Premises Liability Attorney in Dunwoody, Georgia
Dedicated to Helping You Seek the Compensation You Need
Property owners in Georgia, have a responsibility to keep their premises in a reasonably safe condition, in order not to pose risks of harm to people who visit them. Property owners expose occupants to risks by not keeping up with building maintenance, violating building safety codes, not having proper warning of slip hazards, and not repairing cracked cement or tile. If you have been hurt or lost a loved one on someone else's property, you should enlist a personal injury attorney to pursue compensation on your behalf.
If you have been injured due to someone's negligence, schedule a case review. Our Dunwoody personal injury lawyer will investigate every detail of your case and assert your rights against any negligent parties that may be responsible.
What Is Premises Liability?
Premises liability is a legal concept that holds property owners accountable for accidents and injuries that take place in areas under their control. As property owners, they assume the responsibilities of maintaining any area that a visitor may stumble upon. Laziness and negligence is the reason so many property owners have personal injury claims filed against them.
These claims may involve:
- Slip and falls
- Dog bites
- Negligent security
- Landlord negligence
Property owners are obligated to keep their premises free from hazards and in generally safe conditions. Dangerous conditions on properties may arise from issues such as improper maintenance or disrepair, slippery floors, walkway obstructions, uneven pavement, building code violations, or failures to warn of known hazards.
Georgia Premises Liability Laws
The duty that a property owner owes a visitor depends on the status of the visitor. Under Georgia law, landowner-visitor relationships fall into one of three categories: invitees, licensees, or trespassers.
- An invitee is an individual who is invited onto the land by either express or implied invitation. Generally, an invitee is a customer in a store, a patron in a restaurant, or a person who entered the land for another business purpose. Invitees are owed the highest duty of care. Under Georgia law, a landowner may be held liable for any injuries caused by a failure to exercise ordinary care in keeping the property and its approaches safe for an invitee.
- A licensee is also owed a duty of care, but it is less than what is owed to an invitee. A licensee is permitted to be on the land for his or her own purposes. As a practical matter, a licensee is typically a social guest. When it comes to licensees, a property owner has a duty to exercise ordinary care and prevent a known or reasonably expected risk of injury due to a hazardous condition.
- A trespasser is defined as a person who enters the property of another party without the landowner's permission. Landowners do not owe any duty of care to trespassers, except in some situations involving children.
Don't pay for someone else's mistakes. Schedule a consultation to see how you can fight back with the help of a Dunwoody premises liability lawyer.
The Personal Attention You Need
To succeed in a premises liability case, your lawyer must be able to establish the following elements:
- The property must have contained a hazardous condition
- The property owner must have known about or been reasonably expected to know about it
- The property owner must have failed to remove or repair the hazardous condition or warn the visitor of its existence
- The hazardous condition must have caused the victim's injuries
Depending on the severity of your injury, it may be difficult to decide exactly what should be included in your compensation. Forms of compensation that are commonly available in these claims include medical expenses, the costs of future treatment, lost income and earning capacity, and pain and suffering.
Explore Your Options with Our Dunwoody Personal Injury Attorney
If you have been hurt on someone else's property, you may be able to recover damages. Attorney Ryan Schwartz can evaluate your case and provide you with a thorough assessment of your options. You can trust that we will vigorously advocate for your rights every step of the way. We work hard to keep you in the loop along the way so you stay involved. Our clients come from throughout the Atlanta metro area, as well as Woodstock, Decatur, Lawrenceville, Gainesville, Duluth, Norcross, Suwanee, and McDonough, among other communities.
Schedule a free, confidential consultation to see the legal options available for your personal injury claim in Dunwoody.