Weld County Slip and Fall Lawyer
Slips and falls may cause surprisingly serious injuries. A fall to the ground of only a few feet can impart enough force to break bones, snap ligaments, or even to cause brain damage. Unfortunately, a leading cause of slips and falls is landowner negligence.
All landowners have a duty to maintain their property in a responsible way that protects invited guests. Accordingly, if you have suffered an injury from a slip and fall that occurred on another’s property, you may have the right to collect compensation.
A Weld County slip and fall lawyer may be able to help you navigate the surprisingly complex laws that govern slip and fall cases. If retained, a skilled injury attorney could also help you protect your rights against aggressive insurance companies and pursue your case for its true value. En Español.
The Obligations of Landowners
The laws that control the obligations of landowners and the rights of visitors in Weld County are complicated. In Colorado, premises liability law encompasses all injuries that occur on someone’s land. Slips and falls are just one example of this type of case.
Under Colorado Revised Statutes §13-21-115, landowners are only considered legally negligent after a slip and fall under limited circumstances. The statute creates three classes of visitors, each with their own rights under the law.
Trespassers enjoy almost no protection and can only win a case if a landowner intentionally causes them harm. Social visitors, known as licensees, can win their case if the landowner fails to take reasonable steps to protect them from known harm. Finally, invitees visiting a land for a business purpose enjoy the greatest protection, as landowners are required to warn them about any known hazard and must take steps to discover these hazards quickly after they arise.
For example, the classic slip and fall case involves ice on a sidewalk. If that sidewalk is located outside a strip-mall, the injured individual enjoys invitee status due to the land being owned for a business purpose.
A premises liability case must examine both the role of the visitor involved and the steps taken by the landowner to warn people about the hazardous condition. For example, if a landowner failed to clear ice from outside a storefront and there are no signs warning customers about its presence, a person injured by slipping on that ice may have the right to compensation. A Weld County slip and fall lawyer could help a plaintiff complete this critical legal analysis.
The Consequences of Slip and Fall Injuries
Negligent landowners in slip and fall cases have an obligation to make the injured party whole again, which entails placing the plaintiff in as close as possible to the position they would be in if the incident never happened. That being said, the core of these cases involves providing payment for any medical bills. Whether the injuries include a simple cut or bruise or require extensive surgery and rehabilitation, a negligent defendant should always be responsible for these costs.
Defendants may also have to provide compensation for any financial losses. If a plaintiff needs to miss shifts at work to attend medical appointments, these lost wages may be considered another form of compensable damages. More serious incidents may limit a person’s ability to work far into the future, in which case a negligent landowner must provide compensation intended to make up for this loss of future earnings.
Finally, a case should examine the emotional impact of the slip and fall upon an individual’s life. Many cases demand compensation for loss of quality of life or general feelings of depression that could accompany many slip and fall injuries. A slip and fall lawyer in Weld County could help an injured person evaluate their losses and fight for fair compensation.
Retain the Services of a Weld County Slip and Fall Attorney Today
Slip and falls that occur on the property of others are a leading cause of personal injuries in Weld County. However, just because the incident happens on another’s land does not mean the landowner is automatically responsible. These cases need to examine both the actions taken by the landowner and your motivations for being on the land, often resulting in a complex legal analysis that could confuse many unrepresented plaintiffs.
A Weld County slip and fall lawyer could help you every step of the way. From evaluating your status under the state’s premises liability statute to gathering evidence of landowner fault, an attorney could help make the process as stress-free as possible. Call today to discuss your case.
