General Negligence Including Homeowners & Business Premises Liability

The most common case of general negligence against either a homeowner or business is the slip and fall or trip and fall case. As homeowners, we all have a recognized duty to inform persons entering upon our land of known dangers located in or around our house. When a homeowner violates this duty and someone is injured, the law allows the injured party to recover from the homeowner´s insurance coverage for their medical bills, lost wages, injuries, pain and permanent injuries.

The same is true for businesses, only the duty is greater: the business owner must warn the patron of not only known dangers, but also must make reasonable inspections now and then to check for possible hazards. The duty of a business owner is usually greater because the law recognizes that you, as a business owner, are soliciting the patron to come to your place of business for financial gain. This is generally why business owners have a recognized duty to clear and salt their sidewalks after snow storms hit; maintain their parking lots free of broken asphalt and concrete; place adequate stop signs to protect patrons entering and exiting the front of their stores; give notice of wet floors after mopping; and to provide adequate security if they know that crime is in a heightened state in their neighborhood or parking lot.

If you or a loved one has been severely injured due to what you believe to be the fault of a business or homeowner, contact Spencer Shields for a free consultation. Time is of the essence and if possible you should always obtain photographs of the area where you were hurt in order to document the dangerous area, before the homeowner or business owner makes modifications to repair it.