Every day, people are injured on property managed by a commercial entity. Whether it involves spilled liquid, dangerous tools, unstable displays, or negligent security, customers and clients could sustain serious harm.
Major injuries can come with a hefty hospital bill. In every state, if property owners are negligent in their treatment of guests, they are often liable to pay for economic losses, and possibly some non-economic ones. When you are injured in a place of business because of a danger you did not anticipate, a Philadelphia commercial property premises liability lawyer could guide you through your options. Our premises liability attorneys are ready to support your claim.
Premises liability law divides visitors into three groups, all of whom are owed different duties by property owners. Adult trespassers are uninvited, and owners may not even know they are on the premises. Owners owe no duty to them, other than to not purposely harm them.
Child trespassers are owed a duty of care under the Attractive Nuisance Doctrine, based on the idea that a child is not mature enough to recognize danger and will be attracted to some artificial perils, such as swimming pools. Property owners must reasonably restrict children’s access, such as with locked gates and fences. If they fail to secure the premises, they could be liable for injuries a trespassing child sustains.
The other two classes of visitors are invited onto property. Licensees are guests in private settings, while invitees are present on commercial property to benefit the owners by doing business with them. Invitees can include restaurant or retail patrons, and office building visitors.
Invitees are owed the highest duty of care from owners. While owners only owe licensees the duty to warn them about known dangers, they must not only warn invitees, but repair known dangers and inspect property to uncover unknown threats. A commercial premises liability attorney could determine whether visitors in Philadelphia should be compensated because of a property owner’s negligence.
Defective premises claims are based on an owner’s negligence. An invitee injured on another person’s property must prove the owner, landlord, or manager failed to repair or warn of hazards, or that there was a longstanding hazard that injured the invitee and should have been discovered during routine inspections. Common commercial property liability scenarios in Philadelphia include:
Commercial property owners must act like reasonable people in a similar situation, owing a duty of care to those who visit. Falling below that standard is a breach. If the breaching acts cause foreseeable harm, the elements of negligence are met, and a plaintiff could file a lawsuit against the business’s owner or manager.
Commercial business owners must identify any danger that can befall customers and clients. Unfortunately, some of them do not put in the effort or do not want to invest in repairs, which can harm you as a visitor.
The Marrone Law Firm wants to help. When you are a visitor on commercial property or an invitee to conduct business, the owner owes you a duty to keep you safe. If you are harmed by an unexpected danger on the property, you may be entitled to compensation. A Philadelphia commercial property premises liability lawyer could study your case, discuss a strategy with you, and fight on your behalf to recover the compensation you need for medical and rehabilitative treatment, lost wages, and the emotional trauma you have sustained.
Call us now for a free consultation. We have had tremendous success in property liability claims and could fight for the best outcome possible.
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