By: Darrell Castle

Property owners have a duty to keep their guests safe. And when they don’t, they need to be held accountable.

If you’re injured on someone’s property — whether the hand rail broke or you slipped on a grape — then you shouldn’t be held liable for the medical bills and other damages. The person at fault should.

Why You Should Contact a Personal Injury Attorney

When this happens to you, the first thing you should do — after seeking medical attention — is contact an experienced personal injury attorney.

That attorney will investigate your case and determine if the property owner was actually liable. And if he or she was, then your attorney will battle with the insurance company to get you the compensation you’re entitled to.

Those expensive medical bills from your treatment along with lost wages from time off work can add up. You deserve compensation for that if the property owner was negligent. Let an experienced attorney help you. You’ll be glad you did.

Who gets sued?

If you were injured at someone’s home, then it’s obvious the homeowner would be the person sued.

But when dealing with a commercial property — like an apartment or a grocery store — it can depend.

With these properties, there’s typically an owner. And then there’s a property manager of some kind. In that case, it could depend on what your injury was caused by.

Were you injured because of some structural issue, like a water leak? In that case, the property OWNER may be liable.

But what if it was something else? What if you were injured because of a spill? That’s something the property MANAGER is responsible for cleaning up in his day-to-day operations. He or she could be liable then.

This issue can be complex. But it’s something for your attorney to worry about — not you.

What Factors Play Into Your Slip and Fall Case?

Why was the property the way it was? How long had the property been that way? Was there a visible warning the property was like that? Did the property owner or manager have a reasonable opportunity to fix the issue?

Those are all questions to be answered in a slip and fall personal injury claim.

I go into more detail about this using a situation of a dropped banana in a grocery store.