In Texas, we take care of our communities and the people who lawfully enter our property. As a property owner, it’s their duty to ensure that their visitors are safe while on the premises. If they fail to do so, they’re not only endangering their visitors, but they’re likely also breaking the law. When you’ve been injured on someone else’s property, then having an Amarillo, TX premises liability lawyer on your side could help you get justice.
You might not fully understand what happened to cause your injuries and other damages from an accident on someone else’s property. Our attorneys will investigate for you so that you can focus on healing. The legal team at Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm will be able to determine what caused the accident, who is at fault for what happened, and what you’re owed in compensation for what you’ve been through.
Common Premises Liability Accidents in Amarillo
When you’ve been injured from a property owner’s negligence, you deserve to recover what you suffered in damages from the party at fault. It can be difficult to take that step into taking legal action if you’re not sure what types of accidents are included in premises liability. That’s where our experience can come in to help you.
At Buckingham Barrera Vega, we’ve handled cases of all different kinds of accidents that were the fault of a property owner or another negligent party. Here are some of the different premises liability accidents that we can help with:
- Slip and Fall. Loose carpeting, poorly maintained flooring, and dilapidated stairs are all causes of slip and fall accidents. Any other kind of obstruction of a walkway could also lead to a fall that causes mild to severe injuries.
- Poor Lighting. One of the other causes of a slip and fall can be poor lighting. When a space isn’t well lit, it can also cause patrons to run into objects, hit their heads, and possibly get pierced by sharp objects that they can’t see clearly.
- Snow or Ice. Property owners are responsible for clearing walkways of snow and ice. If they fail to do that, visitors can fall and get seriously hurt.
- Elevators and Escalators. Equipment like elevators and escalators require regular inspections and maintenance. When they aren’t serviced properly, they can lead to serious accidents.
- Fires. If a fire starts on the premises and burns you or your property, then you might have a premises liability claim on your hands.
- Electrocutions. If there are exposed wires, they could electrocute visitors on the property.
- Swimming Pools. Although these can be fun in warm weather, they can also be incredibly dangerous when property owners don’t properly maintain their pools or ensure their visitors are safe in and around the pool.
- Negligent Security. Business and property owners are responsible for their guests, especially when preventing crimes from happening. If a business or area doesn’t have security or monitoring systems even though they’re susceptible to crime, then the owners could be responsible for any crimes against their patrons.
- Dog Bites. Dog owners are responsible for their pets. If they knock over, scratch, or bite someone, the owner could be liable for their actions.
Any of these scenarios could happen to you if a property owner isn’t vigilant and keeps their property safe. Most of the time, when you’re on the premises legally, you deserve to be safe and free of hazards. Our Amarillo, TX premises liability attorney is here to help you recover financially for what you’ve endured from someone else’s negligence.
Texas Premises Liability Laws
In a legal claim, it’s no surprise that the law will be the basis of your claim and what you can recover. However, you might not have a full understanding of those laws that surround premises liability. In Texas Code, there are different levels of liability for visitors on a premises depending on their status.
These are important to know for your claim because they can give you insight into how much care you were owed and whether or not you’ll be able to recover compensation for what happened to you. The different visitor classifications are invitee, licensee, and trespasser.
An invitee is the classification who is owed the highest level of care while on the premises because they were explicitly invited onto the property. Not only does a property owner need to warn an invitee of any hazards on the premises, but they also must make the premises safe for them by fixing any hazards. Property owners even need to seek out the dangerous conditions that they reasonably could know about.
A licensee is not afforded the same level of care as an invitee, but close. Licensees are allowed on the property but have not been explicitly invited. A property owner owes a licensee safe conditions and to warn them of any hazards that they wouldn’t know about, but they are not required to seek out hazards that they otherwise wouldn’t know about.
Trespassers are not afforded the same level of care as invitees and licensees. Since they are illegally on the premises, property owners do not owe trespassers a duty of care. However, trespassers might be able to recover compensation if they are harmed from gross negligence of the property owner.
On top of these classifications, there’s a specific law that applies to children called the law of attractive nuisance. This means that if a child wanders onto property and is injured from a dangerous condition, even though they’re trespassing, the landowner is liable for what happens to the child. A property owner must do everything in their power to keep the child from being able to wander onto their property and get hurt, including putting up fences and locking doors.
You Can Trust Our Amarillo, TX Premises Liability Lawyer To Help
Being hurt on someone else’s property can be devastating. You expect to be safe from hazards, but instead you leave with injuries that could seriously affect your life. That’s why it’s crucial to hire an Amarillo, TX premises liability lawyer from Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm to represent you.
With our experience, you can rest assured that you’ll have the strongest case possible. We’ll fight to get you justice for your damages and keep you from settling for less than you deserve. Contact our office today so we can schedule a free consultation.
