Under premises liability, owners of residential and commercial properties are required to provide reasonably safe conditions. When they are negligent in maintaining their property and that negligence leads to your injury, then they can be held liable for what happened to you. This failure to maintain and not provide reasonable safety is referred to as a dangerous condition, and there are many different types of these, including obstacles in walking paths or water left on the floor.
Dangerous Conditions that Can Be Found at Any Property
One of the most common accidents that can happen on someone else’s property is a slip and fall accident. These can be caused by many different factors, and some of these can result in serious injuries. Types of conditions that lead to slips and falls can include:
- Uneven floor mats or doormats
- Wet floors that are not marked with proper signage
- Cracks in sidewalks, entryways, driveways, or parking lots
- Improperly stored items such as merchandise or lawn equipment
- Rotting wooden structures like decks, porches, or stairs
- Improper signage at a swimming pool or failure to keep it secure
- An animal attack, such as a bite from a dog that was not leashed
- Presence of mold, asbestos, carbon monoxide, or other hazards that can cause illness
If you can prove that the property owner knew about these negligent conditions that led to your injury, then you may be able to file a claim.
Failure to Maintain a Property
Sometimes, property owners may fail to maintain parts of their property and that can cause injury as well. Properties require routine maintenance for safety and these risks can be an issue. Items that property owners may neglect to update or maintain could be:
- Overgrown vegetation
- Burned out or broken light bulbs outside of the property
- Broken stairs or sidewalks
- Malfunctioning escalators and elevators
- Failing locks
- Aging roofs
These types of issues should be fixed promptly, but if property owners put off the repair and you are injured as a result, they may be held liable in a premises liability claim.
Dangerous Conditions at Commercial Properties
Visiting a retail shopping center, a mall, a restaurant, or other commercial property should be a safe experience. However, a property owner could neglect to update conditions inside the building or outside in the parking lot. If these types of dangerous conditions contribute to your injury, then you may be able to recover damages from the store owner. These could include:
- Merchandise on the floor that is not picked up
- Improper lighting in the store or parking lot
- Spills from food or beverages that customers brought in
- Wet floors from rainy weather
- Uneven pavement in the parking lot, on the sidewalk, or near the entryway
- Issues with staff neglecting to follow proper training protocol
- Lack of security personnel
There are several ways you could end up being injured at a commercial property. For example, if a store’s parking lot has inadequate lighting and you trip in the darkness, that would be grounds for a premises liability claim. You could also be assaulted at a commercial property if there are no security officers present.
Proving that the Owner Was Liable for Your Injury
Remember, just because you were injured does not mean that the owner is automatically liable. Visitors do have some responsibility to read signage on the property and to conduct themselves in a reasonable manner. If you are leaping over concrete barriers or skateboarding in an unauthorized area, then you would have some liability for your injuries.
You must show that the owner was willfully negligent in the circumstances that led to your injury, which means the hazard must have been there for a while, they knew it needed to be fixed, and that there were no warning signs posted. It may be in your best interest to speak with a Los Angeles premises liability lawyer about your case as they may have strategies for finding evidence that proves your claims.
If You Were Injured on Someone Else’s Property, Call Us Today
If you are at a commercial or residential property and you are injured due to what could be a dangerous condition, then you may be able to recover compensation for what happened to you. The team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm has protected the rights of victims of premises liability and other personal injury cases. Let us help make sure that you are fairly compensated for what happened to you or your loved one. Contact a team member today at (800) 223-5115 to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation so we can discuss your case and create a plan for you.