Serving clients throughout Indiana
and the United States

Premises Liability

A serious injury is often times no more than a simple slip and fall and it's quite often that that simple slip and fall is the product of a property owner’s negligence.Premises liability is the body of law that makes the property owner responsible for certain injuries suffered by persons who are present on the premises. Although some premises liability cases, such as slip and fall cases, may appear to clearly indicate a verdict in favor of the victim, the law in some states favors the premises owner. Thus, in order to obtain fair compensation, it is necessary to secure an experienced premises liability lawyer.

According to premises liability law, a property owner has a duty to exercise care and warn or otherwise protect any persons from harm. If a property owner or the party responsible for maintaining the site fails to provide a safe environment or adequately warn of danger, and as a result someone is injured, then the owner/responsible party can be held liable for the injured person’s medical bills, lost wages, and other hardships. Premises liability applies to homeowners, businesses, and even owners of vacant or abandoned lots.

An important offshoot of premises liability, negligent security law covers the legal claims asserted by individuals who were victims of criminal attacks while on someone else’s property. Thousands of victims are seriously injured each year because business owners fail to provide adequate security and personal protection for their customers and employees. Negligent security claims have been successfully used to recover compensation for attacks at:

• Apartment complexes
• Shopping centers
• Hotels
• ATM Kiosks
• Bars
• Parking lots

Persons injured as the result of a dangerous or improperly maintained property may be entitled to compensation. In order to successfully negotiate your premises liability claim, our attorneys must prove:

• The owner/responsible party knew or should have known of the dangerous condition, should have realized that it involved an unreasonable risk of harm, and should have expected that persons would not discover or realize the danger;
• The owner/responsible party failed to exercise reasonable care to either make the condition safe or to warn persons of the risk involved; and
• The victim did not have reason to know of the dangerous condition and risk involved.

A successful premises liability lawsuit may cover damages including:

• Medical expenses (hospital, surgical, and ambulance bills, etc.)
• Rehabilitation costs (expenses tied to restoring your ability to function)
• Lost income (wages lost due to your injury)
• Diminished earning capacity (the reduction of your ability to earn a certain level of income)
• Property damage (damage, destruction, or loss of tangible property)
• Pain and suffering (distress, both physical and mental, as a result of your injury)

Tom Doehrman will help victims of serious personal injuries obtain compensation for the personal and financial hardships caused by their injuries. Contact Tom if you would like him to evaluate your claim.