Whether it’s a private residence or a business serving the public, you have a right to expect that the buildings you enter and the grounds you walk will be safe. Poor conditions, insufficient maintenance, and other factors create hazards that may result in serious injury.
If you got hurt through no fault of your own on an unsafe property, you may be liable for compensation through a premises liability lawsuit. These personal injury claims encompass slips, trips, and falls, injury due to criminal activity, and more.
Contact REA Law to start building your case. Call 775-300-7594 today for a complimentary consultation. Attorney Raymond E. Areshenko serves clients in Reno, Sparks, and nearby areas of Nevada. For clients in Sacramento or throughout Northern California, REA Law is also available to help with your premises liability case. Call 916-800-6090 for a free evaluation of your California claim.
Learn more about dangerous premises claims by clicking on the links below:
- What is premises liability?
- Types of premises liability accidents
- Proving a premises liability case
- Slip, trip, and fall accidents and injuries
- Negligent security
- Contact REA Law for free today
What Is Premises Liability?
Property owners and managers have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of visitors and guests on the premises they oversee. This applies to a wide range of buildings and structures, including:
- Parking lots and parking garages
- Hotels and motels
- Casinos
- Retail stores
- Malls
- Office complexes
- Sidewalks and other walkways
- Work zones
This obligation doesn’t just extend to public buildings and businesses. Private homeowners are required to maintain reasonably safe conditions for people who enter the property lawfully. The same is true for residential spaces like apartments and condominiums, where the owner or building management is responsible for performing maintenance and addressing security and safety issues.
If you are injured, your lawyer must prove that you were hurt because of unsafe conditions on the property.
Types of Premises Liability Accidents
A host of factors can make a property hazardous. Some of the most common causes of injury on dangerous premises include:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Trip and falls
- Negligent security
- Falling objects
- Fire hazards and/or inadequate safety measures to combat fires
- Electrocution due to exposed wiring or poorly grounded power outlets
Some properties have their own unique set of dangers that can cause severe injury or even death. For instance, most people associate aviation lawsuits with airplane accidents, but airports can also be liable for injuries sustained as a result of poor maintenance in the terminals and at the gates, improper handling and transportation of luggage, and failure to restrict access to the tarmac, to name just a few.
Similarly, amusement parks can be held liable for injuries received by guests due to ride malfunctions, lack of safety features at attractions, and other accidents. Sacramento is home to several amusement parks and water parks, including the nearby Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.
If you live in or were visiting California and got hurt at one of the local theme parks, call 916-800-6090 for a free review of your case with REA Law.
Proving a Premises Liability Case
It’s important to act quickly any time you are injured by an outside cause. In the case of a dangerous property injury, the people responsible may try to fix poor conditions or remove crucial evidence before you can preserve it.
Your first priority after any injury is to receive all necessary medical care. But, if you don’t require immediate treatment, you can start protecting your rights by doing the following:
- Documenting conditions at the scene: Slick spots or standing liquid on the floor, torn or buckled carpet, uneven stairs, missing or damaged handrails, and cracked or broken pavement are just a few signs of a property that is suffering neglect. If conditions like these are in the immediate vicinity of where you were hurt, take notes or, better still, take pictures with your smartphone.
- Speak to witnesses: If anyone saw you get hurt, be sure to get their contact information. They might be able to provide testimony that supports your claim.
- Contact an attorney as soon as possible: Just like in a car accident lawsuit, the insurance company is principally interested in protecting its bottom line. To that end, insurance adjusters will ask you questions as a pretext for identifying factors that they can argue absolve the company of liability. A premises liability lawyer is dedicated to protecting your rights.
REA Law will investigate all elements of your case, including the nature and extent of your injuries, signs of negligence on the property where you were hurt, availability of video surveillance, and more. Get started by contacting attorney Raymond E. Areshenko today for a complimentary review of your case.
Slip, Trip, and Fall Accidents & Injuries
Sometimes a slip or a trip is just a temporary loss of footing. When you fall, though, the results can be unpredictable. The seemingly short distance to the ground can end in significant injury to multiple areas of your body, especially when the fall involves hazardous conditions.
Slip and fall or trip and fall accidents can result in serious injuries such as:
- Brain injuries
- Neck and back trauma, including spinal cord injury
- Broken bones, especially fractures of the hands and lower arms
- Sprains, ligament tears, and other soft tissue injuries
Some of the major causes of slip and falls include:
- Slippery floors and walkways
- Items on the floor
- Runs or frayed sections in carpet
- Cracked or uneven flooring
- Poor lighting
In Nevada and California, slip and fall and other personal injury cases have to be filed no more than two years after the date you were hurt. It is very important to act as soon as possible to ensure that you have the best chance of receiving justice in your case and recovering the compensation you deserve.
Negligent Security
Property owners are responsible for more than just making sure people can safely walk the premises. They also have an obligation to ensure that tenants, customers, guests, visitors, and other authorized parties have safe access to the property. That means the property needs to have effective security measures to keep out potentially dangerous individuals.
Not every building is going to have state-of-the-art surveillance equipment, nor is it legally required to do so. Rather, the liability takes into account the building manager or property company’s duty of care; in other words, were adequate security measures in place to keep those on the premises safe?
Inadequate security measures might take a variety of different forms, including:
- Holes or weak points in a perimeter fence
- Unlocked doors or windows, or unmaintained locks
- Insufficient lighting in parking lots, corridors, and other high-traffic areas
- Failing to hire and/or train necessary security staff
- Too few or poorly placed surveillance cameras
These failures in security open the property to criminals with many different intents, from robbery and assault to sexual violence and even murder. Tragically, many violent crimes that happen on a property could be avoided if the building management took the time and spent the money to provide proper security.
If you suffered injury at the hands of a wrongdoer on an unsafe property, your case is separate from any criminal case against the offender. REA Law takes action in your claim against the property owner or company responsible for creating the unsafe condition that led to your injuries.
And, if you lost a loved one due to injuries they sustained in an attack resulting from negligent security, attorney Raymond E. Areshenko will pursue justice on your family’s behalf through a wrongful death lawsuit. No amount of money will replace the person you’ve lost, but compensation in a wrongful death case will help offset some of the financial strain you feel after the unexpected death of a family member.
Contact REA Law for a Free Consultation Today
Attorney Ray Areshenko is licensed to practice law in Nevada and California. He understands premises liability cases because he knows how insurance companies operate. Mr. Areshenko used to get hired by these companies to defend their insureds in accident lawsuits. Now he relies on that experience to provide knowledgeable, honest representation for people seeking just compensation for injuries they suffer due to negligence.
Whether it’s a homeowners insurance company or the insurer for a resort, casino, amusement park, or other major entity, the biggest obstacle in any injury case is the involvement of the insurance agency. Insurance companies are directly opposed to the interests of the injured party in premises liability claims. That’s why hiring an experienced attorney is so important.
For a complimentary review of your case, please call REA Law at 775-300-7594 today. Attorney Raymond E. Areshenko serves Reno, Sparks, and nearby areas of Nevada. We also have offices in Northern California. Call 916-800-6090 for service throughout California.
