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Property owners have a duty to ensure their premises are safe for invited guests and licensees. When they fail in that duty and someone gets hurt, they should be held liable for their negligence. Hiring a premises liability lawyer and filing an injury lawsuit holds property owners accountable and ensures victims like you receive compensation for economic and non-economic damages. Experienced Reno premises liability lawyer Stephen Osborne has been helping accident victims like you recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering since 1992. Call to work with a dedicated personal injury attorney today.
As a premises liability attorney can attest, unsafe property conditions are common in Reno shopping malls, grocery stores, hotels, and casinos. When property owners and operators fail to inspect their properties for hazards, fail to make repairs, or neglect to warn guests that dangers exist, the chance of someone getting hurt soars. The following are five common causes that trigger premises liability claims and lawsuits.
Slip and fall accident claims are the most common type of premises liability claims in Reno. They often cause brain injury, spinal cord injuries, and broken bones. These cases often arise when property owners neglect to clean up spills, fail to adequately warn guests about freshly mopped floors, fail to warn guests about unexpected step-downs, or don’t remove debris from walkways.
Dog bites account for a significant number of injuries that trigger premises liability claims. Some breeds are considered to be especially dangerous and risky, so many homeowners insurance underwriters will negate coverage for dog bites by certain breeds. A premises liability lawyer might be needed to initiate legal action against the animal’s owner.
Some properties are located in crime-prone areas. If a shopping mall, large commercial parking area, or other business location has lax security that enables a criminal to commit a robbery, carjacking, or attack someone, the property owner and security company may be able to be held liable for injuries.
Property owners and operators must make reasonable efforts to maintain their grounds and equipment to keep their properties safe for guests. They can be held liable for injuries caused by missing or broken handrails, dark stairways, loose guardrails, and other hazards that result from inadequate maintenance.
Swimming pool accidents cause countless severe injuries and deaths in Nevada every year. When Reno homeowners, hotels, and resorts fail to secure their swimming areas with gates and fencing, they put young children in danger of drowning. Swimming pool accidents may also be caused by inadequate maintenance of the pool area or damaged pool equipment.
If dangerous property conditions caused you to become injured, you are entitled to compensation from the business, property owner, manager, or other entity that was obligated to keep the premises safe. Experienced Reno premises liability attorney Stephen Osborne can help you recoup your losses. In Nevada premises liability cases, the following types of damages may be available.
Economic damages describe the financial losses you suffered because of your accident. The cost of medical treatments, physical therapy, and the travel costs to your appointments are examples of economic damages. So are any lost wages due to missing work while obtaining care and recovering from your injuries. Premises liability attorney Stephen Osborne can review your medical bills, earnings statements, and receipts to help determine the value of your economic damages.
Since they are not associated with monetary loss, non-economic damages are more difficult to quantify. They include things like physical and mental pain and suffering, loss of consortium, loss of companionship, and emotional trauma. Your premises liability lawyer will consider the severity of your suffering and use your economic damages as a basis when estimating the value of your non-economic damages.
Unlike compensatory damages that are meant to make the plaintiff “whole”, punitive damages are intended to punish the wrongdoer and prevent similar acts in the future. In Nevada, punitive damages are capped at $300,000 for claims with compensatory damage awards of up to $100,000, and three times the amount of compensatory damages if awards are $100,000 or more.
Hiring Reno premises liability attorney Stephen Osborne can significantly improve your chances of winning your premises liability lawsuit. Studies indicate that people who hire injury lawyers recover an average of three-times more than victims who handle their cases on their own. To win your cases, we will need to prove:
Stephen Osborne may use photos or videos of the accident scene, eyewitness statements, your medical records, expert testimony, and other evidence to prove the elements of your claim.
It is important to contact a premises liability lawyer and file a personal injury claim or lawsuit as soon as possible after you were hurt. Nevada law says that you have two years after suffering an injury in a slip and fall accident to file a premises liability claim. The tolling for the two years does not necessarily start on the date of the accident. Instead, tolling starts when you should have known about the injuries that you suffered due to unsafe conditions.
If you fail to take legal action within the allotted timeframe, you may be barred from recovering compensation for your losses. Act today and call our firm to begin working with an experienced Reno premises liability lawyer.