Venturing onto someone else’s property can be a surprisingly dangerous ordeal, even when it seems safe. Hazardous conditions can be hidden, and a lack of familiarity with your surroundings may leave you prone to injury if you trip or slip and fall.
While state law requires Glastonbury property owners to maintain their premises in a way that keeps others safe, especially when it is foreseeable that there will be someone visiting, many people fail to take those responsibilities seriously. Fortunately for you, you have access to a personal injury attorney who will always give these matters their due attention and concern. A Glastonbury slip and fall lawyer could represent you in court if you have slipped and fallen and gotten hurt on someone else’s property.
The Rights and Duties of Different Visitors
Slip and fall accidents are not strictly limited to people who have literally slipped and fallen. Trips, slides, bumps, falls, and stumbles all exist within the realm of a slip and fall accident that a Glastonbury attorney could help with, so long as they stem from a hazard on someone else’s property and result in an injury.
One of the core elements to a slip and fall case is whether the property owner had a legal duty to keep their premises safe for a particular visitor. Whether the property owner should have foreseen the visitor’s presence makes a big difference, so the law divides property visitors in Glastonbury into three categories: invitees, licensees, and trespassers.
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What Rights Are Owed to Invitees and Licensees?
Invitees are those who enter the property for the financial benefit of the owner, like a shopper in a store. Property owners have to maintain their premises with the highest degree of care for invitees.
Specifically, owners are legally required to inspect their property for potential hazards and fix them, and also to warn invitees of discoverable hazards. If an owner does not fulfill these obligations and an invitee gets hurt, the invitee may be eligible to recover compensation for their losses.
A licensee, on the other hand, is someone who is on someone else’s property with the owner’s permission or consent, like a garbage collector or a meter reader. Property owners can be held liable for injuries caused by hazards the owner knows about or has reason to know that the licensee will not discover if the owner does not take reasonable care to warn the licensee or make the hazard safe. For more information, consult with a knowledgeable slip and fall lawyer in Glastonbury.
Trespassers Still Have Rights
A trespasser is someone who is on someone else’s premises without the consent or permission of the owner. Although they are not liable if one is hurt by a hazard that already existed on their premises, property owners cannot intentionally hurt trespassers. Furthermore, property owners must take reasonable steps to keep trespassers safe after learning of their presence.
Do Child Trespassers Have Rights?
Children who are trespassing on someone else’s property have even broader rights. Property owners who know that children may be on their property have a duty to protect them by either fixing hazards that may attract their attention or taking reasonable steps to keep children away from the danger.
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Speak with a Glastonbury Slip and Fall Attorney Today
Many victims of slip and fall incidents suffer serious injuries, ranging from broken bones to traumatic damage to their brain and/or spine. Particularly for the elderly, a slip and fall accident can be life-altering and disabling.
If you have slipped and fallen and gotten hurt on someone else’s property because of their negligent upkeep of that property, you may have grounds to file suit. If the property owner had a legal duty to keep you safe and then failed to uphold that duty, they could potentially be liable for your injuries.
With the help of a Glastonbury slip and fall lawyer, you could invoke your rights to compensation and fight to secure the reimbursement that you deserve for the losses you sustained. Call today to get started on your case.
