When you go to someone’s home or business, the last thing you should have to worry about is getting hurt. You have the right to think that, if someone invited you onto their property, it’s safe, right? Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. There are lots of people who get hurt while on someone else’s property in Douglasville, Georgia. This is what we call premises liability claims. if you get hurt while on anyone else’s property, you may have a valid premises liability claim in Douglasville. This is just like any other sort of personal injury case. Only it usually involves a person’s homeowner’s insurance company.
One of the reasons a lot of people are afraid to pursue a premises liability claim is that they don’t want to sue a friend or neighbor. If someone invites you over for dinner and you get hurt, you may want to pretend the whole thing never happened. You don’t want to have to file a claim against your neighbor’s insurance company. And you certainly don’t want to have to sue them personally. After all, they’re your friend. You need to live next to them for years to come. That can be very uncomfortable if you filed a lawsuit against them.
Your Douglasville premises liability attorney understands this. They wouldn’t want to have to sue their friend or neighbor either. The good news is that you probably won’t have to actually sue your neighbor. The same is true for whoever owns the property where you suffer your injury. People pay good money so that their insurance company will cover these kinds of claims. Your Douglasville premises liability lawyer can try to negotiate a settlement with the defendant’s insurance company so you don’t have to worry about suing anybody.
How Can Your Douglasville Personal Injury Attorney Prove Your Claim?
In order to recover damages for your premises liability claim, your Douglasville injury lawyer will have to prove negligence. It’s not enough that you were hurt on someone else’s property. You have to actually prove that the property owner was responsible for your injuries. For example, if you fell and broke your ankle, the property owner might be liable. But if you fell because you were wearing stiletto heels in the grocery store, it might be hard to prove negligence. The property owner has to do something wrong in order to be held liable for your injuries.
In order to prove negligence, your attorney will need to show the following:
- The property owner owed you a duty of care – This isn’t hard to prove. It’s inherent in the fact that they invited you onto their property. For example, if someone owns a restaurant, it’s implied that they’ll provide their customers with a clean and safe environment in which to eat their meal.
- They breached their duty of care – Typically, this means you need to show an unsafe condition existed. You also have to prove that the property owner knew or should have known the condition existed. Finally, you have to prove that they didn’t do what a reasonable property owner would’ve done to repair it or warn you about it.
- You were injured – It’s not enough that you fell. You need to show that you were actually injured. The best way to do this is to submit copies of your medical records. This is why it’s so important that you go to the hospital after your accident.
- Your injuries were caused by the defendant’s breach of duty – You need to show that your injuries were caused by the unsafe condition. Like we said – if you fell because you were drunk or were wearing stiletto heels, that has nothing to do with the property owner. it has to do with your own unreasonable behavior.
Contact Our Office to Discuss Your Premises Liability Claim in Douglasville, Georgia
If you’re hurt while on someone else’s property, you may have a claim for damages. This kind of claim is referred to as a premises liability claim. Personal injury law firms in Douglasville have years of experience handling cases just like yours. Call the Law Office of John B. Jackson and schedule a free initial consultation. Explain what happened while you were on the defendant’s property. Let them see your medical records so they have an idea of how serious your injuries were. And bring copies of any out of pocket expenses you’ve been dealing with. Sit down with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Douglasville. They can give you an idea of what your case is worth. They can also let you know what the odds are of settling your case without the need for a lawsuit.
