When you patronize a business or spend time on someone’s personal property, the owner has a responsibility to help keep you safe from foreseeable harm. For example, a retail store owner must keep the floors in good condition or warn you about possible hazards (such as with “wet floor” signs). In another example, your neighbor should address dangerous property conditions before inviting you over for a barbecue.
After suffering an injury on someone else’s property, you may consider filing a premises liability suit to obtain financial compensation for your harm. It is your right to seek a legal remedy for your injury, but you need to make sure you can prove your claim.
Negligence plays a role in successful claims
Say you are at your neighbor’s home for that barbecue, and you stumble over your feet, fall down a hill and break your arm. You will not be able to seek damages in a premises liability claim because you caused your accident.
Now, if your neighbor’s lawn contained dangerous debris that caused you to stumble, you may have a valid claim. Leaving hazards that could lead to injury on one’s property is sometimes an act of negligence. At the very least, property owners should warn guests about any possible injury hazards.
If your injury occurred on a Mississippi business property, the same negligence rules apply. Business owners must keep the premises safe for customers by removing hazards, posting warnings and ensuring that the property is well-maintained.
Continue to educate yourself about personal injury law to ensure you recover the compensation you deserve for your harm.
