Property owners have a responsibility to ensure that their guests are not placed at undue risk of suffering harm due to unsafe conditions on their premises. Unfortunately, this responsibility is not always upheld, potentially causing dangerous accidents and serious injuries to occur. For this reason, property owners may be held liable for their negligence in placing others in harm’s way.
While property owners in Texas are not automatically liable for every accident that happens on their land, they still have a duty to keep their land safe and provide reasonable protections to lawful visitors. Any property owner or manager who fails to fulfill their legal duty and allows a visitor to sustain injuries due to this negligence could be liable for any immediate losses stemming from the incident, including the negative long-term effects.
Although holding a negligent landowner accountable might appear simple, the rules and regulations governing these cases are complicated to fight without assistance from a capable personal injury attorney. That said, when a private landowner is to blame for the injuries you sustain on their property, speaking with a Beaumont premises liability lawyer about pursuing a civil claim should be a top priority.
Those injured on someone else’s property need to understand that landowners in Texas do not owe the same duty of care to everyone who steps onto their property. For example, landowners have almost no duty to protect trespassers from accidental harm—although they cannot do anything to harm them intentionally, such as setting traps or allowing hazardous conditions to get worse.
When it comes to “licensees” visiting lawfully for their own purposes, such as guests at a house party, property owners must provide proper warnings of known hazards and take reasonable steps to fix them. For “invitees” visiting lawfully for the landowner’s benefit, such as customers in a retail store, landowners must also inspect their property regularly to identify new hazards as quickly as possible.
With all this in mind, establishing what type of duty a landowner owed a person is a vital first step towards effectively pursuing a claim against them. A knowledgeable Beaumont attorney could explain how state law applies to a premises liability case and help collect relevant evidence to incorporate into a comprehensive settlement demand or lawsuit.
When a landowner violates their legal duty of care in such a way that it leads to a property visitor suffering an otherwise avoidable injury, the visitor can demand restitution for all economic and non-economic losses the accident causes them. In the short term, these plaintiffs can seek compensation for emergency medical expenses, lost income, personal property damage, and physical pain and suffering, among other things.
When the effects of an injury are expected to continue for several years after the property accident, a seasoned lawyer in Beaumont could demand restitution for lost earning capacity, long-term medical expenses, and lost enjoyment of life. When seeking damages for an incident on a negligent landowner’s property in Beaumont, a seasoned lawyer’s assistance can be crucial.
Property owners are not immune from civil liability for injuries on their land; however, that does not mean filing a suit against the landowner for their recklessness is simple. Between the opposition you will likely face from prospective defendants and the unique rules set forth by state law, you may have next to no chance of achieving a favorable case resolution without a hardworking legal professional on your side.
The assistance you may need is available from a Beaumont premises liability lawyer. Call today for a consultation.
