When you visit a business or private property in Clearwater, you generally assume that the owner will ensure a safe experience.
When the premises owner does not properly maintain that property, however, it can lead to serious injury in the blink of an eye.
A negligent landlord may leave you living in a property that poses a hazard to you and your family. A negligent business owner could leave hazards in place that could cause you to slip, trip, or fall. Often, those injuries can have life-altering consequences.
Did you suffer serious injuries due to the negligent actions of a property owner, whether the owner of a business or the owner of a private home? You may deserve compensation for your injuries.
Contact a Clearwater premises liability lawyer to learn more about your right to compensation. Below our seasoned personal injury attorneys discuss the legal process around filling a premises liability claim.
Perenich Law: Helping Clearwater Premises Liability Accident Victims Pursue Compensation
Dealing with the aftermath of a premises liability accident can lead to substantial challenges. Not only do you have to manage your injuries and the limitations that go with them, not to mention scheduling medical appointments, managing treatments, and handling the bills, you may need to fight the insurance company that covers the liable party or the property where the incident occurred.
Perenich Law Injury Attorneys can help. Our skilled Clearwater premises liability attorneys have a strong history of successful claims, through which we have helped our clients obtain the results they deserved following a serious accident.
We help our clients collect the evidence they need.
Establishing liability for a slip and fall or other premises liability accident can involve a complex investigation. Did the company or private property owner fail to put up signs warning of a potential hazard? Did the property owner know about that hazard? Had the property owner or business had adequate time to take care of the hazard?
All of those questions could play into your claim and your right to compensation. At Perenich Law, we help investigate the details of those claims to give our clients a better idea of exactly whose negligence caused or contributed to their accidents.
We help clearly establish your right to compensation.
Often, premises owners will try to get around accepting liability for a serious incident that occurs on their properties. They may try to prove, for example, that they did not know about the hazard, or that they had not had the chance to reasonably take care of it in a way that would have prevented the accident. At Perenich Law Injury Attorneys, we put together a compelling claim that establishes our clients’ right to compensation.
We help fight to get our clients the compensation they deserve.
Insurance companies may not, to the surprise of many accident victims, automatically offer the compensation those victims deserve and expect following a serious premises liability accident. At Perenich Law Injury Attorneys, we fight to help our clients pursue the compensation they really deserve for severe accidents suffered due to a Clearwater proper owner’s negligence.
Common Clearwater Premises Liability Injuries
Clearwater premises liability accident victims may suffer injuries in a variety of ways, depending on the type of negligence displayed by the property owner and the type of accident suffered by the victim.
Burns
Burn injuries can cause substantial pain and suffering for the victim and may, in many cases, lead to ongoing complications. Burn victims may need an extended stay in the burn unit of the hospital, where they will have a lower overall likelihood of developing an infection.
Burns can occur in a variety of ways. Clearwater property owners must adhere to strict regulations when it comes to fire extinguishers, wiring, and emergency exit options. Unfortunately, many business owners may fail to take those requirements into account. Burns can also occur due to faulty water heaters.
Swimming Pool/Drowning Accidents
Swimming pools can pose potent hazards to many Clearwater residents and visitors. Many residents choose to put in swimming pools to help beat the Florida heat. When those property owners fail to properly maintain their pools, however, it can lead to substantial injuries, including a high risk of drowning.
Clearwater property owners need to properly secure their pools so that children and pets cannot sneak into them unsupervised. A lack of pool maintenance may also increase the risk of a fall accident.
Slip and Fall Injuries
Slip and fall accidents can lead to substantial injuries, especially in elderly or disabled individuals, who may face more hazards when attempting to make their way around the area.
Slip and fall injuries may include:
- Broken bones in the hands and arms, if the individual tries to catch the fall
- Broken hips, especially in the elderly
- Head trauma
- Cuts and lacerations
Slip and fall accidents can occur in the blink of an eye. Often, they occur due to poor maintenance, especially around stairs and handrails. They can also occur in public properties when the business fails to promptly and effectively clean up a spill or issue a warning regarding water on the floor on a rainy day.
Dangerous Falling Objects
Many stores contain high shelves where the business can store additional items. Unfortunately, those high selves can pose a serious hazard to visitors when the items on those shelves do not get positioned properly. Falling items can cause head trauma, severe bruising, broken bones, and severe lacerations.
Dangerous Animal Incidents
When property owners have a dangerous animal, including a dangerous dog, it can pose a serious hazard to anyone who visits that property. Florida has strict liability law when it comes to dog bites: the owner can face liability for any expenses that result from a dog bite, even if the owner did not previously know that the dog could pose a danger. Owners of dangerous animals, including dogs, must take care to ensure that their animals do not pose an undue danger to others.
Negligent Security Incidents
If a premises owner, or the company operating on a specific property, knows that something could pose a danger to visitors to that property, but takes no steps to remedy it, the premises owner could bear liability. For hotels, for example, negligent security could include a door that does not lock properly or long, isolated, and unobserved stairwells.
In some cases, failing to provide appropriate security guards, especially in known dangerous areas, can also leave the property owner or the company operating on that property liable for an incident.
Who Bears Liability in a Clearwater Premises Liability Accident?
To file a premises liability claim following a serious accident, your dedicated Clearwater premises liability attorney will need to determine who bears liability for the incident. You may assume that if you suffered a serious accident on a specific piece of property, the property owner will automatically bear liability for the incident. However, in some cases, you may find that another party bears liability for the incident, or contributed to the accident in such a way that the other entity shares liability for the incident.
The Property Owner’s Responsibilities
Most often, the owner of a specific property will bear liability for maintaining that property and ensuring that it meets basic safety standards. That may mean, for example, ensuring that flooring does not become uneven or worn down over time, that handrails get replaced promptly, or that swimming pools receive the care and attention they need. The property owner may also bear responsibility for warning visitors to the property about potential dangers.
Landlords of private residences, whether single-family or multifamily, usually bear responsibility for any maintenance needed on the property, unless the lease agreement states otherwise. Landlords must also ensure the basic safety of the property, from installing smoke detectors and fire extinguishers to ensuring the safety of any appliances used in the home.
Other Companies or Entities Operating on a Property
Sometimes, a property owner may rent out a piece of property to another entity. For example, many businesses do not own the property they operate on directly. Rather, they rent that property from another entity or individual. The entity operating on that property may also bear responsibilities to the people who visit the property or use the business.
That may include:
- Notifying the landlord about potential hazards that the landlord must fix
- Cleaning up spills promptly
- Putting up warnings regarding any serious hazards in the area, especially in areas customers need to enter
- Taking care of any maintenance on company-owned equipment or areas not covered by the landlord’s responsibilities
Vendors and Contractors
While the business that operates on a property and property owners bear primary upkeep responsibility, often, vendors and contractors will also visit a property. In some cases, vendors and property owners can pose a significant danger to visitors and guests.
Suppose, for example, that a particular venue needs to take care of some construction and update a specific area of the property. The venue owner calls in a contractor to take care of the updates. That contractor runs cords across areas of the property still accessible to guests, or leaves equipment spread across the property, which results in a slip and fall accident. In that case, the contractor may bear liability for the incident.
Likewise, if a vendor poses a danger to visitors to the property, whether the vendor runs cords in dangerous areas, fails to offer a reasonable warning to visitors, or stores chemicals or dangerous substances improperly, the vendor may bear direct liability for an incident.
Compensation After a Clearwater Premises Liability Incident
How much compensation should you expect after a Clearwater premises liability accident? While we cannot guarantee the compensation you will recover following your premises liability injuries, we can help break down the compensation you may deserve. Compensation for premises liability injuries may include several key elements.
Compensation for Medical Expenses
Following a serious accident, from a slip and fall to a drowning incident, your medical expenses may feel incredibly daunting. Not only do you need to contend with the immediate cost of emergency medical treatment, you may have long-term medical costs to deal with, especially if you suffered life-altering injuries. Your medical expenses, including follow-up treatments, therapy, or treatment for complications that may crop up during your recovery, will help form the foundation of your premises liability claim.
Lost Income Damages
Your medical costs would prove hard enough to manage on their own. Unfortunately, your premises liability accident may also result in lost time at work, which could mean a substantial reduction in your usual wages. As part of your premises liability claim, you can include compensation for your lost income, including lost time at work due to follow-up appointments or the need to drop your hours while you recover.
Compensation for Pain and Suffering
Serious injuries not only mean substantial physical pain, they may mean emotional anguish as you struggle to cope with the aftermath of your accident. Often, accident victims find themselves contending with increased depression, anxiety, or PTSD symptoms. You may also find that your injuries interfere with your regular life, including your overall enjoyment of life. Talk to a knowledgeable premises liability lawyer in Clearwater about how to include compensation for pain and suffering in your claim.
Connect With a Clearwater Premises Liability Attorney as Soon as Possible
Following your premises liability accident, do not try to handle your claim on your own. All too often, you will find yourself struggling with the insurance company or fighting for acknowledgment of the losses you may have faced.
An attorney can help you navigate your claim and get a better idea of the compensation you really deserve. Contact a Clearwater premises liability lawyer at Perenich Law Injury Attorneys for your free consultation.
(727) 669-2828
