Houston Premises Liability Lawyer

East Texas Premises Liability Attorney Michael Grossman Explains What Can Be Done if You’ve Been Injured on Someone Else’s Property

By finding this article you’re likely aware that you may be able to seek compensation from a property owner if you’ve been injured while on their property. Such a claim is known as a premises liability claim. However, you’re likely unsure what merits a legitimate premises liability claim.

Houston premises liability attorney Michael Grossman provides the following informative article to help answer your questions. If, after reading the information below, you’re still unsure as to whether or not the injury you suffered would be eligible for a premises liability claim, contact our offices at 1-855-392-0000 (toll free) for a free consultation. We’ll listen to the details of your accident and provide you with your possible legal options.

Texas Law Defines Three Types of Visitors in Regards to Premises Liability Claims

Per the law of the State of Texas, property owners must provide for a minimum standard of safety in regards to people that visit their property. When this standard of safety is violated, a property owner can be held accountable for their negligent behavior, whether through actions or inaction, if a visitor suffers an injury while on the property owner’s property. However, the standard of safety that must be provided is different depending on the type of visitor. In Texas, visitors are categorized into three distinct types in regards to premises liability claims:

• Invitees are those who enter a property of their own volition for the benefit of both themselves and the property owner. For example, a shopper is an invitee because they willfully and deliberately enter a store for their own benefit, to buy goods, and for the property owner’s benefit, to earn profit.
• Licensees are those who enter a property of their own volition for the sole benefit of the visitor. For example, a friend entering another friend’s house is considered a licensee in the State of Texas as the law considers a house call to be to the benefit of the visitor.
• Trespassers are those who illegally enter a property of their own volition. For example, any burglar would be a trespasser.

Texas Law Defines Three Safety Obligations for Property Owners

In Texas, a property owner must provide for the following three safety obligations to guarantee the safety of their visitors:

• To seek out and to warn visitors of potentially dangerous hazards on their property.
• To warn visitors of any pre-existing safety hazards on the property of which the property owner is aware.
• To refrain from willingly or intentionally injuring their visitors.

However, property owners do not have to maintain all of these safety obligations for all three types of visitors. Invitees are the only type of visitor that must be afforded all three types of protection as outlined above. Licensees and trespassers are not provided the protection of the first instance, wherein the visitor must be apprised of potentially dangerous hazards which could include wet floors, broken glass, or dangerous animals. Furthermore, the property owner must keep a constant eye on potential dangers on their respective property.

Invitees and licensees must both be cautioned about pre-existing safety hazards. An example of such a hazard would be an electrified fence. The fence must be properly marked so that both invitees and licensees can tell that it poses a dangerous risk if touched. If the fence is not marked and an invitee or licensee is injured, a premises liability claim could be brought against the property owner.

The last safety obligation must be guaranteed to all types of visitors. In other words, even trespassers cannot be intentionally injured when on a property owner’s property. While self-defense can be employed if a property owner thinks their life is in danger, a property owner cannot willfully injure a trespasser, say, by employing some kind of booby trap that automatically deploys when a trespasser has crossed into the owner’s property.

What Kinds of Accidents Often Fall Under the Umbrella of Premises Liability?

Accidents causing injury can happen in any number of ways, but there are a few common types of accidents that often involve a premises liability claim:

• Slips and falls are quite common when wet floors, loose tiles or other surfaces, or poorly placed electrical cords or other types of cables are on the ground.
• Falls occurring on stairs can occur when handrails are not available, or are broken, or when a step is uneven and hasn’t been repaired.
• Elevators can collapse and can lead to premises liability claims in addition to the likely product liability claims against the manufacturer of the elevator.
• Animal attacks can be cause for premises liability claims, even if the animal was not owned by the property owner.
• Criminal activity can also be cause for a premises liability claim when an injury or death has occurred as a result of an illegal activity that occurs on the owner’s property.

Houston Premises Liability Attorney Michael Grossman Can Help You Seek Compensation For Your Injury Sustained on Someone Else’s Property

Premises liability claims can be caused by a number of different types of accidents. Assessing the cause of the accident can be challenging to lesser-experienced attorneys. Furthermore, working to define the type of visitor that was hurt in a premises liability claim can also be challenging to lawyers without previous experience in these types of cases. However, Houston premises liability attorney Michael Grossman and his team at Grossman Law Offices have twenty years of experience in premises liability cases.

If you’ve been injured while on someone's property and desire to seek compensation for that injury, contact Grossman Law Offices at 1-855-392-0000 (toll free) for a free consultation. We will answer your questions and provide you with your possible legal options. We will work to secure a fair settlement. However, if a court case is necessary, you can rest assured that we’ll be well-prepared to represent you in court so that you can stand the greatest opportunity to receive full and fair compensation for your injury.