Have You Been Hurt On Someone Else's Property?
After being injured at a residential property, the question of seeking monetary damages often arises. You can be paid compensation after an injury if the circumstances meet the guidelines. Read on and find out more.
Premises Liability
The above term is used to describe how the law deals with being hurt while visiting a home. Liability means being responsible, and, in many cases, the homeowner can be held responsible for damages like medical costs, pain and suffering, lost wages, and more. However, many states don't make things easy for victims of premises injuries. You must be mindful of following the below guidelines and seek the help of a personal injury lawyer if you expect to be paid monetary damages after a slip and fall or other accident.
Follow These Guidelines After an Accident
- In the case of residential injuries, the way things are handled can depend on whether you were asked to the home or not. You might have been personally invited to the home but those who have an implied invitation also fall into this category. For instance, the homeowner might have a contract with a pool company to clean the pool, so the cleaners are considered invitees. When you are invited to the residence, you are owed the highest level of duty of care. The homeowner must use extra care when you are visiting to avoid accidents. If you have an accident and you were invited, you may be owed compensation.
- Uninvited visitors have nearly no rights to seek compensation when an accident occurs. However, the same cannot be said for children. They are always owed the highest level of care because they are a protected class of victims.
- For residential cases, the law looks at the hazard that caused the injury. The homeowner may have known about the uneven sidewalk but failed to warn the guests about it, for example. If the homeowner did warn the guest either verbally or with some sort of sign, then it's possible that the guest won't be paid any monetary damages.
- Partial liability is a tricky aspect of the law. In some states, liability can be split into percentages. However, some states have strict contributory negligence laws that prohibit victims from gaining any compensation if they were found to be at fault in any manner.
- After an accident, say as little as possible about the injury to anyone, particularly the homeowner. Instead, seek medical care as soon as possible.
Talk to a personal injury lawyer for a case evaluation. The lawyer can look over your medical treatment and accident details and advise you on seeking compensation
Share