Helping Premise Liability Victims Throughout Indiana for More than 26 Years
Any kind of injury can disrupt your life. Rapidly accruing medical bills and missed work can impact your family’s financial stability, and the emotional toll may be immeasurable. But you may be entitled to damages if your injuries were caused by another person’s carelessness or negligence in a premises liability lawsuit.
At Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC, we put decades of experience to work for clients seeking help from premises liability lawyers in Indianapolis, Batesville, Connersville, Richmond, and North Vernon, Indiana.
We handle claims for injuries, such as ones related to slip and fall, sustained in accidents resulting from various unsafe situations, including dangerous surfaces, defective lighting, hazardous conditions, and negligent security.
Property Owners Are Liable and Must Maintain Their Property
All property owners have a responsibility to maintain a reasonably safe property for guests and patrons. When they fail to do so and someone is injured or killed because of their negligence or carelessness, they can be sued on the grounds of premise liability.
Premises liability lawyers in Batesville, IN can help you if you or a loved one has been injured on the unsafe properties of another individual or company.
The most common accidents that can happen in an unsafe property are:
- Slip and fall accidents. When floors are left wet and someone falls, the injuries can be serious and the owner held responsible.
- Pool injuries. Pool owners must make sure pools are covered, fenced in and properly maintained.
- Dog or animal bites. Animal owners have a responsibility to make sure their animals do not harm people who are invited onto the property.
- Poor security. When a place of business fails to provide (or attempt to provide) their patrons with security, and one of the patrons is robbed, assaulted, or harmed on the premises, the business may be held liable.
It can be as simple as a slip-and-fall accident at the supermarket — or as dramatic as a shooting at a mall. When injuries happen on someone else’s property due to unsafe situations, a property owner can be held accountable under the concept of premises liability.
As reported by The Los Angeles Times, a recent decision concerning amusement park rides by the California Supreme Court provides a good example. The court ruled that riders of bumper cars and similar attractions couldn’t sue for injuries due to risks that are inherent to the rides. “Those who voluntarily join in these activities also voluntarily take on their minor inherent risks,” stated the majority opinion. The ruling is similar to that governing sports participation, which is also said to come with inherent risk.
In order to have a legitimate liability claim, it’s necessary to establish negligence on the part of the property owner. In the case of an amusement park, for example, if the owner fails to properly maintain the equipment, or the operators of a ride were careless or improperly trained, there could be a case for negligence.
Generally, negligence can involve unsafe conditions such as:
- Dangerous surfaces (broken stairs, uneven walkways, wet floors without warning signs, etc.)
- Defective lighting
- Other hazardous conditions
- Negligent security
Types of Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents can be quite serious — even deadly. The National Safety Council says that falls cause 8.9 million visits to emergency rooms every year and reports that approximately 25,000 people die annually from trip and fall accidents. Safety engineers break down the major categories of different types of falls due to premises hazards as follows:
- Slip-and-fall: The walker loses balance because the shoe cannot grip the floor, typically due to slipperiness (water on granite, cooking oil on linoleum, etc.).
- Step-and-fall: Someone trips due to a hole (for example, a pothole), a loose step on a staircase or some other dangerous footing.
- Trip-and-fall: A foreign (unexpected) object in the path causes the walker to stumble and hit a knee, hand, shoulder or head on the hard surface below.
- Stump-and-fall: A sticky surface catches the walker’s foot and causes a face-first tumble.
slip and fall accidents are not always the fault of the victim. Under many different circumstances, the injury could be due to poor design or maintenance of a walking surface (mostly floors, sidewalks, parking lots and stairs). A person injured due to the fault of the building owner or manager, or a municipality that fails to provide a safe environment, may be eligible to receive financial compensation for the injuries through a premises liability lawsuit.
Anyone who has had a trip/slip/step/stump fall on public or private property should have the accident investigated immediately. Typically, a premises accident lawyer who has accident forensic investigators would conduct the investigation.
Immediate Response from a Slip and Fall Attorneys in Indianapolis
The most common slip and fall cases in Indianapolis stem from ones that occur when someone slips, trips, or falls as a result of a dangerous or hazardous condition on someone else’s property.
Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC has handled numerous cases involving injuries sustained at restaurants, supermarkets, shopping malls, and others’ homes. You may have a case if your injury was caused by
- Water, ice, or snow
- Poor lighting
- Abrupt changes in flooring surfaces or uneven sidewalks
- Hidden hazards like an obscured hole in the ground.
The fact that you were injured in a slip and fall accident does not necessarily mean that someone else is legally responsible. Contacting a skilled personal injury lawyer in Indiana immediately is the best first step to determine whether you have a premises liability case. One of our slip and fall attorneys meets with you face-to-face to evaluate your circumstances and put your premises liability claim in motion without delay.
Our Indianapolis Slip and Fall Attorneys Handle Complex Claims with Care
Premises liability claims can also arise from injuries or accidents that occur because of:
- Improperly maintained equipment.
- Lack of supervision during swimming or other recreational activities.
- Failure of security cameras or personnel to prevent a personal attack.
In any personal injury situation, do not sign anything with an insurance company before you talk to premises liability lawyers. At Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC, we ensure that your rights are protected and we fight to get you fair compensation for your injury.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Diligent Indianapolis Premises Liability Attorneys Today
If you are injured and you have a premises liability case, we can help. Call us today at 888-673-7275 to speak with a premises liability attorney or paralegal for free or contact our premises liability attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC online.
We have several satellite offices and meeting locations. We serve clients in Batesville, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Anderson, Muncie, and Lafayette, Indiana. We’ll gladly set up an appointment at a location convenient to you or in your home.
