Missouri City Commercial Property Liability Lawyer

Like most shoppers, you put your trust in the store’s owners, managers, and operators to keep their premises safe. However, serious accidents can occur in grocery stores and other commercial properties.

If you experienced harm while on commercial property, you might be eligible to seek financial damages in a civil lawsuit. A Missouri City commercial property liability lawyer could meet with you to see if you have viable legal grounds to pursue a claim. Call our law office today to speak with a skilled premises liability lawyer about your case.

Understanding the Legal Concept of Premises Liability Law

Premises liability law is a subset of personal injury law. It allows people who suffer injuries away from their own homes to pursue legal claims for damages.

Injured parties can file suit against the individual in charge of maintaining the premises where the injury happened, based on the fact that people must keep their property reasonably safe for visitors. The defendant could include the following parties:

• Property owners
• Caretakers
• Managers
• Landlords
• Businesses
• Tenants

To prevail in a legal suit, the injured party must establish that the property’s owner or caretaker allowed a dangerous or hazardous condition to develop on the property and that the hazard led to an unsuspecting visitor’s injuries. An example of this could be a wet floor or a broken elevator.

They must also show that the hazardous condition was not something a visitor would have known about. If the condition was open and obvious, such as a freshly mopped floor with a warning sign, and a shopper still slipped and fell, the store’s owner might be able to defend against a lawsuit by using the existence of a sign to prove that the hazardous condition was not hidden.

A Missouri City attorney could examine the facts to see if an injured party has a potential legal claim against a commercial property owner.

Explaining Premises Liability Law Regarding Commercial Properties

The ability to pursue a legal claim against the party in charge of the premises where an accident occurred depends on the type of property and the class of visitor who experienced the injury.

Trespassers

In most cases, commercial property owners and managers owe no duty to people who illegally enter their buildings or land. However, if the trespasser is a child and is enticed onto the property by something attractive, like a swimming pool that is not fully fenced or enclosed, the property or business owner could be liable for the child’s injuries.

Licensees

Licensees are typically social guests and not usually involved in commercial property liability disputes. Landowners owe licensees a duty to remove hazards that they know about.

Invitees

Invitees are people who enter another property for business or commercial reasons. Premises owners and caretakers owe invitees the highest possible duty of care. In addition to removing hazardous conditions they know about, landowners are also held liable for dangerous conditions they should have known about and could have discovered through routine property inspections and maintenance.

For instance, if a customer slips in a parking lot because there is insufficient lighting, the business owner could be responsible for failing to install adequate lighting and creating a hazardous area.

A lawyer in Missouri City could help an injured party prove that they were a commercial invitee and owed the highest duty of care from the property’s owner.

Contact a Missouri City Commercial Property Attorney

When you or your loved one is injured on a commercial property, those responsible for maintaining the grounds should be held accountable. If you have questions about whether you could be eligible to collect financial compensation in a civil lawsuit, contact a Missouri City commercial property liability lawyer to see how they can help. Our compassionate personal injury attorneys could help build a solid case.