If you have been injured on public or private property because of the negligence of the property owner or operator, contact our experienced lawyers to review your premise liability claim.
Whether a piece of property is public or private, the property owner has a certain duty of care towards those individuals who may enter the property, otherwise known as the occupier of the property. For example, property owners are expected to identify and repair any unreasonable hazards that may pose a danger for visitors, including slippery floors, cracks in flooring or pavement and poorly lit stairwells. If they fail to do so and a visitor suffers an injury as a result, the property owner may be held liable for that person’s injuries. This area of the law is called premise liability, and pertains to a variety of different dangerous environments. If you have been injured on dangerous property in Oklahoma – public or private – contact our knowledgeable lawyers at Oklahoma Legal Center to explore your compensation options.
Types of Premise Liability Claims
Premise liability claims for dangerous environments can result from injuries on a variety of different properties, including shopping centers, hotels, airports, healthcare facilities, bars and universities. The most common type of premise liability claim involving a dangerous property is a slip and fall accident, which can result in devastating injuries like broken bones, head injuries, traumatic brain injury and possibly even paralysis or death. Premise liability involves more than just slip and fall claims however; this area of the law also extends to swimming pool accidents, dog bites, exposure to hazardous materials, inadequate security leading to assaults, fires and more.
People Who May Be Injured on a Dangerous Property
The main component to consider in accidents that take place on a dangerous property is what standard of care the property owner owed the injured person or occupier. There are three different types of people who can be injured due to a dangerous environment, including:
- Invitees
- Licensees
- Trespassers
An invitee is a person who is invited to enter or remain on the premises for a commercial benefit to the property owner, or for a purpose directly or indirectly connected with business dealings with the property owner. The invitation may be express or implied, and the property owner owes the highest duty of care to an invitee. For example, a customer in a department store is considered an invitee, as the store actively invites the public to enter the premises.
A licensee, on the other hand, is a person who is invited to enter or remain on the premises for any purpose other than a commercial one, with express or implied consent of the property owner or person in control of the property. A social guest is considered a licensee in Oklahoma.
A trespasser is owed the lowest duty of care by a property owner, and is defined as a person who goes upon the property of another without an invitation, for his or her own purposes, and not in the performance of any duty to the property owner. When property owners aren’t aware of a trespasser, they typically have no duty to warn of any dangers on the property. When property owners are aware of trespassers, they may be obligated to exercise ordinary care in relation to the safety of the trespasser.
Contact Our Qualified Attorneys Today
If a person in Oklahoma is injured on the property of another, he or she may be entitled to financial compensation for the resulting injuries, medical bills and other losses related to the accident. Unfortunately, establishing a connection between a person’s injuries and a property owner’s negligence is not always easy. Premise liability law is complex, and each individual case differs in the specific factors involved. For this reason and others, it is important to enlist the help of a reputable attorney when considering filing a premise liability claim. Contact our Oklahoma City-based law firm at Oklahoma Legal Center today for legal help.