When you are injured by a slip, fall, or accident on someone else’s property, you may be facing a mounting pile of medical bills you never expected and time away from work, which only adds to your financial and emotional stress.
At Eisbrouch Marsh we can help you understand your legal rights to compensation for your injuries and help you pursue the monetary award that you deserve. Call us today at 201-342-5545 for your free premises liability consultation.
What Is Premises Liability?
Premises liability is a body of law that holds the person who is in possession of the property legally liable for injuries suffered by those on the premises. This duty extends to individuals such as guests, customers, employees, or even passers-by.
Under New Jersey law, business and property owners have a legal duty to maintain their premises free of hazardous conditions and to remedy any problems in a reasonable time period once they’re detected. Unfortunately, property owners are often negligent in their responsibility to repair broken stairs, provide adequate security, or clear icy sidewalks during cold winter months, leaving guests and patrons at risk for serious harm.
Common Types of Premises Liability Claims
Premises liability claims can arise from a variety of circumstances on residential, commercial, or government-owned property. These cases may include:
- Slip, trip and falls
- Parking lot accidents
- Cracked or uneven sidewalks
- Construction site accidents
- Elevator accidents
- Negligent security
- Hotel injuries
- Amusement park accidents
- Recreational event injuries
- Swimming pool injuries
- Restaurant or retail store injuries
- Falling debris
- Insufficient lighting
Elevator Accidents
Elevators can injure or kill members of the general public and the workers who install, repair, or maintain them. One of the most common causes of elevator injuries is actually falling down the shaft. Other causes of injuries include getting caught in or between moving parts, falling in a platform collapse, or being struck by elevator counterweights.
Premises liability cases involving elevators can be extremely complex and require close work with industry experts to determine the cause of an elevator malfunction and identify the responsible parties, that may include the building owner, the elevator maintenance company, the elevator manufacturer, or others.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are one of the most common premises liability claims. You never think about it until it happens, but there are many dangerous conditions that can cause a slip and fall injury, including:
- Broken or faulty stairs
- Slippery floors
- Holes or uneven pavement in sidewalks
- Ceiling collapses
- Unmarked ramps or steps
- Missing or faulty handrails
- Snowy or ice-covered sidewalks
- Poorly maintained public spaces
- Uneven or poorly maintained floors
- Inadequate lighting in stairwells
- Poorly marked changes in elevation
- Potholes and trenches in parking lots
Often, legal counsel or insurance carriers for the defendant will attempt to say that the victim’s own carelessness caused or contributed to their slip and fall injury. For this reason alone, it’s imperative to have a knowledgeable legal team that can gather and utilize eyewitness and expert testimony, building maintenance records, surveillance footage and other key evidence to establish negligence on the part of the property owner or landlord.
Slip and Fall Sidewalk Accidents
In New Jersey and New York, we see many slip and fall injuries caused by hazardous conditions on the sidewalk. The sorts of injuries resulting from sidewalk trip and falls are numerous, as are the circumstances and conditions leading to them. While many immediately think of ice, snow, and unusually raised portions of concrete as the main causes of sidewalk falls, there are many other types of hazards regularly encountered on public pathways, such as:
- Large cracks
- Loose bricks or pavers
- Metal grates able to snag shoe heels
- Irregularly graded wells and pits surrounding landscaping
- Metal doors or openings that are not fully closed set into sidewalk surfaces
Attorneys at Eisbrouch Marsh will do everything possible to research the defects that led to your injury and leave no stone unturned when it comes to ensuring that all filing requirements are timely met for your case.
Negligent Security
Whether you are at the mall, a night club, a hotel, or a supermarket, you should be protected from senseless, preventable accidents, and misfortune. Property owners have a responsibility to provide adequate security for their premises.
A negligent security claim may arise if you are injured by foreseeable criminal activity on the property. Indications that a property owner is not meeting their standard of care include:
- Lack of security cameras and/or guards
- Malfunctioning or poor surveillance
- Unsecure entry to the building
- Lack of fencing to keep out trespassers
- Poorly trained security personnel
- Broken door locks or windows
- Poorly lit parking lots
Properties where you should expect a reasonable degree of security and therefore may have a case against the property owner if you are injured by criminal activity on the premises include, but is not limited to:
- Apartment complexes
- Banks and credit unions
- Bars and nightclubs
- Churches and places of worship
- Gas stations and quickie-marts
- Halfway houses and homeless shelters
- Hospitals and health clinics
- Hotels and motels
- Malls and shopping centers
- Restaurants and eateries
- Sports stadiums and arenas
- Supermarkets
Call Eisbrouch Marsh Today
Were you injured on someone else’s property? You may have a legal claim to recover compensation for your injuries.
Put our more than 30 years of experience advocating for injured victims to work for you. Call Eisbrouch Marsh today at 201-342-5545 for your no-cost, no-obligation legal consultation.
We serve residents in northern New Jersey, including Hackensack, Newark, Bergen County, and Essex County from our offices in New Jersey and New York.
