As a guest in someone’s home or business, you expect to feel safe and protected from hazards. Unfortunately, not all property owners are careful when it comes to maintaining a safe environment for their guests and customers. Dangerous obstacles like trip and slip hazards, exposed wiring and broken glass or metal can cause irreparable harm to you or your loved ones. If you or your loved one has been injured on someone else’s property, contact Harper, Evans, Hilbrenner & Netemeyer. Our
personal injury attorneys have handled premise liability cases just like yours and we can help you fight for the compensation you need to recover.
Suffering an injury on another person’s property is a trying ordeal. Not only are you dealing with an injury and medical bills, but the property owner may be trying to pin the blame on you. Fortunately, the skilled attorneys at Harper, Evans, Hilbrenner & Netemeyer understand the complicated process of proving fault in a premise liability case. Get in touch with our attorneys to schedule a free case evaluation. If we take on your case, you won’t pay a cent unless you win.
Premise liability is defined as an instance where a welcome guest or customer is injured on another person’s, business’, or organization’s property due to unsafe or defective conditions. In a premise liability case, it must be proven the property owner was aware of the hazard but did not display proper warnings or put up barriers to prevent someone from accessing the unsafe area. For example, if a nursing home is aware of old carpet coming up and a resident trips and falls, the nursing home can be held liable for the resident’s injuries.
If a property owner is aware of a dangerous condition on their property and takes precautions to protect visitors, it is the responsibility of guests to behave safely. Guests who ignore safety precautions and are injured are unlikely to recover any compensation for their injuries.
Premise liability has a few gray areas, including trespassing and attractive nuisances. If you trespassed on another person’s property and you were injured, you don’t have a case. However, if you trespassed on someone else’s property and the property owner willfully allowed unsafe conditions to exist on their property, they may be at fault for your injury. Contact Harper, Evans, Hilbrenner & Netemeyer to see if you have a premise liability case.
Common Premise Liability Accidents
In the state of Missouri, the statute of limitations on personal injury also applies to premise liability. This means you only have
five years to file a premise liability lawsuit after the accident occurred. When you are helping your partner or child recover from an injury, five years can fly by. After an accident occurs on another person’s property, contact a premise liability attorney as soon as you are able. The earlier you speak with a
personal injury lawyer, the easier it will be to fight your case.
Navigating the complicated process of a premise liability case requires a skilled and experienced attorney. In many premise liability cases, it can be challenging to establish responsibility. A property owner may claim they were unaware of a hazardous condition on their land, but it is difficult to ignore problems like dangerous flooring, exposed wires, broken glass, slippery walkways, uneven steps, or non-compliant ramps. To win your premise liability case in Missouri, you need a lawyer who can prove the property owner lapsed in their duty of care.
Any welcome guest expects the owner to uphold their duty of care. Welcome guests include house guests, clients, customers, and pedestrians who use the walkways, stairs, or ramps outside a business. It is the responsibility of guests to adhere to posted cautionary signs and to behave safely. Property owners are responsible for displaying cautionary signs and maintaining a safe property.
A customer is looking for cereal in the grocery store. A store clerk recently mopped the cereal aisle but neglected to put up a “wet floor” sign. The customer slipped and suffered a traumatic brain injury. In this case, the store would be at fault for the customer’s injury.
A pedestrian was traveling past an office building in snowy conditions to reach their destination. The property manager was aware of a large chunk of missing sidewalk but failed to repair it or provide precautionary signs. The pedestrian stepped into the hole, unaware of its presence because it was covered by snow, and broke their ankle. The property owner would be responsible for covering the cost of the pedestrian’s injuries.
A child is visiting their grandparents. The grandparent’s neighbors recently installed a new pool but did not put up a fence or any safety measures to keep uninvited guests away. The child was able to access the pool and drowned. In this case, the pool owner is at fault for not protecting an attractive nuisance from children, who cannot make informed decisions about their safety. However, the grandparents may also be at fault if it is found they left the child unsupervised. This is known as comparative fault and a percentage of the blame may be assigned to your case, decreasing the maximum payout.
Harper, Evans, Hilbrenner & Netemeyer’s personal injury attorneys will investigate your claim, speak with witnesses, review available security footage, and collect medical records. We go above and beyond for our clients because we believe you deserve justice and compensation for your injury. The first step to beginning a premise liability case is to contact Harper, Evans, Hilbrenner & Netemeyer for a free case evaluation.
Typically, if you were trespassing on another person’s property and you were injured, you probably do not have a premise liability case. However, if the property owner willfully allowed dangerous conditions to exist or even purposefully set up dangerous hazards to cause injury, there is a chance you could be compensated for your injuries. Reach out to Harper, Evans, Wade & Netemeyer to discuss the details of your case.
Pedestrians and customers who use a business’ sidewalks, steps, and ramps to access the business or surrounding areas expect a certain amount of care to be taken by the property owner. However, those same pedestrians must take reasonable precautions to avoid a dangerous situation. If your husband recognized the stairs were dangerous but used them anyway, he may hold some of the blame, or comparative fault. Only a premise liability attorney can help you navigate your case.
Children are much more likely to engage in dangerous behavior because they are unable to make sound decisions. If a child is injured due to an attractive nuisance on your neighbor’s property, you may have a premise liability case. Only the experienced attorneys at Harper, Evans, Wade & Netemeyer can help you understand your options.
Our lawyers handle cases involving catastrophic injuries of all types, as well as wrongful death. We frequently take on claims involving:
The negligent actions of drivers are the most frequent cause of personal injury. We have handled countless car accident cases and know what it takes to secure full compensation for your injuries.
A motorcyclist is no match for a car or truck in a traffic collision. There are often serious injuries and large medical bills. Only an experienced attorney can ensure complete compensation for an injured motorcyclist.
Semis and tractor-trailers have the ability to do serious damage when they are involved in an accident. We are experienced with truck accidents caused by overloaded trucks and truck driver fatigue.
Medical professionals are required to act with a certain standard of care. Failing at this standard can result in surgical errors, failed diagnosis and various other harms. When medical malpractice occurs, it takes a qualified lawyer to successfully pursue a claim.
Boat accidents result from carelessness, recklessness and failure to pay attention. Operating a boat under the influence of drugs or alcohol can also result in injury. Our attorneys understand how boating accidents occur and how to pursue a successful legal claim against negligent operators when they do.
A property owner may be responsible if a guest or customer is injured due to their negligence. Slip-and-falls and dog bites are common causes of injuries in premises liability cases. We understand how these cases are handled in Missouri.
A construction site can be a hazardous location for employees and other individuals. A site that is improperly maintained or where dangers are unprotected can result in serious injuries. Our attorneys are skilled in identifying how negligence causes construction accidents.
The frequency of abuse or neglect of the residents of nursing homes is astounding. Learning a loved one is a victim often leads to feelings of guilt and shame, but the nursing home is to blame. With a skilled attorney, it is possible to hold the nursing home accountable and obtain financial compensation.
Someone's negligent driving or failure to pay attention can change a pedestrian's life in an instant. Whatever the injury, we fight to secure a fair financial resolution and to hold the negligent party accountable.
Workplace accidents happen frequently and often it is an employer’s negligence or an employer’s omission that is part of the cause. We can help you collect when things happen that aren’t your fault.
When you suffer an injury on another person’s property because they failed to maintain their duty of care, you deserve to be compensated. Without an experienced premise liability attorney, you may never receive damages. Before it’s too late, contact Harper, Evans, Hilbrenner & Netemeyer. Our premise liability lawyers will work hard for you and your family.
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