Premises Liability Lawyer in Peachtree Corners, GA

What Is Premises Liability?

The basic tenet of premises liability is that property owners are responsible for making sure their premises are safe for other individuals. This rule applies to visitors, guests, and even trespassers in some cases.

Peachtree Corners property owners have a duty of care to people who visit their premises. This duty of care includes identifying and addressing potential hazards, keeping up with maintenance, and providing sufficient warnings to prevent injuries and accidents. The property owner may be held liable if they fail to uphold this duty and someone is injured.

Premises liability law helps prioritize safety and accountability. It allows people injured by someone else’s negligence to seek the compensation they deserve. Individuals may seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Georgia Premises Liability Laws

Georgia premises liability laws recognize three main categories of visitors:

• Invitees — Invitees enter a property at the owner’s invitation, typically for business purposes. Property owners owe them a high duty of care. They must regularly inspect and maintain the premises and address any potential hazards. These visitors might be shoppers at a grocery store or patrons at a local restaurant.
• Licensees — Licensees are guests with permission to be on the property without a business purpose. Property owners owe them a slightly lower duty of care and are only liable for willful or wanton injury. An example of this type of visitor could be a guest at a dinner party at someone’s home.
• Trespassers — Property owners owe the lowest duty of care to trespassers. They must refrain from intentionally, willfully, or wantonly causing harm to them.

The critical concept in premises liability cases in Georgia is negligence. To prove the property owner was negligent and liable for the accident, the injured party must show that the owner was responsible for keeping them safe from harm as a lawful visitor. They must then prove that the property owner failed in that responsibility by neglecting to take the necessary steps to prevent the accident from happening.

Georgia premises liability law also has a contributory negligence component. If the visitor exhibited negligent behavior that contributed to their injury, the court will consider this when determining damages.

Types of Premises Liability Cases

Premises liability cases involve a variety of situations, each of which presents unique and complex challenges:

• Slip and Fall Accidents — Some of the most common premises liability cases occur when individuals slip, trip, or fall due to hazards on a property. Possible causes include wet surfaces, uneven surfaces, inadequate signage, or poorly maintained walkways.
• Inadequate Security — Other premises liability cases involve injuries arising from criminal acts that might have been preventable had the property owner acted with a greater level of care. Examples include injuries resulting from lack of security, damaged or missing locks, or inadequate lighting.
• Dangerous Conditions — Property owners are responsible for addressing issues with stairs, handrails, exposed wiring, and other hazardous conditions that can lead to injury. These sorts of conditions result from a lack of routine maintenance and inspection.
• Dog Bites — A property owner can be held liable when their dog bites or attacks a visitor. Georgia premises liability law explicitly calls out the responsibility of dog owners to keep their pets under control, particularly if they’re known to be aggressive.
• Swimming Pool Accidents — Swimming pools can be dangerous, particularly for children. Property owners are responsible for keeping their pools safe with fencing, signage, and routine maintenance, and they should ensure pool guests are supervised at all times.

All premises liability cases present varying challenges when it comes to pursuing compensation. The experienced premises liability lawyers at Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC will investigate and assess the specific elements of your case. We can identify the responsible party and obtain all available evidence to build a strong case for you. We’ll help you understand your legal rights and seek the compensation you deserve.

Common Types of Premises Liability Injuries

Because premises liability cases arise from such a wide range of circumstances, the resulting injuries also vary. Some injuries are relatively minor, while others have effects that last a lifetime. To determine the potential severity of your premises liability case, you’ll want to understand the most common types of injuries:

• Broken Bones — Various incident types can result in broken bones, including slip and fall accidents and incidents arising from dangerous conditions. Broken bones and fractures can vary in their severity and impact. Some require only a cast, while others require surgery and implanted hardware.
• Head Injuries — Head injuries like concussions and traumatic brain injuries commonly arise from falls, swimming pool accidents, and assaults resulting from a lack of security. These injuries can have a profound long-term impact on an individual’s overall well-being. In cases of severe injury, the victim’s brain could be damaged to such a degree that they require assisted living or around-the-clock care.
• Spinal Cord Injuries — Individuals who fall down a flight of stairs or off a porch or balcony may experience spinal cord injuries. This type of injury may lead to paralysis, worsening a person’s quality of life and ability to work. In many cases, people who develop quadriplegia require full-time care for the rest of their lives.
• Cuts and Bruises — While cuts and bruises may seem insignificant, these injuries may lead to infection and other potential complications. This group of injuries results from dangerous conditions and a lack of attention to property maintenance.
• Emotional Distress — The injuries arising from premises liability accidents are not limited to the physical. These incidents can also lead to emotional distress in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, which may require therapy to allow the victim to fully recover.
• Soft Tissue Injuries — Slip and fall incidents and dangerous conditions can result in injuries to muscles, tendons, and ligaments like strains and sprains. These injuries are painful and may lead to mobility issues for the injured person.
• Burns — Dangerous conditions and lack of maintenance to certain equipment can cause burn injuries, which take time to heal, can require extensive treatment, and can leave lasting damage in the form of scarring.
• Drowning or Near Drowning — Poor maintenance habits and insufficient safety precautions may result in drowning incidents or close calls. These incidents commonly involve children but may also impact older adults and individuals with disabilities.

These injuries are costly, not just financially but also emotionally and physically. A premises liability claim can help compensate for these losses.

Compensation Available in Georgia Premises Liability Claims

Compensation in a Peachtree Corners premises liability lawsuit is designed to restore an injured person to their pre-injury state, at least to the extent possible. Compensation should include money to make up for the physical, emotional, and financial harm the injured person experienced. Types of compensation include:

• Medical Expenses — Victims in premises liability lawsuits may receive compensation for the cost of hospitalization, medications, surgeries, rehabilitation, and any ongoing treatments required to restore them to health. Compensation includes both known and anticipated medical expenses arising from their injury.
• Lost Wages — Individuals injured in dangerous property incidents may be forced to miss work, and some may even lose their ability to work. Compensation in these cases may cover lost wages as well as the loss of future earnings.
• Pain and Suffering — This compensation category includes chronic pain, anxiety, trauma, loss of enjoyment, and other physical, psychological, and emotional suffering resulting from an injury.
• Property Damage — Individuals may also seek compensation for personal property damaged in the incident that resulted in their injury. For example, someone carrying a laptop who slips and falls at a restaurant may seek compensation for their damaged computer.

Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC can help victims in premises liability claims by pursuing all applicable forms of compensation. Our experienced legal team will aggressively seek justice for the full scope of your injuries and losses.