Harrison County Premises Liability Lawyer
Suffering an injury while visiting another person’s property creates many complicated legal questions. While there is unlikely to be any doubt as to whether you or a loved one endured an injury, determining whether the landowner or business manager is civilly liable is a difficult one.
Premises liability laws describe the duties that landowners and business operators have to keep guests on their property safe. However, these duties vary depending upon a visitor’s permission to enter the land and his or her motivations for doing so.
A Harrison County premises liability lawyer may be able to help you to pursue civil claims against negligent landowners or business operators. These include cases that resulted from temporary hazards, structural defects, or unreasonably dangerous premises. Reach out to a dedicated personal injury attorney today.
Visitor Classifications and Premises Liability
As a general rule, all landowners and business operators have a duty to keep guests safe from harm. However, this duty changes based upon why a visitor is on the property and how the property owner regards that person. Harrison County laws create three classes of visitors, each with its own protections.
- Trespassers: These are people who enter or remain on land without the owner’s permission. Here, the owner must refrain only from inflicting willful or wanton harm to the visitor.
- Licensees: People who enter the land for their own benefit. Guests at a house party are a clear example here. Much like trespassers, landowners must only prevent any willful or wanton injury.
- Invitees: People who enter land for the mutual benefit of the visitor and the owner. People who visit businesses are invitees, as businesses invite guests to make a profit. Here, the landowner or business operator must provide protection from foreseeable harm.
A premises liability lawyer in Harrison County could provide more information about the rights of visitors in premises civil liability claims.
Failures of Property Owners to Provide Protection
Premises civil liability claims may involve any failure on the part of landowners to prevent injury that happens on their property. The classic example is the slip or trip and fall. If a landowner does not clean a spill from an area where the public has access, this may indicate negligence. In addition, if the spill occurs, and the landowner fails to discover it in a reasonable amount of time, that defendant may be civilly liable.
However, slip and fall cases are not the only sources of premises liability claims. Defendants may also be civilly liable for structural defects on their land. A failure to fix a broken step, to fill potholes in a parking lot, or to provide proper emergency exists may also lead to serious injuries and liability by the business owner.
Finally, defendant landowners may be liable for the criminal actions of other people. If an apartment owner fails to provide proper locks, does not secure gates into common areas, or does not provide adequate lighting, these failures may create an environment for potential assaults and general harm. A Harrison County premises liability lawyer could help to evaluate the facts of your potential case and determine if a landowner may be civilly liable.
Let a Harrison County Premises Liability Attorney Help
Cases that demand compensation from landowners after an injury that occurs on their property are surprisingly complex. Not only do you need to prove that you had a right to be on the land, but you must also show that the defendant failed in his or her duty to keep you safe
A Harrison County premises liability lawyer may be able to help. An attorney could work to explain premises liability laws, help you to measure your losses and present them to a court and Jury, and pursue at-fault landowners for all appropriate compensation for a full and complete recovery. Contact a premises liability attorney in Harrison County today to learn more. Scheduling a consultation costs nothing, so call us today.
