How Does Premises Liability Affect Slip and Fall Cases?

 Posted on December 30, 2024 in Slip and Fall

Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere. If you have fallen on somebody else’s premises due to inadequate safety measures, you might be badly injured with damage including broken bones, head trauma, or spinal cord damage. 

In Maryland, you may be able to collect compensation for these damages by filing a personal injury claim against the property owner. However, fault is not always clear-cut in slip-and-fall accidents, and your ability to obtain a settlement will depend on Maryland’s premises liability laws and whether you have a skilled attorney representing you.

If you are not sure whether a property owner was obligated to provide you with a duty of care and is responsible for your injuries, a Prince George’s County slip and fall attorney can advise you of your rights and help you build a case for a settlement. At Maryland Slip and Fall Lawyers, our legal professionals have over 30 years of combined experience, and we will negotiate aggressively for the compensation our clients deserve. 

Invitees

As an invitee, you have the property owner’s explicit permission to be on the premises for a commercial purpose, and so you are afforded the highest duty of care. This is most common with businesses like restaurants or stores, where customers are welcomed onto the premises. If the property owner does not take adequate measures to protect you as an invitee, such as not putting out a wet floor sign for a spill, you may have a solid case for a settlement.

Licensees

As a licensee, you are allowed onto the owner’s property by implied permission, often by invitation but not necessarily. This is typically extended to friends and family of the property owner. The owner has a duty of care to you as a licensee and must forewarn you of any dangerous conditions on the property, at the risk of being held liable for your injuries. Licensees are referred to as social guests.

Bare Licensee

As a bare licensee, you are allowed onto the property with the owner’s consent, but solely for your own benefit or convenience, with the typical example being door-to-door solicitors. Bare licensees are owed less protection than invitees or licensees, as the property owner may only be held liable for creating a hazard through reckless disregard or the intent to cause harm.

Trespassers

As a trespasser, you are on the property without the owner’s consent, implied or otherwise. Trespassers are owed few protections, as a property owner may only be held responsible for injuries if he or she deliberately set out to cause a trespasser harm. Children are extended more protections as trespassers, as a property owner could be held liable for an "attractive nuisance" that leads to a slip and fall accident, such as an unattended pool without a fence to bar trespassers.

Talk to a Prince George’s County, MD Slip and Fall Attorney Today

If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, it is important that you know your rights and the protections you are owed. A Silver Spring, MD personal injury lawyer can provide you with valuable counsel and representation when filing a claim. To schedule a free consultation with Maryland Slip and Fall Lawyers, call our offices at 240-221-7357 today.