Getting hurt while visiting someone else’s property can be challenging to recover from, regardless of the circumstances. If you suffer a serious injury on a property and the landowner or manager refuses to acknowledge your injuries, taking legal action could be your best option for protecting your long-term interests.
However, many regulations that could prevent you from recovering compensation for your injuries. Fortunately, a knowledgeable personal injury attorney’s support is often key to navigating these legal roadblocks.
If you were a victim of a fall on another person’s property, guidance from a capable Denver premises liability lawyer at Roberts Markland LLP could be invaluable to maximizing your claim’s value.
The degree to which a property owner is responsible for protecting their guests—also known as their “duty of care”—changes based on a person’s reason for visiting. For example, property owners generally have no legal obligation to protect trespassers from accidentally being hurt by hazardous conditions on their property as long as they do not intentionally cause them harm by setting traps or exacerbating existing hazards.
Likewise, if someone visits a property for their own benefit and with permission, the landowner is responsible for warning them about any known hazards. Additionally, property owners must make a reasonable effort to remedy those hazards after discovering them. However, landowners are not liable for injuries caused to these types of visitors that the landowner was not previously aware of.
Conversely, landowners may be liable for injuries caused by hazards the property manager should have discovered through regular inspection.
Finally, property owners are responsible for injuries sustained by anyone visiting for the landowner’s direct benefit. For example, if a retail store customer is hurt while in a person’s store, the owner could be responsible for paying the financial damages resulting from their injuries. A Denver property liability attorney could explain during a confidential consultation what duty a particular person might have been owed and what that could mean for their prospects of civil recovery.
Even if someone suffers life-altering trauma through an accident caused by a property owner’s negligence, they cannot wait until after their physical recovery to file suit due to the statute of limitations. This set of rules, codified under Colorado Revised Statutes §13-80-102, provides nearly all prospective plaintiffs two years maximum after sustaining an injury to start the litigation process.
Not abiding by this deadline will likely result in a person being “time-barred” from getting any compensation for a particular accident, even if they have substantial evidence showing someone else’s negligence was to blame for causing it. Considering this, contacting a premises liability lawyer in Denver should be a top priority for anyone who gets hurt on someone else’s property in any way.
Accidents that occur on a privately owned property can be complex cases to fight. Without help from a capable legal professional, you may have a hard time obtaining fair restitution for your injuries and losses.
From start to finish of your legal proceedings, a dedicated Denver premises liability lawyer could provide the assistance you need to get back on your feet. Call today to schedule a meeting.