Property owners have a legal responsibility to maintain their land, residences, and businesses in a safe manner for those who visit, work, or live there. Exact laws vary from state to state, but generally, property owners need to maintain safe conditions by fixing known dangers on their premises and warning visitors of all potential hazards. Negligent property owners who don’t uphold their duty to maintain a safe environment put innocent visitors and occupants at risk for SEVERE accident and injury.
Suffering a severe injury is costly. Not only do victims deal with a flood of medical bills, but many cannot work for some time. In the most severe cases, an accident victim can never return to work, placing an unimaginable financial burden on their household. If you were injured due to the carelessness of a property owner, you shouldn’t have to cope with financial struggles on top of physical struggles. The committed and dedicated legal team at Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, is here to help you through these difficult times. We are committed to helping you GET THE COMPENSATION YOU DESERVE!
We are a national law firm based in Houston with multiple offices around the country. We also work with affiliate law firms in most states that share our focus on client-first compassion and our dedication to excellence. No matter where you’re located, we want to help. Contact us now – we’re open 24/7 and ready to give you a 100% FREE case evaluation. Call 800-898-4877 or CLICK HERE to submit your case for review.
Premises Liability Accidents and Injuries
Depending on the degree of negligence by a property owner and the specific hazard you encounter, you end up with different types of injuries. Maybe you’ve broken a bone or sprained an ankle. You still deserve to have a smooth recovery. If you have experienced more severe injuries, such as back injuries, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, disfigurement, or disability, you will need more extensive treatment and care, possibly for the rest of your life. Many situations fall under the umbrella of a premises liability accident or injury. The following list can give you an idea of how your injury may be categorized.
Falls
Falls are the most frequently occurring premises liability accidents. A slip or trip can seem minor but it can lead to serious damage. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 20 percent of unintentional falls lead to severe injuries. Falls are also the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) for all age groups, and the leading cause of hip breaks for older adults. Property owner negligence can lead to dangerous falls, with results ranging from broken bones to disfigurement or disability. Even something as simple as a chipped tooth can permanently change a person’s smile, alter their confidence, and make eating difficult.
Some examples of property owner negligence include:
- Failure to clean up debris or clear ice or snow from entryways, parking lots, driveways, and doorways
- Failure to clean up spills in a reasonable amount of time
- Poor building maintenance leading to loose, missing, worn, or rotted materials such as steps, flooring, handrails, and structural elements
- Uneven walkways and sidewalks left in disrepair
- Not warning danger for visitors after using wet or dry products such as water, floor cleaners, floor wax, granules, and powders
- Insufficient lighting
We understand the danger associated with falls, and we are here to help victims hold negligent, irresponsible property owners liable for their injury-causing failures.
Swimming Pool Accidents
The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates about 150 children under age 15 drown each summer in swimming pool accidents across the United States. Their estimates don’t include non-fatal pool accidents or accidents that involve adults. Pools are a great way to get relief from the heat, exercise, and spend quality family time, but negligent pool owners can put a damper on all the fun when they don’t properly maintain their pool and its surroundings. Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law helps those who have suffered swimming pool accidents whether they were at hotels, waterparks, or private residences.
Negligent pool owners can be liable for an accident if they make the following mistakes:
- Fail to provide supervision or lifeguards on duty
- Put too many chemicals or the wrong type of chemicals in the pool
- Don’t keep the pool clean, causing exposure to dangerous bacteria
- Fail to maintain the concrete around the pool, including the steps, slides, drains, pumps, filters, and diving boards, leading to potentially severe accidents
- Fail to put a fence, gate, or another barrier to keep dangerous animals and small children away from the pool
- Overcrowds the pool
- Doesn’t provide safety devices such as floats to help swimmers in distress
Elevator and Escalator Accidents
When you go to a mall, airport, or any large office building, you likely use elevators, moving walkways, and escalators. This convenient technology is especially important for the elderly and others who struggle with mobility. Yet, these machines require proper installation and regular maintenance to keep from injuring their vulnerable users.
Mechanical problems with escalators, elevators, and moving walkways that might lead to a serious injury and premises liability claim include:
- A poor installation that results in missing or loose pieces and parts, creating SERIOUSLY unsafe equipment
- Sudden escalator, moving walkway, or elevator stops
- Incorrect elevator landings or sudden drops
- Failure to regularly inspect equipment for issues and fix any mechanical issues
Bodily Harm From Poor Security
Each state varies the extent to which it holds a property owner liable for injuries a visitor suffers from a third party on a property. In many instances, maintaining adequate security for visitors in order to protect them from third-party crimes is included under the umbrella of “maintaining a safe environment.” Specific ways to provide adequate security on a property vary based on circumstances, but can include providing security guards, installing better lighting, and restricting property access with a gate, key, or card. When property owners DON’T provide security, visitors are at risk for assault, theft, rape, murder, and any number of serious crimes!
Building Fires and Explosions
Fires and explosions don’t occur often, but when they do, they can lead to severe burns, respiratory issues, and sometimes death. Depending on the events which lead to a fire or explosion, a property owner can be liable for damages when a visitor is harmed. Fires and explosions ignite for many different reasons, including negligence and intentional harm.
Some examples include:
- Failure to properly put out a cigarette or cigar
- Failure to properly handle flammable liquids
- Old or poorly installed electrical work which leads to electrical shorts
- Arson
- Uncontrolled bonfires
Burn victims and explosion victims typically need to spend weeks, months, or even YEARS in recovery depending on the extent of their injuries. Some are disfigured and never fully recover. In the most extreme cases, victims might have to spend time in a medically-induced coma while remaining in a burn unit. After serious burn injuries, many victims face permanent scarring even after one or more reconstructive surgeries, which typically involve skin grafts.
Careless and negligent property owners who create conditions for dangerous fires and explosions need to be stopped If you’ve suffered burns, we can help you recover the compensation you deserve so you can afford the best medical treatment possible.
Dog Bites
Property owners have a duty to protect visitors from dangerous animals. Although someone might get attacked by any kind of pet, dog bites are the most common type of premises liability claims. Small children are ESPECIALLY vulnerable to dog bites. Their small size put them right in the danger zone for a bite on the face from most dogs. Dog bites can cause disease and infection, but the actual skin damage can also lead to permanent disfigurement.
Dog bite victims sometimes suffer permanent scars, which can be especially damaging near the face. Additionally, children who suffer dog bites can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder afterward, requiring YEARS of therapy to work through the event. At Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, we understand the gravity of a dog bite injury and can help you hold negligent pet owners responsible their carelessness.
Financial Impact of Premises Liability Accidents
Injuries from premises liability accidents can vary in severity, which also means the cost of the injury can vary too. Severe injuries are expensive, and the economic consequences victims and their families face can spread into every aspect of life. Accident victims who suffer severe injuries likely cannot work during recovery. Some may never return to work. In extreme cases, victims can face bankruptcy, foreclosure, repossession, unbelievable medical bills, and increasing credit card debt. Sometimes families can struggle to pay basic monthly expenses or put food on the table.
Victims and their families shouldn’t have to financially suffer because a careless property owner’s negligence caused them harm.
If you or someone close to you has recently experienced an injury, you likely know the impact of medical expenses and lost wages. Federal assistance is rarely enough to cover your needs. The stress can be overwhelming and seem never-ending. Problems you may face down the road include:
Future Medical Expenses
It’s not just the initial injury that can RUIN a victim’s health or finances. Severe injuries can cause permanent conditions or disabilities which prevent an accident victim from ever returning to their job. In some cases, catastrophic injuries will prevent a victim from engaging in any type of gainful employment. Injured victims may require round-the-clock in-home aides or may require admission to. notoriously expensive care facilities, and most insurance plans do not cover long-term care. This forces a victim’s family to make difficult decisions for their loved one.
Lost Earning Capacity
If you or your loved one who suffered an injury was a primary provider for the family, the household can suffer from a lack of income for years to come. Victims who can NEVER return to work because of a premises liability accident will also have future lost wages and benefits, which can create massive financial stress for a family.
Home Renovations and Accessibility Modifications
When accident victims return home from the hospital, their struggle still isn’t over. They made have impaired mobility or need to use a wheelchair. This means victims and their families will need to make home modifications to make a house more accessible. Examples include building a new bathroom or bedroom on the ground floor, constructing a wheelchair ramp, and installing handrails throughout areas in the home, especially in the bathroom and shower. Major home modifications can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Replacement Costs
After sustaining a severe injury, some victims cannot do the same activities and chores they did before their accident. Although families can try their best to bounce back, maintaining a household can be challenging when one of the team members is down. Some replacement costs victims and their families might have to spend money on include lawn services, cleaning services, and childcare. These services add up fast and can be a major expense.
Stewart J. Guss’s Team Holds Negligent Owners Accountable
The experienced premises liability lawyers of Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, have advocated for accident victims for more than 20 years. If you or a loved one have been harmed on another party’s private property, we may help you regardless of where you are located. You can contact us now for a FREE, IMMEDIATE case evaluation at 800-898-4877. We are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for FREE, or you can CLICK HERE to submit your case for review online. Because we take all of our premises liability cases on a contingency fee basis, you will not owe us a DIME unless we win your case.
See what past clients have to say:
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“Mr. Guss was wonderful. He fought hard against the insurance company to get us what we deserved. I went from owing almost $5000 in medical bills to actually getting money in my pocket. Absolutely Amazing!!!!! A big thank you from me and my family!!!”
-Karley B.
