No one expects to go to the home of a friend and while there, suffer an injury. The reality however, is if you are hurt while visiting a property, which is owned or occupied by another, you may be able to hold them liable for those injuries. This may be accomplished via an occupier’s liability lawsuit.
There are many matters that must be addressed in the course of bringing one of these lawsuits, starting with determining just what caused your injuries in the first place.
Basheer Tome via CC BY SA 2.0
Those responsible for your injuries occurring must also be determined. While it is of course possible that the owner or landlord of the property could be to blame, other times, a third party who may not initially come to mind–such as cleaning staff or a construction company–may be to blame. When more than one party is responsible, a determination regarding how much responsibility each has is necessary.
Once the responsible parties are identified, the focus should be on what, if any, actions the responsible parties took to reasonably keep the property safe for visitors, or, if the property owners who were negligent should have been aware the actions they took could result in injury. It is also a good idea to determine if you did all you could to keep yourself safe.
Because these cases can be complicated, it is generally best for injured parties to seek assistance from a lawyer who understands them. We have the knowledge to assist individuals in this situation. To learn more about how we handle occupier’s liability cases, please see our website.
