At Cartee & Lloyd, our Tuscaloosa Slip & Fall Lawyers understand that premises liability claims extend far beyond typical slip and fall accidents. Many injured victims are unaware of their legal options after sustaining injuries on someone else's property. Wet floors are just the start of what can lead to injuries on unsafe properties.
Every day, we encounter individuals who have been harmed due to property owners neglecting their responsibility to maintain safe premises. As your advocates in Alabama, our personal injury lawyers fight to protect your rights when you're injured due to someone else's negligence.
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Let's look at what premises liability really means and some types of cases you might not know about. Learning these basics of personal injury law will help you see if your situation might qualify for legal action.
Premises liability is the legal principle that makes property owners liable for any injuries or accidents that occur on their premises. This legal responsibility comes from the property owner's responsibility to guarantee the safety of individuals who enter their premises.
When a property owner fails to keep their premises safe, and you get hurt, they may be held liable for your injuries. The rule is simple: property owners are responsible for ensuring the safety of those who enter their premises.
While slip and fall accidents are common, many other situations qualify as premises liability cases. These include:
In Alabama, we also see cases involving parking lot potholes and injuries from poorly maintained equipment on public property.
Personal injury cases often involve premises liability. Here are three common types that the injured person should know about when seeking help after an accident on someone else's property.
In Alabama, dog owners can be automatically liable for bites that occur on their property. Approximately 4.5 million incidents of dog bites occur annually in the United States, of which close to 800,000 require medical attention. These attacks often cause serious injuries, including scarring and nerve damage. Property owners may need to pay for your medical bills and lost wages from an animal attack on their premises.
Hazardous conditions like crumbling stairs, loose carpeting, and exposed wiring present serious dangers. These unsafe conditions are common in older Alabama buildings where maintenance has been neglected.
Exposure to harmful elements such as mold or lead-based paint can lead to various health issues for individuals who come into contact with them. Property owners who know about these hazards yet fail to fix them face liability when injuries happen.
Landlords or property managers who neglect to implement adequate safety measures could be held legally accountable for criminal incidents that occur on their premises. Apartment buildings with broken locks and dark parking spaces are liable when injuries occur. Security guards may also be held liable for failing to prevent attacks. The key question is whether the property owner knew about security risks but didn't act to protect visitors.
Under Alabama law, property owners owe different levels of care to different types of visitors:
Your visitor status helps determine the strength of your premises liability claim and what the property owner owes you in terms of safety.
To successfully pursue a valid premises liability claim, four essential components must be demonstrated to support your claim.
Evidence is crucial for your case. Here's what you should collect:
We at Cartee & Lloyd help injured parties gather this evidence to build strong cases. Our experience means we know what proof links your injuries to the property owner's failure to maintain safe conditions.
Many hazards can cause accidents on someone else's property. Premises liability claims often arise when property owners fail to adequately address various hazards, many of which are commonly encountered and preventable.
Cracked sidewalks, potholes, and uneven floors are common causes of fall injuries in Alabama. These hazards harm elderly visitors most, who may suffer broken hips from a minor fall. Property owners must fix these tripping hazards promptly, especially in high-traffic areas.
Bad lighting increases the risk of accidents, especially for elderly visitors, as it obscures potential hazards. This problem is serious in stairwells, parking lots, and building entrances.
When owners skimp on lighting, they create perfect conditions for accidents. Under Alabama law, property owners are obligated to ensure adequate lighting as a key aspect of maintaining safe environments, particularly in commercial establishments like retail stores and dining venues.
Property owners with aggressive dogs must take steps like proper fencing, posting warning signs, and controlling their pets when visitors come. Alabama follows a "one-bite rule" in some cases, making owners liable if they knew their pet was aggressive. After a dog bite, document your injuries, get medical care, and learn about your right to compensation.
Property owners often use certain defenses to avoid paying for injuries that happen on their property. Knowing these common arguments can help you prepare your case better.
Property owners often claim hazards were so obvious you should have noticed them. Yet this defense doesn't always work. If you were distracted by store displays, had to use a dangerous path as your only option, or if the danger wasn't as obvious as claimed, you might still have a strong case.
When property owners argue that you knew about and accepted the risk, they're using an assumption of risk defense. Alabama's comparative negligence rules mean you can still recover damages even if you are partly at fault, though your payment may be reduced.
Property owners often claim they didn't know about dangerous conditions. You can counter this by showing that the hazard existed for a long time or that regular inspections would have revealed it. Maintenance records and witness statements can help prove that the owner should have known about and fixed the hazardous condition.
When you're hurt on someone else's property, we at Cartee & Lloyd stand ready to help. Our personal injury lawyers understand premises liability claims and have helped many Alabama victims get fair compensation.
Don't wait to get help. Call us today for a free initial consultation, where we'll review your case and explain your legal options. Let our Tuscaloosa slip and fall lawyers guide you through the legal process during this difficult time.
We listen to your story and understand your struggles. We handle the insurance companies and hire the experts and do the things necessary to win your case while you focus on going to the doctor and recovering from your injuries.
Through over 77 years of combined litigation experience, we have learned that the best way to make an insurance company pay you fairly for your damages is to be well prepared, fully investigate every detail, hire experts and prepare your case for trial even if most cases will settle without trial.
We know the law and have decades of experience in the courtroom and dealing with insurance companies. We use all of our resources to hire the experts necessary for trial, fully investigate, and pay for your medical records and litigation expenses so that you do not have to come out of pocket yourself while you are struggling to recover. We fight the big insurance companies for you and only get paid for our time and expenses if we recover for you.
Don’t fall for lawyer ads telling you Ai will tell you the value of your car wreck case or believe flashing dollars on a lawyer tv commercial. The real value of your case is what a judge or jury decides is the value of your case after hearing all of the law and evidence. An experienced personal injury lawyer will know the issues that affect the value of your case. We have over 77 years of combined litigation experience and we stand ready to take your case to trial if an insurance company refuses to fairly compensate you for your injuries and damages.
Your success matters to us. Since 1992, we have helped over 11,000 clients in Alabama and recovered millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients. We measure our success by helping you receive the justice and fairness that you deserve.
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