Hazelwood Slip and Fall Lawyer

Hazelwood Slip and Fall Attorney

Slip-and-fall accidents can result in broken bones, sprains and strains, lacerations, and even traumatic brain injuries. These accidents and other premises liability injuries occur when there are dangerous hazards on someone else’s property. Often, the property owner’s insurer is liable for these injuries. A Hazelwood slip and fall lawyer could help you pursue personal injury compensation if you were injured on the property because the owner did not uphold their duty of care.

Public and private property owners are responsible for having safe premises. If there are hazards, the property owner should fix them or otherwise address them in a reasonable period of time or warn those who are on their property. Otherwise, they can be held legally and financially responsible for resulting injuries.

Legal Guidance for Slip-and-Fall Victims

It can be complex to determine if a property owner’s insurer is liable for your injuries. When you take your potential case to a skilled attorney, they can review the specifics of your accident and injury to determine if you have a viable case. At The Cagle Law Firm, our team can investigate premises liability cases and help prove liability if the property owner was negligent in their upkeep.

By pursuing compensation with an attorney, you are more likely to recover the full cost of your injuries. Our team has decades of experience in personal injury law, including numerous types of property hazards and the consequences of improper premises care by property owners. We can determine what duty of care you were owed and whether that duty was breached.

These cases may involve property or homeowners insurance companies, and these insurance carriers can work to prevent you from recovering what you are owed. Legal representation from our experienced team can help.

Types of Visitors in Missouri Premises Liability Cases in Hazelwood

Property owners have a general requirement to maintain safe premises, but the level of care they must provide a specific individual depends on that individual’s status. Property owners only have a responsibility to protect lawful visitors. The main statuses for individuals under Missouri property law include:

• Invitee. You are an invitee when you have been invited to be on the premises by explicit or implicit permission. Both you and the owner find benefit due to this arrangement. You are an invitee if you are a customer in a store or are in a location for a business relationship or discussion.Property owners have the highest duty of care to invitees. Property owners are responsible for warning you of hazards that they are aware of and any hazards that a reasonable inspection would make them aware of. This means that even if the property owner had not yet been aware of a hazard, their insurer can still be liable for the injuries if the owner should have known about it.
• Licensee. You are a licensee if you have implied permission to be on the property, but there is no material benefit for you or the owner. If you are a guest in someone’s home, you are a licensee. A property owner owes you a duty of care, although not as high a duty of care as invitees. They are responsible for hazards that they are aware of and liable for injuries caused by hazards they did not address or warn of.
• Trespasser. You are a trespasser if you don’t have permission to be on the premises. Property owners have no duty of care to protect you from hazards and are not held liable if you are injured.However, the property owner’s insurer can be held liable if you are a trespasser and they intentionally injure you, including if a hazard was made deliberately to injure you. Property owners are generally only liable for accidental hazards if the trespasser is a child.

There are also unique standards of duty of care depending on the property type and type of property owner. If you do not know if you have a valid case, an attorney can help.

FAQs About Hazelwood, MO Slip and Fall Laws

How Much Compensation Can You Get in a Slip-and-Fall Case in Missouri?

How much compensation a slip-and-fall case in Missouri is worth depends on the specifics of your injury and the complexity of your situation. When your injury is more serious, it likely has higher medical costs and leads to other losses in your life.

If it is clear that you were not at all to blame for the injury on someone’s property, it may be easier to get fair compensation. An attorney is crucial to gathering available evidence and negotiating with the property owner’s insurance carrier.

What Is the Statute of Limitations on Slip-and-Fall Injuries in Missouri?

The statute of limitations on slip-and-fall injuries in Hazelwood is how long you have to pursue a civil case, which is five years for personal injuries. If you fail to pursue a case within the statute of limitations, you can be forever barred from compensation, regardless of the merits of your case. The statute of limitations begins from the date of the accident. There are many situations where the statute of limitations is even shorter depending on the location. Slip and falls on city, state or federal property are subject to a much shorter statute of limitations. The sooner you work with an attorney, the better.

What Is the Premises Liability Law in Missouri?

The premises liability law in Missouri states that property owners and managers have a responsibility toward individuals who are legally present on their property, whether public or private property.

The property owner is responsible for addressing known hazards in a reasonable period of time or warning the people on their property of the hazard. If they don’t, and a person is injured, the owner’s insurer can be held liable. In instances such as chemical exposure or contamination episodes, property owner can be responsible for not addressing hazards they should have known about.

What Is Failure to Warn in Missouri?

Failure to warn is a legal concept in Missouri that can be applied to premises liability cases. It refers to the failure of the property owner to warn legally present individuals of hazards on the property. Depending on their level of duty of care, the property owner may need to warn of hazards they know about or about hazards they should have known about. When failure to warn results in a person’s injury, that person can hold the property owner’s insurer liable.

Slip-and-Fall Premises Liability Attorneys

If you are in need of dedicated and experienced legal guidance, contact The Cagle Law Firm today.