When you are a visitor or a guest on someone else’s property, you assume that you are free from perils that might cause you physical harm. If you are injured on property belonging to someone else, you have a right to proceed with legal action to be made whole again and recoup any losses for your injuries. An injury attorney can help you understand your legal rights as an injured party

A Duty to Exercise Reasonable Care

Premises liability laws in Pennsylvania are clear: property owners and homeowners have a duty of care to people who enter their properties to ensure they are reasonably safe. To ensure this duty of care, they must consistently inspect the property for potential hazards, repair any potential hazards, and give visitors adequate warning of any danger that exists on the property.

When an injury attorney reviews a premises liability case in the state of Pennsylvania, they look closely at whether the legal steps necessary to maintain the property and ensure the safety of visitors were followed. They also try to ascertain how long the dangerous hazard existed, whether a reasonable person would have known that it existed, and how long the responsible party knew about the dangerous condition.

Common Premises Liability Causes

Slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall injuries are the driving force behind many premises liability claims. Oftentimes, these injuries result from a visitor or guest falling due to uneven pavement or driveway surfaces, wet floors or concrete, loose rugs or floorboards, or inadequate lighting.

Drowning and near-drowning injuries are also common on properties with swimming pools. In addition, swimming pools can lead to diving board injuries, lacerations, infections, broken bones, and head injuries.

Dog bite injuries are another source of premises liability claims. Those who keep dogs on their property have a legal responsibility in the state of Pennsylvania to keep visitors safe from them. This means that they must adequately warn visitors to the property that the animal is — or is possibly — dangerous or has a dangerous disposition. The onus is also on the property owner to restrain a dog from attacking someone on their property.

What Do I Do If I’m Injured on Someone Else’s Property?

If you find yourself injured on property belonging to someone else, there are basic steps that you need to follow to more successfully present your claim in the aftermath of your injury:

• Seek medical attention right away if you are injured. Establishing that you have an injury and creating a medical record of your injury is crucial to your claim.
• Document your injury. Photograph the areas of your body that were injured, as well as where on the property you were injured, highlighting any dangerous conditions that led to your injury. Photographic evidence of your injury and the property conditions can be valuable if your claim goes to litigation.
• Obtain the names of any witnesses who were around when you were injured. Get the addresses and contact information for anyone who possibly witnessed your injury or has any information regarding it.
• Never sign any type of incident report or other documents until you have discussed your premises liability claim with an injury attorney.

What Do I Do If I’m Injured on Someone Else’s Property?

If you have been injured on property belonging to someone else, you have the legal right to be compensated for your losses, including medical bills, lost wages, and other relief. For more information about what to do if you’ve been injured on someone else’s property or slip and fall case law, contact one of our Philadelphia personal injury lawyers today.