Premises Liability Accident Victims
Our Springfield Injury Lawyer Explains Premises Liability
Far from being a trivial matter, individuals who slip and fall have a serious risk of personal injury. Slip and fall accidents are a leading cause of concussions and traumatic brain injuries, which may require rehabilitation and life-long care. If you have been injured because a business negligently failed to care for its property, you may have a case for medical bills, lost wages and other compensation. Springfield injury attorney David W. Ransin is a litigator who is not afraid to take a slip and fall case to court to prove premises liability against the person or business that harmed you.
What is Premises Liability?
Missouri premises liability categorizes the type of person who is injured in a slip and fall accident. Businesses owe the highest duty of care to their customers because the business is specifically attracting people into its establishments to spend money for a good or service. This leads to a greater duty to protect the customer from harm on the premises than, for example, a person who invites a friend over for dinner.
To have an actionable case for premises liability, the injured person must demonstrate:
- A dangerous or hazardous condition existed that the business knew about, or should have known about;
- The business failed to remedy the condition or warn others of its presence;
- The dangerous condition was the proximate cause of the injury.
Common dangerous conditions that cause trip and fall accidents include but are not limited to icy sidewalks, lack of necessary handrails, spills and wet floors, failure to make necessary repairs, cracks on sidewalks, falling objects and inadequate lighting.
Special Rules for Government Property
A special law applies if a person seeks to file a lawsuit against the state, a city or municipality. The potential plaintiff must give the government strict notice of the intent to file a lawsuit within 90 days of the accident. This is an extremely short period of time, and those victims who miss this deadline will have no recourse against the government for premises liability. If you are a pedestrian injured on a city sidewalk or other government property, it is essential to obtain representation immediately or risk losing the claim completely.
Ransin Injury Law prides itself in aggressively advocating for those who suffered serious personal injury because of the negligence of a corporation, business or government entity who will attempt to dismiss and minimize your claim. If you have suffered injuries on another’s property due to negligence, you need a lawyer who will get you results for the harm you suffered. Contact our Springfield injury lawyer for a free consultation and an evaluation of the merits of your case.