As careful as you may be, accidents can always happen unexpectedly. If you have suffered an injury while on someone else’s property, you may have the grounds to pursue a premises liability claim to collect compensation. In Washington state, property owners are obligated to keep their premises safe for visitors and customers. So, depending on the specifics of your case, you may be able to secure compensation that can help you cover the medical costs and lost wages stemming from your injury.
For the best chance at receiving a fair settlement to cover your damages, you need to seek the representation of a premises liability accident lawyer in the Seattle area. Call NBF Accident Law today to learn more about how our premises attorneys can help you pursue a premises liability claim.
Understanding Premises Liability in Washington State
Under Washington state law, property owners must maintain safe premises for lawful visitors. This means that commercial property owners, such as retail stores, restaurants, and boutiques, must ensure that the building and surrounding property are free from hazards.
Private property owners are also obligated to keep their premises safe for lawful visitors (i.e., mail carriers, friends, family, etc.). If a visitor or shopper slips on a slick surface or trips over an uneven surface, they may take legal action against the owner to hold them accountable for failing to keep the premises safe.
Property owners are legally responsible for regularly assessing their premises to identify any hazardous conditions. If they find a safety issue, they must post visible warnings and take steps to repair the problem as soon as possible. If they fail to take any of these preventative steps and someone is injured, this could be grounds for a substantial premises liability injury claim.
Injuries Associated with Slip-and-Fall Accidents
The most common type of premises liability claim is a slip-and-fall accident claim. These can range from mild to severe depending on what led up to the accident and the severity of your injuries. In most situations, if the accident could have been prevented by the property owner or you had to seek medical treatment for your injuries, you have substantial grounds for a claim.
Not only do slip-and-fall accidents have the potential to cause new and severe injuries, but they can also contribute to old injuries or health conditions that you already had. Here are some examples of common slip-and-fall injuries:
- Traumatic brain injurie
- Spinal cord injur
- Flesh wound
- Internal organ injurie
- Broken bone
- Whiplash
These are slip-and-fall injuries that usually occur due to slippery floors, obstructed walkways, bulging carpets, poor lighting, uneven grounding, and icy surfaces.
Building a Strong Premises Liability Claim
If you have suffered an injury while shopping at a store or visiting a private residence in the Seattle area, you may have the grounds to pursue compensation. Although slip-and-fall accidents are the most common types of premises liability injuries, exposed wires, uneven surfaces, and other hazards can lead to painful and costly injuries as well.
Premises liability cases may be very straightforward or could be quite difficult to prove, depending on the details of the accident. Here are some ways you can prove premises liability if you believe the property owner failed to take the necessary steps to keep their visitors safe:
- Breach of duty: Property owners have a duty of care that ensures they keep the premises safe for visitors; if they breach this duty of care, it could help support your premises liability case. They may have known about a safety hazard and failed to address it, such as leaving ice on their walkway instead of salting it or putting up a warning sign.
- Causation: For a premises liability claim to stick, you have to be able to prove that the property owner’s breach of duty directly caused your injuries. Because of this, if you were injured due to something you did, such as trying to skip a step when going up the stairs, your claim wouldn’t qualify.
Hire the Best Premises Liability Lawyer to Support Your Case
Even if your premises liability case seems straightforward, you never want to try to go through this process on your own. You need to hire a Seattle premises liability attorney to help you build a strong claim, produce reliable evidence, and negotiate a fair settlement. Taking this additional step will ensure you receive the damages you are entitled to so you can cover your medical costs and get your life back on track.
Navigating the process of a premises liability claim can be very difficult, especially if you are seriously injured and trying to recover. Because of this, you need to find a Seattle premises liability defense attorney who can help take over the details of your case.
