Property owners are supposed to maintain reasonable safety and security standards. If they do not and you are injured as a result, you may be able to seek compensation and damages. The incidents caused by unsafe property can range from a slip and fall accident to serious assault.
Watch the video below to see Pensacola injury lawyer Joe Zarzaur discuss Florida “slip and fall / premises liability” cases…
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Premises Liability Cases
Issues such as unsafe surfaces, uneven steps, and faulty construction can give rise to premises liability claims. The injuries you suffer from these incidents could cause a lifetime of pain, medical bills or worse. Premises liability injuries can occur almost anywhere:
- Homes
- Apartments and condominiums
- Businesses
- Restaurants and stores
- Parking lots
- Hotel lobbies and property
Pensacola Slip and Fall Lawsuits
You may feel like an accident was just your own clumsiness, but that is often not true. Our investigators will collect evidence from your accident. Zarzaur Law’s Pensacola slip and fall lawyers are very familiar with these cases, and we are more likely to identify premises liability problems than a casual observer. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.
Property owners have a duty to prevent the occurrence of harm to visitors on their property. The law differentiates between different types of visitors to a property and requires a different standard of care for each type of visitor. A visitor can be an invitee, a licensee, or a trespasser. Even a trespasser who does not have a legal right to be on a property is owed a duty of care by the property owner or manager.
An invitee is a visitor to a property who is on another person’s property for purposes connected with the business of the property owner or occupant. Invitees could be shoppers going to a grocery store to buy food, or people at a movie theater. This class of visitors enjoy the highest standard of care from property owners and managers. Property owners must keep their property reasonably safe and protect invitees from any dangerous conditions that are present or that they should be aware of. The law expects that the property owner will take active steps to maintain their property and conduct regular inspections to identify and repair any potential dangers to invitees.
Licensees are visitors to another person’s property who enter the property for their own pleasure, benefit, or convenience. The standard of care owed by a property owner to a licensee is lower than that owed to an invitee, but a property owner has a duty to not intentionally expose a licensee to danger or harm on the property.
Trespassers are also owed a duty of care, even though they have no legal right to be on a property. The property owner or manager has a duty to not willfully injure a trespasser. There are people who use devices like high voltage fences to protect that property. To discharge their duty to trespassers, there should be a warning about the potential danger in attempting to enter the property.
Proving a Slip and Fall Injury
A victim of a slip and fall injury must prove certain things to successfully make a claim against the property owner or manager. They must prove that the property owner owed them a duty of care and failed to take reasonable action to discharge their duty. Because the duty of care varies depending on what type of visitor you are, it is important to establish that. Determining whether a victim is a licensee or an invitee can sometimes be an issue in a slip and fall case. Because of this, the courts have come up with a test to distinguish between them.
To make a determination about whether a person is an invitee on the property for business purposes, the victim must show that their presence on the property was either of mutual benefit to both the visitor and the property owner, or of benefit to the owner, manager, or occupier. Where there is no mutual benefit of the two parties, or to the property owner, manager, or occupier, then they would most likely be classified as a licensee rather than an invitee.
If you have been a victim of an injury, your Pensacola slip and fall lawyer will be able to review the circumstances of your case and determine what kind of visitor you were at the time of your accident.
Pensacola Negligence Lawsuits
It is all too common for owners of apartment complexes and hotels to ignore security problems. Lapses like broken security systems and disabled locks on gates or insufficient lighting can make it easy for criminals to prey on residents and visitors. A negligent security injury can be very serious — or fatal. Common injuries and incidents include:
- Robbery
- Physical assault
- Sexual assault
- Gunshot wounds
- Homicide
Because of the emotional trauma involved, you may need psychological care in addition to medical treatment, after one of these injuries. Our Pensacola slip and fall attorneys will work hard to make sure that you get compensation for all the damages that you are entitled to.
Be confident you have a legal expert on your side.
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