- March 26, 2018
- Personal Injury
- Premises Liability
- Slip & Fall Accident
If you were injured on another person’s property, the property owner or manager might be liable for the resulting damages. Property owners are responsible for maintaining a safe space, and any failure to do so could come back to haunt them. Whether the property is a shop, restaurant, park, or private residence, the owner of that property should be held accountable for any negligence or carelessness that caused you or your loved ones harm.Premises liability cases can sometimes be complicated, so if you were injured on another’s property it is important that you understand how the legal process works.
Property Owner Responsibility
Property owners, or appointed managers, are responsible for the land and establishments they run. Whether that property is a restaurant, shop, or home, they must keep that property safe for visitors. If there are any hazardous areas, the home owner should fix it and remove that danger, or provide adequate warning about the potential risk. However, when someone is injured on the property, the way in which that visitor entered the property could have a significant impact on whether or not the owner is responsible.
How Do Children Factor In?
Even though many of the same premises liability rules apply to children, there are some ways in which the law provides extra protection for minors. Younger children do not have the same ability an adult has to judge whether or not a situation is safe. Whereas an adult who cannot swim would see a swimming pool as a danger, a toddler will not. Likewise, an adult knows a rusted, broken car could break if someone climbed on it, but a child might only see an obstacle to climb. So, because children lack this maturity of judgement, they are protected by law, to an extent.
Property owners are required to remove hazards accessible to children, or must make those hazards completely inaccessible. So, all swimming pools or ponds should be adequately gated off from wandering neighborhood children, and any hazardous mechanical parts should be either removed or locked away where children cannot access them. However, this does not usually extend to older children or teenagers.
Common Premises Liability Cases
Any type of injury sustained on another person’s property could constitute a premises liability case, but certain injuries occur more frequently than others. Common types of premises liability cases include:
- Slip and fall injuries
- Dog or animal attacks
- Swimming pool accidents
- Junkyard injuries
- Amusement park injuries
- Playground accidents
If you were injured on another person’s property due to some act of negligence or carelessness, you may have a premises liability case. Contact Goodman Acker P.C. today to get started on your Detroit personal injury case.