So What is Premise Liability Anyway?

If you’ve ever known someone who owned a retail establishment or have owned one yourself, you're probably familiar with premise liability law. This is the law that holds property owners accountable when they're negligent in some regard as to how they keep the people who visit their establishments safe. There are many different types of claims filed every year that have to do with this law. Here are a few common ones.

Slip and Fall Injuries

Slip and fall lawsuits are commonly filed against restaurants and retail establishments. They usually allege that the person who is suing was injured or caused to come to harm because the owner didn't make sure that there was a safe walking surface at their establishment. This can happen in many different ways.

• Signage wasn't placed out to warn of a wet floor
• Tracked-in water wasn't mopped up
• Mats were not provided in dangerous areas
• Stairs were not provided with railings and non-slip surfaces

People sometimes sustain significant injuries due to property owners overlooking these situations at their businesses. In some cases, people are actually killed when they take a spill down a staircase or onto a hard floor. Some of these people, or their survivors, choose to contact a personal injury law firm to file a lawsuit.

What the Lawsuit Does

The lawsuit is generally filed to either help pay for the cost of the injuries in terms of lost wages, medical expenses and pain and suffering or to provide for the survivors of the person who died. A Texas wrongful death lawyer who files one of these actions is seeking compensation for the family members of the person who was killed so that they don't have to be doubly-burdened by a loss and the financial fallout that can mean.

Filing a Suit

The first step is meeting with a lawyer. Fortunately, this is oftentimes something that can be done at no charge. If the lawyer is willing to work on a contingency basis, you only have to pay them if you win and the fees will be deducted out of your settlement or your jury award. If they lose the case, you owe them nothing for their services. This encourages people who cannot afford a lawyer outright to pursue their cases and it encourages attorneys, obviously, to only take cases if they think they may be able to win them. This is the best arrangement all around.