Premises Liability Lawyers Bel Air

What premises liability does is it holds the property, land, or homeowner responsible should a person be injured on their owned space. Premises liability laws in Maryland will hold a property owner responsible for compensation for injuries incurred while present on the property should the injured party and situation be deemed eligible under this law. If a person is legally invited onto the property, land, or building vicinity for any reason, and the person was not intoxicated in any way at the time of the incident, they may be able to collect compensation for the treatment of their injuries.

These injuries can vary, and they often include slip and fall cases or injuries due to unsafe homes or apartments, and the injured party can collect compensation for injuries incurred in these cases, particularly if they are deemed an invitee or licensee.

Plaintiff Statuses in Premises Liability Cases in Maryland

In premises liability cases in the state of Maryland, the plaintiff will fall under one of three categories:

• Invitee – An invitee is invited onto the premises for commercial reasons benefitting the owner of the property. This type of plaintiff is typically a customer at a business, and could be awarded compensation if the business failed to protect the invitee from certain conditions on the premises. Businesses will often do routine checks or inspections to learn of any condition hazards that may be present on their property, so that these conditions can be fixed or warned against in order to avoid injuries to their invitees.

• Licensee – A licensee is a person who is permitted to be on a property for reasons that are not commercial, but still by invitation. Social guests, family members, or other guests invited to come onto a property are considered licensees, and it is the property owner’s responsibility to ensure that conditions are safe for their guests in order to avoid injury. The injured licensee guest can collect compensation for injury from a property owner if the said property owner did not warn of hazardous conditions or has failed to repair more unrecognizable hazards which lead to the injury in question.

• Trespasser – Trespassers are people who come onto a property without being invited or having an implied invitation (such as shoppers in a store) and these injuries are the most difficult to receive compensation for. Because a property owner is not aware of the person coming onto the property, they are unable to warn about hazardous conditions that may be present, causing them to be not at fault for the trespasser’s injuries. Although, in cases of a trespasser gaining injuries from a trap or other willful manmade device, they may be eligible to receive compensation.

If a property owner finds themselves faced with a premises liability lawsuit in the state of Maryland, he or she will typically file an insurance claim to cover the damages incurred.

Types of Injuries Incurred in Maryland Premises Liability Cases

Premises liability cases involve a variety of different types of injuries, and different causes of injuries, in the state of Maryland. Some of the most commonly encountered premises liability cases involve slip and fall accidents that cause the injured parties to succumb to injury due to negligence on the property owner’s behalf. These situations are common with invitees in businesses, as well as licensees in personal homes, and the injuries can range from minor to those that are more severe often needing prompt medical attention.

The medical costs that a plaintiff may seek due to these slip and fall injuries, or any type of premises liability injury, will vary as greatly as the situations and injuries incurred. Often, it is these medical costs that a plaintiff will file a lawsuit for, and they will be awarded compensation if their accidental injuries are deemed to be caused by a property, home, business, or land owner’s negligence. These accidents can happen at any time, so it is important for any property or business owner to properly inspect their premises for any possible cause of injury, and to have hazardous conditions repaired or warned against as quickly as possible for the safety of their guests, employees, or customers.

Filing a Lawsuit Versus Insurance Compensation

While many home, business, or other property insurance plans will have policies in place to protect from the charges incurred from premises liability accidents, it is not rare for an insurance company to try to settle the case with a much lower amount than one may need, or to continue to delay paying out the claim. When an insurance company recognizes that a person may be unrepresented by a lawyer, they are more likely to pay too little or challenge paying at all, as they do not have the fear of a lawsuit.

For this reason, it is always important for a person to acquire the assistance of an expert premises liability lawyer to ensure that their proper compensation will be rewarded. These types of personal injury claims can be expensive, and uncooperative insurance companies can create a great deal of financial stress on the injured person. The presence of a premises liability lawyer will often cause insurance companies to pay a fair amount for compensation, or risk having a lawsuit be brought against them. It is always highly recommended that a premises liability lawyer be sought if a person experiences any type of accident on another person’s property, as this will ensure that proper compensation is most likely to be rewarded.