Whenever you step onto someone else’s property, you take on at least some risk of getting accidentally hurt by something dangerous. Many hazardous conditions a property owner should have under their control. If the hazard directly led to an otherwise avoidable injury, it could serve as the basis for a personal injury lawsuit.
Navigating premises liability law and achieving a favorable result from this sort of civil claim is far more difficult. When you want a fair shot at getting compensation from the landowner responsible for your injury, contacting and hiring a skilled York premises liability lawyer from Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers should be one of your top priorities.
We successfully recovered $380,000 for a contractor who suffered severe injuries to his spine and both shoulders when he fell through a trapdoor in a home, he was remodeling.
When Is a Property Owner Liable for a Visitor’s Injuries?
One very important thing to understand about premises liability law is that property owners aren’t automatically liable in legal terms for every injury anyone suffers on their land. Instead, they’re only liable for injuries caused directly by them, violating a duty of care they owed to the injured person. The duty a landowner owes to visitors changes significantly depending on why that visitor is on their property to begin with.
Property owners generally have no obligation to protect illegal trespassers from getting accidentally hurt on their land, even when the owner knew about a dangerous property condition and didn’t put any signs warning about it. As a property liability attorney in York can explain, landowners can’t do anything to intentionally harm trespassers—for example, setting traps—and they may be liable for injuries suffered by trespassing children under certain circumstances.
When someone is visiting solely for their own benefit, such as a guest at a house party, the property owner has a duty to warn that visitor about known hazards but generally isn’t liable for injuries caused by hazards they didn’t already know about. However, when someone is visiting for the landowner’s benefit, such as a customer in a retail store, the landowner may be liable for hazards they reasonably should’ve known about through regular inspection of their property.
Getting Paid Fairly Within Filing Time Limits
When you can prove a landowner is legally responsible for your accident on their land, you can demand money for past and future losses caused by your accident, including:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Medical bills
- Emotional trauma and distress
- Lost work wages and working ability
- Loss of life’s pleasures
- Personal property damage
Even when you suffer injuries that will have permanent consequences for you, you generally only have two years at most after initially getting hurt to file suit, per the statute of limitations set by 42 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes § 5524. Guidance from a seasoned premises liability lawyer in York can be key to building a strong and comprehensive claim within this strictly enforced deadline.
Contact a York Premises Liability Attorney for Help
Knowing that you got hurt on someone else’s land because of a hazard they should’ve done more to address is one thing, but holding them legally liable for your injuries is another entirely. Without help from experienced legal counsel, you’re likely to have a hard time getting paid any money for your losses, let alone the full amount you should be entitled to under state law.
Our attorneys can help you prove a landowner is at fault for your losses and work tirelessly to get you the compensation you deserve. Call us today to discuss your options with a York premises liability lawyer in a free, no-obligation consultation. You won’t owe us anything until we win the compensation you deserve.
