How Can I Prove a Property Owner Was Aware of a Safety Hazard?
Posted September 22nd, 2023.
Categories: Blog.
If you get injured on someone else’s property and they could have prevented it, you may have legal options. If a property owner was aware of a potential safety hazard and did nothing to protect people who were invited onto their property, then they were negligent. A Cherry Hill personal injury attorney can help you hold them accountable.
What Kind of Safety Hazard Can Cause Injuries?
Property owners should always be on the lookout for safety hazards like:
- Unsafe wiring and loose electrical cords
- Spills and slipping hazards
- Broken or damaged pavement
- Fire code violations
- Missing or broken handrails in a stairwell
- Poor lighting
- Inadequate security
Any safety hazard like the ones mentioned above can easily lead to someone getting hurt. If you were injured on another person’s property and such a hazard was to blame, you need to know what you have to do to build a successful case against that property owner.
What Do I Need to Show When I Sue for Damages?
When you sue for damages, you need to show a few things. You need to show that:
- The person who owned the property was responsible for maintaining it
- The property owner knew a safety hazard existed
- The owner did not deal with the safety hazard
- The owner did not warn people about the safety hazard
- You were allowed to be on the property
- You got injured
If you can show all of these things, you probably have a solid personal injury case on your hands. You can go into court and show that a property owner was neglectful, and you can draw a straight line from that to your injury.
Can a Property Manager Be Accountable for a Safety Hazard?
In some cases, the property owner does not actually manage the property though. If there is instead a property manager or a renter, then you and your lawyer may need to do a bit of work to figure out who is liable here. It mostly comes down to who was responsible for maintaining the property itself. If the property owner was the only one with that responsibility, then they are the defendant. However, if the renter or occupant also had responsibilities to clean up safety hazards, then you might have multiple liable parties in your case.
Do I Need a Lawyer?
Hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer can make it easier to build a case against a property owner. Proving negligence can be hard, but your attorney can gather evidence, talk to witnesses, and dive into safety records to learn more about the property, your accident, and who should be held accountable.
Contact Our Firm
When you are ready to learn more about your legal options, contact the Law Offices of Mark S. Guralnick. We are ready to fight for you and hold any negligent party accountable for the pain that they caused you.
