Premises Liability Lawyers in Pennsylvania

When you visit a store, restaurant, apartment building, business, or other property, you should not have to expect an unsafe condition to leave you seriously injured. Property owners and others responsible for maintaining a property may be held accountable when dangerous conditions cause preventable injuries.

At Quatrini Law Group, our premises liability lawyers represent people throughout Pennsylvania who have been injured because of unsafe property conditions. We help clients investigate what happened, determine who may be responsible, gather evidence, deal with insurance companies, and pursue compensation for the losses resulting from their injuries.

We serve individuals and families throughout the Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Latrobe, Somerset, Uniontown, and Altoona regions of Pennsylvania.

For assistance after an injury on someone else’s property, call 888-534-6016 or contact us online. We offer free consultations.

How Our Pennsylvania Premises Liability Lawyers Help

Premises liability cases can involve more than showing that you were injured on someone else’s property. Questions about who controlled the property, what caused the accident, whether the dangerous condition was known or should have been discovered, and what steps were taken to address or warn people about the hazard can all be important.

Quatrini Law Group can investigate the circumstances surrounding your injury, identify potentially responsible parties, gather available evidence, review medical documentation, communicate with insurance companies, and help you understand your legal options.

Our attorneys can also evaluate the losses caused by your injury, including medical expenses, time away from work, and the ways the injury has affected your everyday life.

What Is Premises Liability?

Premises liability is an area of law involving injuries caused by dangerous or unsafe conditions on another person’s or company’s property. Depending on the circumstances, property owners, businesses, landlords, property managers, or other parties responsible for the property may have legal obligations to people who enter the premises.

Simply being injured on another person’s property does not automatically mean the property owner is responsible. A premises liability claim generally requires examining the dangerous condition, why it existed, what the responsible party knew or should have known about it, and whether reasonable steps were taken to address the hazard.

Premises Liability Cases We Handle in Pennsylvania

Unsafe property conditions can take many forms. Premises liability cases may occur at businesses, stores, restaurants, apartment buildings, private properties, parking areas, and other locations.

The circumstances of each accident are different. Determining exactly what caused the injury is an important first step in identifying whether another party may be legally responsible.

Slip and Fall Accidents

A slip and fall accident may occur because of wet floors, spills, ice, snow, uneven walking surfaces, debris, or other hazards. These accidents can cause fractures, head injuries, back injuries, and other serious medical conditions.

The existence of a hazard alone does not necessarily establish liability. Evidence concerning how long the condition existed, whether the responsible party knew about it, and what was done to correct the problem can become important.

Unsafe Stairs, Walkways, and Flooring

Broken stairs, loose handrails, uneven flooring, damaged sidewalks, and other walking hazards can cause serious falls.

Determining responsibility may require examining the condition of the property, maintenance practices, previous repairs, available photographs or video, and other evidence surrounding the accident.

Snow and Ice Accidents

Pennsylvania winters create conditions where snow and ice can accumulate on sidewalks, parking lots, stairs, entrances, and other walking surfaces.

Premises liability involving snow or ice can depend heavily on the specific circumstances. Where the accident happened, how the condition developed, and who was responsible for maintaining the area can all be important questions.

Falling Objects and Unsafe Property Conditions

Customers, visitors, tenants, and other people can be injured when merchandise, equipment, building materials, or other objects fall or create an unsafe condition.

These cases may require determining how the dangerous condition developed and whether reasonable inspection, maintenance, storage, or safety procedures could have prevented the accident.

Inadequate Property Maintenance

Property conditions can become dangerous when necessary maintenance or repairs are delayed. Broken fixtures, damaged walking surfaces, structural problems, and other hazards may expose visitors to unnecessary risks.

A premises liability investigation can help determine who was responsible for maintaining the area and whether the condition should have been addressed before someone was injured.

Where Premises Liability Accidents Can Happen

Premises liability accidents are not limited to one type of property. They can happen anywhere an unsafe property condition creates a risk of injury.

Potential locations can include stores, shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, apartment buildings, office buildings, parking lots, sidewalks, entertainment venues, and private properties.

Identifying the location is only the beginning. It is also necessary to determine who owned, occupied, managed, maintained, or otherwise controlled the area where the accident happened.

Who May Be Responsible for a Premises Liability Injury?

Determining responsibility can be complicated because the property owner is not necessarily the only party involved. Depending on the circumstances, responsibility may involve a property owner, tenant, business operator, landlord, property management company, maintenance contractor, or another person or company responsible for the area.

For example, a business may lease its location while another company owns the building and a separate contractor handles maintenance. Determining who controlled the dangerous condition can therefore become an important part of a premises liability investigation.

Quatrini Law Group can review the circumstances surrounding the accident to identify potentially responsible parties and applicable insurance coverage.

What to Do After an Injury on Someone Else’s Property

What happens immediately after a premises liability accident can affect your health and your ability to document what occurred.

Seek appropriate medical treatment for your injuries. If possible, report the accident to the property owner, manager, or business and make sure the incident is documented. Photographs or video of the condition that caused the accident may also be valuable because unsafe conditions can be repaired, cleaned, or removed shortly afterward.

Keep records related to your medical treatment, expenses, missed work, and communications concerning the accident. If witnesses saw what happened or observed the dangerous condition, their information may also become important.

Speaking with a premises liability lawyer can help you determine what additional evidence may need to be preserved.

Evidence That May Be Important in a Premises Liability Case

Evidence can change or disappear quickly after a property accident. A spill may be cleaned, snow or ice may melt, damaged flooring may be repaired, or surveillance footage may not be retained indefinitely.

Depending on the circumstances, useful evidence may include photographs, surveillance video, incident reports, witness information, maintenance records, inspection records, medical documentation, and other information showing how the accident occurred.

The evidence needed depends on the specific property, hazard, and circumstances surrounding the injury.

What Compensation May Be Available After a Premises Liability Injury?

An injury caused by an unsafe property condition can result in medical bills, missed work, ongoing treatment, and other financial and personal consequences.

Depending on the circumstances of the case, compensation may be available for medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, future medical needs, pain and suffering, and other losses caused by the injury.

The potential value of a premises liability claim depends on the individual facts of the case, including the severity of the injuries, available evidence, responsibility for the accident, insurance coverage, and the short-term and long-term effects of the injury.

Serious Injuries Caused by Unsafe Property Conditions

A fall or other property-related accident can cause much more than temporary soreness. Depending on how the accident happens, injuries may include fractures, back and neck injuries, traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, joint injuries, and other serious conditions.

Some people recover relatively quickly. Others may require surgery, rehabilitation, extended time away from work, or continuing medical care.

When an accident results in a severe or permanent condition, a catastrophic injury claim may require careful consideration of future medical care, employment limitations, and other long-term consequences.

Why Premises Liability Clients Across Pennsylvania Choose Quatrini Law Group

After a serious injury, dealing with an insurance company while trying to recover can add another layer of stress. Quatrini Law Group provides clients with a local legal team that can investigate what happened, explain the process, and handle communications concerning the claim.

We are a Pennsylvania law firm serving individuals and families throughout Western and Central Pennsylvania. Our attorneys take a team-based approach and work to understand how an injury has affected each individual client.

With offices serving Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Latrobe, Somerset, Uniontown, and Altoona, our team is available to help people injured throughout Pennsylvania.

Meet Our Catastrophic Injury Attorneys

Understanding Premises Liability Law in Pennsylvania

A premises liability case generally focuses on whether a party responsible for property failed to meet a legal duty and whether that failure caused the person’s injuries. The legal duties involved can depend on the circumstances, including why the injured person was on the property and the nature of the dangerous condition.

Questions about notice can also be important. Depending on the case, it may be necessary to determine whether the responsible party created the dangerous condition, actually knew about it, or should have discovered it through reasonable inspection or maintenance.

Because these cases are fact-specific, evidence showing what the property looked like and how it was maintained around the time of the accident can be particularly important.

Related Legal Services

• Catastrophic Injury
• Personal Injury
• Workers’ Compensation
• Social Security Disability
• Long-Term Disability

Frequently Asked Questions About Premises Liability in Pennsylvania

What is a premises liability claim?

A premises liability claim involves an injury allegedly caused by a dangerous or unsafe condition on another person’s or company’s property. Whether a valid claim exists depends on factors such as the condition that caused the accident, who controlled the property, what the responsible party knew or should have known, and the circumstances surrounding the injured person’s presence on the property.

Is a slip and fall the same as premises liability?

A slip and fall is one type of premises liability case. Premises liability can also involve unsafe stairs, damaged walking surfaces, falling objects, inadequate maintenance, snow and ice, and other dangerous property conditions.

Who is responsible if I am injured on someone else’s property?

Responsibility depends on the circumstances. A property owner, business, tenant, landlord, property manager, maintenance contractor, or another party may potentially be responsible. An investigation may be necessary to determine who controlled the area and who was responsible for addressing the dangerous condition.

What should I do after a slip and fall or other property accident?

Seek appropriate medical attention and report the accident to the property owner, manager, or business. If possible, document the dangerous condition with photographs or video and obtain contact information from witnesses. Keep records related to your medical treatment, expenses, missed work, and communications about the accident.

What if the dangerous condition was repaired after my accident?

Conditions can change quickly after a premises liability accident. A spill can be cleaned, ice can melt, and damaged property can be repaired. Photographs, surveillance footage, witness statements, incident reports, and other evidence may help document what existed when the accident occurred.

What compensation may be available in a premises liability case?

Depending on the circumstances, compensation may include medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, future medical needs, pain and suffering, and other losses caused by the injury. The damages available depend on the facts of the individual case.

How long do I have to file a premises liability claim in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania generally has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits. Different circumstances can affect legal deadlines, so it is important to determine the deadline that applies to your particular case rather than waiting to pursue a claim.

Do I need a premises liability lawyer?

You are not required to hire an attorney, but premises liability cases can involve disputes about who controlled the property, whether a dangerous condition existed, how long it existed, whether the responsible party had notice, and whether the injured person shares responsibility. A lawyer can investigate these issues, preserve available evidence, and help you understand your options.

Talk With a Premises Liability Lawyer in Pennsylvania

If you were injured because of a dangerous condition at a store, business, apartment building, private property, or another location, understanding what happened and who may be responsible is an important first step.

Call Quatrini Law Group at 888-534-6016 or contact us online to discuss your situation with a Pennsylvania premises liability lawyer. The consultation is free.