Whenever you find yourself on someone’s residential or commercial property, you assume the owner has taken steps to maintain a safe premises. Yet some property owners do not maintain their premises and visitors can sustain severe injuries in an accident. If you have sustained a serious injury while on another’s property, a local personal injury attorney could help you seek compensation for your damages.
A Marietta premises liability lawyer could determine if you have a viable claim and what damages you might be eligible to recover from the negligent property owner.
What Are The Common Types of Injuries Someone Can Sustain in a Property Accident?
Landlords and other property owners in Marietta must maintain reasonably safe premises. If property conditions are unsafe for any reason, the owner must warn those who enter, such as with clear, visible signage.
Unsafe premises can result in a variety of injuries. The most common types of injuries include:
- Head trauma
- Cuts and lacerations
- Neck and back injuries
- Electrocutions
- Health issues from toxic chemical exposure
- Broken bones
- Spinal cord injuries
- Drowning
- Animal bites
These and other injuries have a number of causes, including icy stairs and walkways, hanging live wires, lack of fencing around swimming pools, falling debris, dangerous animals, large holes in the ground, and insufficient security.
Should the property owner fail to keep their premises safe or provide warnings about any hazardous conditions, they have breached duty of care standards and is therefore liable.
Compensation For Damages
Hazards on a property can cause devastating and catastrophic injuries. Treating severe injuries could be costly. Fortunately, the injured claimant may be eligible to recover compensation for damages from the reckless property owner. This can include compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life. A skilled premises liability attorney could calculate the injured party’s damages and help them seek compensation for past and future expenses.
Establishing Liability for an Accident
Georgia courts use “in possession” and “out of possession” laws to establish landlord liability in hazardous property cases. If the landlord is “in possession” of a property and therefore on premise, the individual must exercise duty of care to avoid liability as per Georgia Code § 51-3-1. However, if the landlord is absent and therefore “out of possession” of the property in question, they are only liable for defective construction they performed themselves or supervised. Out of possession landlords who know about defective construction and failed to do anything about it also become liable, and subject to claims from Marietta attorneys and their plaintiffs according to Georgia Code § 44-7-14.
Discuss Your Premises Liability Case With a Legal Professional Today
Since premises liability is a type of personal injury claim, Georgia laws allow plaintiffs two years from the date of the incident to file their claim in court. If the claim is not filed within the two-year deadline, you may be unable to recover compensation for your damages.
Following a property accident, you should retain the services of a knowledgeable Marietta premises liability lawyer. With the help of an experienced local attorney, you could hold the negligent property owner accountable and recover compensation for the full value of your damages. Call today to get started on your case.