Seattle Premises Liability Attorney
Premises liability holds property owners responsible for ensuring their spaces are safe for others. This responsibility extends to public areas, such as stores, government buildings, parks, streets, and sidewalks. It also covers locations like hotels, resorts, and rental properties. If you suffer an injury on someone else’s property due to their negligence, you can hold them accountable. Compensation may cover medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Proving a premises liability case can be challenging, as property owners and their insurers often try to avoid paying. That’s where the personal injury attorneys at Emerald Law Group come in. With years of experience, our team is skilled in helping victims of slip and fall or trip and fall accidents secure the compensation they deserve, even in complex cases. Contact our experienced Seattle premises liability lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your situation and explore how we can assist you.
Causes of Premises Liability Cases
Injuries resulting from a property owner or manager’s negligence can occur for various reasons. Common causes include:
- Unsafe or slippery walkways due to melted ice or water
- Unsupervised swimming pools
- Poorly maintained sidewalks that lead to trips and falls
- Missing or inadequate warning signs, particularly on construction sites
- Lack of proper security, leading to violent crimes such as assault or rape
- Insufficient lighting that causes accidents or crime
- Falling objects
These incidents can result in serious injuries, impacting both short-term and long-term health. Our Seattle premises liability attorneys are here to help you obtain the compensation you need to move forward.
Types of Premises Liability Cases in Seattle
At Emerald Law Group, our premises liability attorneys handle a wide range of accidents and injuries in Seattle and surrounding communities in the Puget Sound and Pacific Northwest. Whether your injury is minor or catastrophic, including wrongful death, you can count on us for dedicated representation in any premises liability case, including:
- Bicycle Accidents
- Car Accidents
- Catastrophic Injury
- Child Injury
- Childhood Sex Abuse
- Construction Accidents
- Insurance Bad Faith
- Medical Malpractice
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Nursing Home Injury
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Premises Liability
- Product Defects
- Truck Accidents
- Wrongful Death
No matter the situation, our team is here to help you obtain the justice and compensation you deserve.
A Seattle Premises Liability Attorney In Your Corner
For premises liability to apply, the injury must result from a property owner’s negligence or wrongdoing. Typically, workplace injuries aren’t covered unless special circumstances are involved.
While some premises liability cases seem straightforward—like when a visitor falls due to a broken step the owner knew about but didn’t fix—other situations are more complex. For example, shop owners are responsible for keeping the sidewalks in front of their stores clear of snow or debris, even though they don’t own the sidewalk. In some third-party premises liability cases, a property owner, such as at a construction site, might be partially responsible for a crime committed on their property, even if they didn’t commit the crime themselves.
Determining liability isn’t always simple. The law requires the injured person to be either an invitee, a licensee, or a trespasser. The outcome of a case depends on the injured person’s status and whether the owner was legally negligent.
A Seattle premises liability attorney can gather the necessary evidence to strengthen your claim. Our team is experienced in handling a wide range of cases, from slip and fall injuries to animal attacks, wrongful death, and traumatic brain injuries. If you’ve been injured on someone else’s property, it’s crucial to hire a legal professional to help you win your case—otherwise, you risk losing even more.
Determining what constitutes a “reasonable time” in a premises liability case can be tricky. For instance, if a customer spills a drink, creating a slipping hazard, how long before it becomes unreasonable that it hasn’t been cleaned up or that no “wet floor” sign has been placed? The answer depends on the circumstances.
In public spaces, employees are expected to regularly check for spills or hazards and address them promptly. In environments where spills or dropped items are more likely, such as grocery stores, restaurants, nightclubs, or toy stores, you’d expect staff to inspect and clean up more frequently.
Emerald Law Group: Helping You Win Your Premises Liability Case
Property owners and their insurers often try to minimize settlements for premises liability claims. They might offer a quick settlement right after an accident, but these offers usually only cover immediate medical bills and a small extra amount to seem generous. Their goal is to settle before you talk to a lawyer or fully understand the severity of your injury and its true cost. Once you accept their payment, it’s too late to ask for more, even if your costs turn out to be much higher.
If you hire a lawyer, the insurance company might still try to limit what they owe. While some premises liability injuries are obvious, many involve soft tissue injuries or aren’t immediately visible. Insurers often use this to downplay your injury and offer a low settlement. They might also try to shift some blame onto you, such as claiming you weren’t paying attention. Any blame placed on you reduces the amount they have to pay.
At Emerald Law Group, our experienced Seattle premises liability lawyers know how to accurately assess your case and prove the facts to the insurance company or, if necessary, to a jury. We ensure you receive the medical care you need, settle when it’s the right time, and fight in court if needed to ensure you’re fully compensated for all your harm. We’ve successfully represented many premises liability victims and bring that experience to every case we handle.
Contact Emerald Law Group Today
If you need help getting care and compensation after a slip and fall, trip and fall, or any other serious accident on someone else’s unsafe property, call the experienced Seattle premises liability lawyers at Emerald Law Group for a free consultation. You won’t pay any fees unless we win compensation for you.