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Owning a home or business can come with a lot of extra upkeep. As all the extra expenses add up, property owners often decide that the additional work is not worth it.
However, failing to keep property in safe condition can have serious repercussions. Slips, falls, and other accidents on hazardous premises can leave visitors with severe injuries.
If a landowner’s negligence left you or a loved one injured, you have legal options for getting the compensation you need to move forward. To discuss your case with a knowledgeable Erie premises liability lawyer, give us a call. Our injury attorneys are here to help.
Common Injuries from Dangerous Premises
Premises liability cases can arise from accidents on private and public property. Icy sidewalks, uneven floors, poorly lit stairwells, uncleaned spills, and other hazards can lead to slips, trips, and falls. This can leave visitors with sprains, broken bones, concussions, and more. Erie premises liability attorneys are familiar with landowner liability and can work with injured parties to get the compensation they deserve for these injuries.
Responsibilities of Property Owners
Under premises liability laws, property owners owe differing responsibilities to visitors depending on their legal classification. A visitor’s classification as an invitee, licensee, or trespasser will determine what duty of care a landowner owed them and, therefore, how much compensation they are owed.
Invitees
Landowners owe the greatest duty of care to invitees, who are invited onto the premises for the benefit of the landowner. An example of an invitee is a consumer who enters a business. According to Pennsylvania premises liability law, landowners must provide advance warning of all known hazards, remedy them within a reasonable amount of time, and inspect their property regularly so they become aware of any hazards.
Licensees
In addition to landowners who allow individuals on their property for their benefit, premises liability law also requires landowners to take certain steps to ensure the safety of those who enter their land with permission but not for the purposes of the landowner. This category of visitor is known as a licensee and includes friends the landowner may invite for a social gathering. Landowners owe licensees a duty to warn the licensee of certain dangerous conditions.
Trespassers
A trespasser is someone who the landowner did not invite onto the property and who is there without permission. While landowners generally do not owe a duty of care to trespassers in premises liability cases, landowners are still required to avoid purposefully or wantonly causing an injury to the trespasser.
In addition to these general scenarios, there are additional cases in which a landowner may have certain responsibilities to those who enter their property, such as is often the case with children. Contacting a premises liability attorney in Erie can provide greater clarity on an injured person’s legal status as a property visitor and their compensation options.
Discuss Your Case with an Erie Premises Liability Attorney
After an injury on someone else’s property, it can be hard to know what steps to take. It is important to recognize that you have rights as a property visitor, potentially including the right to compensation.
Reaching out to an Erie premises liability lawyer can help answer your questions about your case and get you one step closer to the payments you need. Call Lowenthal & Abrams, Injury Attorneys today to schedule your free consultation with a dedicated member of our team.
