Common Chicago Premises Liability Cases

If an attorney understands the law related to premises liability, like a skilled Chicago premises liability attorney, they will handle all cases that involve the liability of a landowner or occupier of the land. No matter the type of accident, it is important that a skilled and experienced liability lawyer is contacted as soon as possible for someone to begin their claim.

Locations Resulting in Liability Cases

Different types of liability cases can involve slips and falls, ice and snow, debris or liquid on the floor causing a slip and fall, defects in stairs and also stairways/wells, cases involving children who are on the land.

The most common type of premises liability claim in Chicago is a slip and fall. Chicago attorneys are seeing an increase in the number of accidents of people on types of escalators or moving walkways.

There are several common locations that will result in various types of Chicago premises liability cases, which include:

  • Construction sites
  • Also, retail stores
  • Parking lots
  • Apartment buildings
  • Escalators, elevators, also moving walkways
  • Amusement parks
  • Sports stadiums
  • Lastly, places of public recreation (including public pools and gyms)

Role of Legal Status

For a person legally on the premises, an owner or occupier of land owes a duty of reasonable care. The law in Illinois is clear that an owner’s duty to non-trespassers is one of reasonable care under the circumstances. An owner has no duty regarding open and obvious dangerous conditions except in limited circumstances.

Due to recent developments in Illinois law, the status of the visitor plays less than the role that it did in traditional common law. The main distinction is between invitees and licensees; this will distinction will matter in certain common types of Chicago premises liability cases.

Invitees include business customers and their children, spectators at a sporting event, independent contractors working on the premises, firemen, policemen, babysitters and job applicants. Licensees might include social guests and persons given permission to be in a property. Those groups are treated differently under the law than trespassers. A trespasser is one who enters a part of premises of another without an invitation or without permission.

Case Approach

There are certainly common elements and approaches to any Chicago premises liability case. The assessment of the injury is going to be the same in any type of premises liability and will be the same as it is in any personal injury case. Variances occur given the nature of the accident and how that accident occurred and the type of owner and occupier of the land.

A strong premises liability case in Chicago would be where a person is injured on the premises when the danger that caused or the defect that caused the injury was unknown and not obvious to the injured party but was already known by the landowner or occupier of the land.

Working with a Premises Liability Attorney

A premises liability attorney can help somebody who suffers an injury on another’s property. Gathering, organizing and presenting that evidence to the adverse party. This triggers certain legal obligations and makes the case clear and concise; provides that plaintiff a distinct advantage in maximizing the value of their case.

An attorney will review and analyze all potential parties in a common premises liability claim in Chicago. The obvious responsible party may be the owner or occupier of the land. Identifying the true owner of a piece of commercial property may be difficult and require a legal analysis of property records, and also related documents.

Contact us

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