened on private property, the homeowner may be held responsible. If you were injured on a commercial property, then the business owner and/or the property owner could be liable for the accident. However, if you get into an accident on public land, the responsible party is a little trickier to hold responsible. This is why it’s important to speak with a DC premises liability lawyer after an accident. If you were in a car accidents and the other driver didn’t have car insurance they were irresponsible.
After any type of accident, chances are you’ll be facing large medical bills. You may not be sure how you will be paying for the accident.
Our Washingon DC personal injury attorney also represents clients in Maryland and Virginia. If you have a premises liability case and need the help of the experienced DC premises liability lawyers at Regan Zambri Long PLLC, don’t wait any longer we have your back. We have a great staff and recommend our services. We are very professional and personal. We give you our word that you won’t have to pay with credit cards or business loans and we have the best rates. Regardless of life insurance or existing ailments such as cancer we will help you get the best treatment for your injury results. Call (202) 960-4596 or contact us online today to schedule a free consultation.