Premises Liability
If you or a loved one has been hurt in a slip and fall, trip and fall, or other premises liability incident in Florida, Mark H. Wright can help. Dedicated personal injury lawyer Mark H. Wright has spent more than three decades helping Florida accident victims get the compensation they deserve. Mr. Wright prides himself on his dedicated service to his clients, providing personalized service and attention rather than the cookie-cutter representation that bigger law firms offer. At Mark H. Wright, PLLC, our number one priority is the welfare and recovery of our clients.
What is a Premises Liability Claim?
When most people think of premises liability, they think first about slipping on a wet floor at the grocery store. While slip and fall accidents are one form of premises liability, premises liability is a broad area of law that covers a variety of accidents and injuries suffered on someone else’s property. The core of a premises liability claim is that an accident occurred as a result of the owner, operator or manager of a property failing in their duty to keep their guests safe from harm. The extent of their responsibility varies based on the type of premises–store managers have a greater obligation to customers than apartment renters owe to their visitors–but the idea is the same: When you are lawfully visiting someone else’s property, and you are injured because of their carelessness, you have the right to recover for your harm.
Common types of premises liability claims include:
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Staircase, escalator, and railing defects
- Elevator and scaffolding collapses
- Porch collapses
- Swimming pool incidents
- Playground or other yard injuries
- Fires
- Dog bites and other animal attacks
- Negligent security in a nursing home, parking lot, office building, or other premises
Florida premises liability lawyer Mark H. Wright has years of experience representing clients injured in a wide range of premises liability accidents. If you were hurt on someone else’s property and you believe that your injury may have been their fault, call our Tampa premises liability injury legal team to investigate.
Proving Liability After a Slip and Fall
Slip and fall claims, like other premises liability and all personal injury claims, depend on three legal concepts: Duty, breach, and harm. Duty refers to the duty of care that the defendant owed to the plaintiff; breach relates to the defendant’s conduct that violated that duty; and harm refers to the damage suffered by the plaintiff as a result of the defendant’s conduct. Slip and fall cases often turn on the level of duty that the defendant owed to the plaintiff and whether they violated that duty by, for example, failing to repair or warn about a known danger, or by otherwise acting negligently.
Duties vary depending on the type of party and the type of premises involved. Apartment renters and homeowners, for example, must generally warn guests about known hazards–icy floors, loose carpets, broken staircases, etc. If a guest falls through a staircase and the homeowner knew or should have known about the danger, then the homeowner is liable. Homeowners are generally not responsible for going out of their way to inspect their premises for new hazards.
Owners and operators of premises open to the public, such as supermarkets, have a higher duty. They must be on the lookout for new dangers to their guests, such as by regularly inspecting the aisles for spills. If a customer slips on a wet floor, whether the owner can be held liable for a resulting injury depends on whether the store owner should have been aware of and dealt with the hazard. If the floor was wet because of a spill that happened just a few minutes earlier, the owner might not be liable. If the spill occurred two hours earlier, then the store should reasonably have found and remedied the spill. If the floor was wet because an employee mopped it and failed to put up a warning sign or dry the floor, then the store will almost certainly be liable.
A knowledgeable Florida premises liability attorney can help you evaluate the circumstances of a slip and fall or other premises liability accident to determine whether the property owner or operator was negligent in their duties. If the owner, manager, renter, or other operator was responsible for your injury, slip and fall injury lawyer Mark H. Wright is ready to help you get the recovery you deserve.
Help From a Dedicated and Effective Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured on someone else’s premises in the Tampa Bay area, you might have the right to monetary compensation. Mark H. Wright, PLLC, is available to hear your case. Our legal team is focused on giving compassionate, effective, and comprehensive service to our injured clients. If you were hurt in a slip and fall or other premises liability accident in Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Plant City, or anywhere in the Tampa Bay area, call us today for a free consultation.
