If you were injured on someone else’s property, then you may be able to initiate a premises liability case and get a settlement for your injuries – as well as other damages. However, the main requirement is that the property owner was negligent. Find out what this entails and whether or not you should contact a personal injury lawyer in Oregon for help.
What Does Negligence Mean?
Property owners have a reasonable duty of care to protect other people from getting hurt on their property. If they fail to uphold this duty of care and someone had an accident and got injured on their property, they might be deemed negligent. That means their insurance, in most cases, would have to pay for the injured person’s medical bills, loss of wages, damage to their property, and other damages through a settlement.
Note the word “reasonable.” The legal system takes this very seriously. Here’s an example where an owner might not be responsible. Let’s say a store owner opens their store, and a customer comes in and throws their banana on the ground. Five minutes later, you slip on the banana and get hurt. Did the owner have a reasonable amount of time to notice the banana or pick it up? Or was the customer responsible? It could be hard to get a settlement in a case like this.
Here’s another example. Let’s say someone owns a shopping mall, and the shopping mall is known for having cracked floors. The owner knows about the floors, but refuses to fix them. You then trip and fall and hurt yourself on the cracked floors. In this case, the owner is likely to be found negligent.
Could You Be at Fault?
Another thing to keep in mind is that you might be at least partially at fault for your accident. If you weren’t paying attention to where you were going or you were fooling around and you got hurt on someone’s property, then you might not be able to get a settlement.
However, it’s always worth it to call a personal injury lawyer and ask their opinion. Make sure you do this sooner rather than later. While the statute of limitations in Oregon is two years, you don’t want to forget key details about your case. Additionally, it could be harder to collect key evidence to support your case if you wait too long.
What to Do After a Premises Liability Injury
After you get injured on someone’s property, collect witness statements and take photos of the scene. Note the locations of cameras that are around, too. If you’re in a store, file a report with the store manager and/or property owner, and get a copy of the report in writing. Collect the property owner’s contact and insurance information if you can. Then, go to the hospital right away for treatment. When you’ve finished, contact a personal injury lawyer for assistance.
Contact Zbinden & Curtis Today
Zbinden & Curtis, a Portland personal injury law firm, cares about accident victims, and we’re ready to assist you if you were in a premises liability accident in Portland. We fight tooth and nail for our clients to get them the settlement they deserve in their time of need. Contact us today to learn more by calling (503) 287-5000 or contacting us on our website for a free case evaluation. We look forward to assisting you.
