A premises liability attorney helps people who were injured by unsafe conditions on someone else's property, such as a wet floor, broken stairs, poor lighting or inadequate security. Under California law, property owners must keep their premises reasonably safe. If an owner knew or should have known about a hazard and failed to fix it or warn visitors, the owner can be held responsible for resulting injuries.

Injuries like these happen everywhere in Los Angeles: restaurants, hotels, shopping centers, apartment buildings and parking garages. Many people assume a fall was their own fault. Often, it was the result of a hazard the owner should have handled.

What Premises Liability Covers

Premises liability is the area of law that holds property owners and occupiers responsible for injuries caused by hazardous conditions. Common examples include:

  • Slip and falls on wet floors, spills or uneven surfaces
  • Inadequate lighting in stairwells or parking lots
  • Broken stairs, railings or flooring
  • Poorly maintained elevators or escalators
  • Falling objects, such as loose fixtures or overloaded shelves
  • Negligent security that allows assaults or attacks
  • Clutter or obstructions in walkways

The key question is usually whether the owner knew, or reasonably should have known, about the dangerous condition and failed to address it. For a deeper look at the legal elements, read our Premises Liability 101 guide.

What to Do After You're Hurt on Someone's Property

  • Get medical attention right away, even if your injuries seem minor.
  • Photograph the hazard and the surrounding area before it is cleaned up or repaired.
  • Report the incident to the business or property manager, and ask for a copy of the incident report.
  • Get witness names and contact information.
  • Talk to an attorney promptly, because surveillance video and other evidence can disappear within days.

Our slip and fall insider tips explain these steps in more detail.

Compensation You May Recover

  • Medical bills and ongoing treatment
  • Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress
  • Loss of enjoyment of life

Why Insurers Fight These Claims

Property owners and their insurers often deny responsibility, arguing that the hazard was obvious, that it had not been there long enough to discover, or that the injury came from something else. Our founding attorney previously worked as a senior insurance defense attorney and in-house counsel for a major auto insurer, so our team knows how these defenses are built and how to investigate a claim to answer them. One example of our premises work is a supermarket wet-floor injury case.

Speak With a Los Angeles Premises Liability Attorney

Don't let a negligent property owner avoid responsibility. Our office in Central Los Angeles serves injured people across LA County. Contact Insider Accident Lawyers for a free case review or call 424-INSIDER. You pay no attorney's fee unless we recover compensation for you.