How A Routine Visit Turns Into A Serious Injury
You might start your day running errands in Media, dropping by a shopping center in Springfield, or visiting a friend’s complex in Upper Darby. You do not expect that a puddle on a tile floor, a broken stair, or a dark hallway will send you crashing to the ground. When that happens, though, you suddenly find yourself dealing with pain, doctors, and time away from work.
Many people are told to “be careful next time” or made to feel like the accident was their fault. But Pennsylvania law recognizes that property owners and managers must take reasonable steps to keep their property safe. When they fail to do that, and you get hurt as a result, a premises liability claim may be the right way to hold them accountable and recover the support you need.
What Premises Liability Covers In Pennsylvania
Premises liability is the body of law that governs injuries caused by unsafe property conditions. It applies to owners and occupiers of places like supermarkets, big box stores, strip malls, office buildings, apartment complexes, hotels, parking garages, schools, and private homes where guests are invited.
The law does not require perfection, but it does require reasonable care. Owners should watch for hazards, respond to complaints, make repairs within a fair time frame, and give clear warnings when a danger cannot be fixed at once. In some settings, they must also consider basic security needs such as lighting and locks.
When owners skip inspections, delay repairs, or ignore obvious problems, they put visitors at risk. If that neglect causes your injury, a premises liability lawyer in Delaware County, PA can help you pursue a claim against the owner, the business in control of the property, or both.
Common Types Of Premises Liability Incidents
Dangerous property can cause harm in many ways. Common examples include:
Slips on spilled drinks, leaking coolers, tracked in rain, or freshly mopped floors without warning signs
Trips on broken pavement, raised sidewalk slabs, loose mats, or clutter left in walkways
Falls on stairs because of missing handrails, uneven steps, or poor lighting
Assaults, robberies, or attacks in parking areas, hallways, or common spaces where owners failed to provide basic security despite prior problems
Injuries from falling merchandise, unstable shelves, or loose fixtures in stores and warehouses
These incidents can happen in a flash, but the effects often linger for months or years.
Why Your Role On The Property Matters
In deciding what duty a property owner owes you, Pennsylvania law looks at why you were there in the first place. Customers, clients, and people on the property for business reasons are usually treated as invitees. Owners must take active steps to discover and fix hazards that might hurt invitees, and they must warn them about dangers that are not obvious.
Social guests at a private home are often called licensees. Owners must warn them about known dangers that guests are unlikely to spot. They may not have the same duty to constantly search for hidden hazards, but they still cannot hide serious risks.
Trespassers get less protection, although owners generally cannot create traps or purposely expose them to harm. Special rules can apply to children, especially when a property feature such as a pool or abandoned structure is likely to attract them.
A premises liability attorney in Delaware County, PA will analyze your status, how long the hazard existed, and what steps the owner took or failed to take. That information helps determine whether the owner met their duty or fell short.
Proving Fault In A Premises Liability Case
To succeed in a premises liability case, you generally must prove that a dangerous condition existed on the property, that the owner or occupier knew or should have known about it, and that they did not act as a reasonably careful person would under the same circumstances. You also have to connect the hazard directly to your fall or other injury and show that you suffered damages.
Evidence can come from many sources, including photographs of the scene, witness statements, security videos, prior complaints, maintenance logs, and incident reports. A lawyer helps secure this information before it is lost, and works with experts when needed to explain how the hazard developed and why the owner’s response was not reasonable.
Pennsylvania uses a modified comparative negligence rule. If you are found partly at fault, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of responsibility. If you are more than 50 percent at fault, you may be barred from recovery. Insurers know this and often try to blame victims. A strong legal team pushes back against unfair claims that you were careless or not paying attention.
Typical Injuries From Unsafe Property Conditions
Premises liability incidents can cause many kinds of injuries, some of which are life changing. Broken bones are very common, especially in the wrists, arms, ankles, and hips. Hip fractures in older adults can lead to long hospital stays and lasting mobility problems.
Head injuries can be especially serious. Even a concussion can bring headaches, dizziness, sleep problems, and trouble focusing. More severe brain injuries may affect mood, memory, and the ability to work.
Back and neck injuries, including strains, sprains, and herniated discs, often result in chronic pain and limits on lifting or bending. Knee and shoulder injuries may involve torn ligaments or tendons that need surgery and long rehabilitation. Deep cuts and scars on the face, hands, or other visible areas can affect both function and self confidence.
What To Do After You Are Hurt On Someone Else’s Property
The steps you take after an accident can be important for your health and any future claim. Try to get medical attention promptly, even if your pain does not feel severe right away. Many injuries show up or worsen in the days after a fall.
Tell someone in charge what happened. That might be a store manager, security guard, landlord, or building supervisor. Ask them to write an incident report and request a copy if you can.
Take photos of the hazard and the general area, including any warning signs or lack of them. Try to capture angles that show lighting and the condition of the floor, steps, or surface where you fell.
Gather names and contact details for anyone who saw the incident or knew about the hazard. Witnesses can be very important later.
Before you talk at length with an insurance adjuster, consider speaking with a premises liability lawyer in Delaware County, PA. A lawyer can answer questions, explain what information is safe to share, and handle the back and forth with insurers so you can focus on healing.
What Damages A Premises Liability Claim Can Include
A premises liability claim is meant to help you cover both economic losses and the human impact of your injury. Economic damages may include emergency care, hospital stays, doctor visits, imaging, surgery, physical therapy, medications, and assistive devices. They may also include lost wages and benefits and reduced earning capacity if you cannot work as much or at the same level as before.
Non economic damages may address pain, mental distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. If your injuries keep you from hobbies, social activities, or caring for family in the way you used to, those losses matter. Serious scarring or disfigurement, especially on the face or hands, can also increase the value of a claim.
Why You Should Consider A Local Delaware County Premises Liability Lawyer
After an accident, property owners and their insurance companies often move quickly to protect themselves. They may fix the hazard, record their own statements, and reach out with low settlement offers before you understand the full extent of your injuries.
A local premises liability lawyer in Delaware County, PA knows how these cases are handled in area courts and understands the types of properties and hazards common in the county. Your lawyer can visit the scene, preserve key evidence, interview witnesses, and gather the medical and work records needed to show the true cost of your injuries.
Most premises liability attorneys work on a contingency fee, which means you do not owe an attorney fee unless they recover money for you through a settlement or verdict. That arrangement allows you to seek justice even when an injury has already strained your savings.
If you were injured while shopping, visiting, or living on property in Delaware County, you do not have to fight the owner or their insurance company by yourself. A premises liability attorney can guide you through each step of the process and work to secure the financial recovery you need to rebuild your life.
