Northwest Indiana Premises Liability Lawyer

Suffering an injury, such as a slip and fall or a dog bite can be difficult enough, but when it happens on another person’s property, it can add insult to injury. When one person is injured on another person’s property, and it was due to negligence on the part of the property owner, the accident falls under an area of law known as premises liability. When this occurs, it is important to contact a Northwest Indiana premises liability lawyer who may be able to get you compensation for your injuries. It may be critical to enlist the help of an experienced personal injury attorney for your case.

Premises Liability Claim Cases

Unfortunately, individuals can receive injuries in a manner of ways when on another person’s property. Some of the most common types of premises liability cases involve slip and falls, lack of security, animal attacks, swimming pool accidents, and falling objects.

In premises liability claims, animal attacks are most often dog bites, but any time an animal attacks someone, the owner of the animal may be held liable. Falling objects are most common around construction sites or in retail stores that have merchandise high up off the floor, if something falls from above and hits someone below, the owner of the property could be found at fault for it.

Northwest Indiana premises liability lawyers know that swimming pools can be risky places. Slippery decks can cause slip and falls, the water can pose a problem for inexperienced swimmers, or the strong chemicals in the water could pose a risk to some people. Whether the swimming pool resides on public or private property, the owner of the property could have responsibilty for any accidents occurring in or around it.

Understanding a Slip and Fall Accident

Slip and falls are the most common types of premises liability cases in Indiana. Slip and falls occur when a person falls resulting from a slip or trip on uneven pavement, poor lighting, icy sidewalks, or a number of other impediments in the area. People can receive injuries simply because no one around stops it.

A hotel owner could be found at fault if there have been multiple muggings in their parking lot that were not stopped due to a lack of security. When a person has had any of these accidents, they should speak to a Northwest Indiana premises liability lawyer as soon as possible. These cases can be tricky, and individuals often need help from a Northwest Indiana premises liability lawyer fighting their case.

Common Injuries in Premises Liability Cases

Due to the very broad range of premises liability cases, the resulting injuries can also fall into a very broad range. The most common injuries in premises liability cases are:

What Are Invitees?

In premises liability cases, it needs to be determined if the injured individual was an invitee, licensee, or trespasser. These determinations will make a large difference in the amount of compensation the injured person receives if any. Invitees divide into public, business and social guests.

Public invitees: members of the public using the space for the intended public purpose, such as a public park. Business invitees are those that are on the premises for the financial or business benefit of the property owner, such as the owner of a hotel or restaurant.

Social guests: those invited onto the property for a visit, such as a friend invited over to use the pool. Typically, property owners owe a great duty of care to invitees. They must make sure the area is as safe as possible and warn invited individuals of hidden dangers.

Licensees and Trespassers

Licensees are individuals on another person’s property for their own benefit; but they have permission from the owner for the property. This could include door-to-door salesmen, or someone who the owner allows to hunt on the property. Property owners typically have a duty of care to licensees, but not as much as they do invitees. Typically, property owners must only ensure they are not willfully hurting licensees on their property; or, that there is no inherent danger on the property.

Trespassers are individuals that are on the property without the owner’s permission. Property owners do not typically owe trespassers any duty of care, although Merrillville has an attractive nuisance law. This law states that if an object on the property could attract children, such as a swimming pool, the owner must take measures to ensure that the danger stays out of reach from children. A Northwest Indiana premises liability lawyer can try to help someone who has questions regarding their case.

Talk to a Northwest Indiana Premises Liability Attorney

Premises liability law in Indiana can be complex, and fighting these cases on your own can be difficult. Hurt while on someone else’s property? Call a Northwest Indiana premises liability lawyer who can help you get the compensation you deserve.