Have You Been Injured on Someone Else’s Property?

Property owners have a legal obligation to ensure that their property is safe for guests and visitors. Property owners are negligent when they fail to meet this obligation, which can include the following: 

• Failing to maintain the property
• Failing to make necessary repairs
• Failing to routinely inspect the property to identify hazards
• Failing to warn guests and visitors of known hazards that cannot be remedied right away

Determining whether or not a property owner was negligent is more complicated than it sounds. If you have been injured, whether the property owner is at-fault will depend largely on the facts specific to your case. An experienced Laurel personal injury lawyer can review the facts of your case and help you understand your options. 

Retail Establishments

Stores, shops, shopping malls, and strip malls generate a fair number of slip and fall accidents. The accidents that commonly occur in these locations are as follows: 

• Slipping on ice in the parking lot or on the sidewalks
• Slipping on wet flooring
• Tripping on broken flooring or torn carpeting
• Falling on stairs due to missing or loose handrails
• Getting injured by falling merchandise
• Tripping due to poor lighting
• Elevator and escalator accidents

Retail establishments in Maryland have an obligation to ensure that the premises are safe for customers. If you’ve been injured in a store or while entering a store, a Laurel personal injury lawyer can review your case and determine whether you have a claim. 

Bars, Nightclubs, and Other Entertainment Venues

Bars and similar places pose the same risk of injury with some additional risks. Here are some examples: 

• Patrons may be overserved and become drunk and disorderly, leading to fights and injuries to innocent bystanders. 
• The establishment may not have adequate security to prevent altercations from occurring or otherwise keep patrons safe. 
• The venue may not be in compliance with fire, occupancy, or other building codes, leading to hazardous situations that can result in injuries to patrons. 

Maryland bars, night clubs, and similar venues have a legal obligation to take reasonable steps to keep their patrons safe. Even if you were injured by another person or through another person’s fault, you may still have a claim against the establishment itself. 

Amusement Parks

Amusement parks also present the common slip and fall hazards, as well as concerns about adequate security. However, amusement parks do present a unique hazard when it comes to the hazards posed by the rides. Amusement park rides can cause severe injuries and even death when they are not properly maintained or are operated unsafely. 

Sports Venues in Maryland

In addition to the common slip, trip, and fall hazards, stadiums, arenas, and other sports venues pose some unique hazards for fans. For example: 

• Inadequate guard rails and other features to prevent fans from falling from high seating areas
• Inadequate plexiglass, netting, or other safety features to protect fans from balls and other projectiles
• Inadequate security to control unruly or intoxicated fans

Some sports venues are located in high-crime areas that present the need for greater security or additional lighting. If you’ve been injured at or around a sports venue, an experienced Laurel personal injury lawyer can review the facts of your case and determine whether you may have a claim for compensation.

Who Is Liable?

Determining who is the property owner isn’t always easy. If you were on private property, you may already know who the owner is, and if you don’t, it is often easy enough to find out. Unfortunately, it can be much more difficult to identify the property owner if you have been injured on a commercial property. The property may be managed by an entity that is separate from the entity that owns it. Alternatively, you may think that the business that operates on the property owns it, when in fact the property is owned by a separate entity. Businesses do this on purpose to protect themselves against claims. The bottom line is that you may actually have to sue multiple entities if you have been injured on a commercial property. 

Injured in a Slip and Fall Accident in Maryland? Contact Laurel Personal Injury Lawyer Thomas E. Pyles

If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. Laurel personal injury lawyer Thomas E. Pyles has over 25 years of experience in holding negligent property owners accountable. If you’ve been injured and need help, contact us at 301-705-5006 to schedule a free consultation.  We have office locations in Leonardtown and Waldorf for your convenience.