Did you or a loved one suffer injuries while visiting someone else’s property in Lebanon, PA? All property owners have obligations under Pennsylvania premises liability laws. If you were injured, you may be entitled to hold a negligent property owner liable for compensation.
An experienced Lebanon premises liability lawyer at Marzzacco Niven & Associates can help you recover money for medical bills, lost wages, and more.
Collectively, our lawyers have over 120 years of experience handling cases similar to yours. We’ve helped countless clients over the years–and recovered tens of millions of dollars in the process.
Are you curious about your legal rights? Contact our law offices in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, to schedule a free consultation today by calling (717) 995-8963.
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How Can Marzzacco Niven & Associates Help With a Premises Liability Claim in Lebanon?
Most personal injury claims involve filing a claim with insurance. Anyone who has dealt with insurance knows that insurance companies can make things difficult. Premises liability cases can be particularly difficult to prove.
An experienced Lebanon personal injury lawyer at Marzzacco Niven & Associates can help with every aspect of your case. Our legal team includes lawyers who have been recognized as Best Lawyers of America and Super Lawyers’ “Rising Stars.” If you were injured on the job, we also have a certified workers’ compensation specialist on our team.
When you trust us to protect your legal rights, you can count on us to:
- Investigate and locate evidence to back up your claim
- Accurately value your damages and seek compensation for all of your losses
- Retain experts and specialists who can strengthen your case
- Negotiate with the insurance company for a fair settlement
Our Lebanon personal injury attorneys are experienced trial lawyers. We won’t hesitate to present your case to a judge and jury if necessary. Don’t rely on a lawyer directory or take our word for it. You can learn more about this area of law by calling or filling out our contact form for a free consultation.
What is My Lebanon Premises Liability Case Worth?
Your injuries have consequences. Those consequences include physical, emotional, and financial suffering. Unfortunately, insurance companies often try to downplay those consequences to maximize their own profits. That’s why it’s important to have a lawyer evaluate your personal injury case value.
The value of your unique personal injury claim will depend on:
- The type of injuries you’ve sustained
- The cost of your medical care
- Your lost wages
- How the injury impacts your ability to work in the future
- How the injury impacts your lifestyle and quality of life
- Whether you share any blame
Our attorneys in Lebanon will carefully evaluate your circumstances before making your insurance demand. In especially complex cases, we’ll even consult experts to help us put a dollar value on your more subjective losses.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Accident Victims?
Accident victims in Pennsylvania are entitled to seek economic damages to cover all financial costs stemming from the accident. You can also recover damages for your non-financial or non-economic losses.
Examples of the types of compensation you may be entitled to receive include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Lost future earning capacity
- Disability
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage
- Personal losses, including emotional distress and pain and suffering
- Diminished quality of life
- Disfigurement
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Chronic pain
- Loss of consortium
These damages aren’t automatic. You’ll have to prove the damages that you’ve suffered. You’ll also have to convince the insurance company of their financial value. Our lawyers are here to help in any way we can, so give us a call for a free case evaluation today.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for My Own Injuries in Pennsylvania?
Property owners often try to escape liability by blaming the victim. They might claim that you should have been paying more attention, that the danger was obvious, or that you were simply clumsy.
Under Pennsylvania’s modified comparative negligence laws, you can lose your right to compensation if you’re at least 51% responsible for your own injuries. If you’re less than 51% liable, your compensation will be reduced in proportion to your percentage of fault.
Our Lebanon Premises Liability Attorneys Will Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Injuries
Our lawyers at Marzzacco Niven & Associates will fight to recover fair compensation for all of your injuries, including:
- Broken bones
- Broken hips and other joint injuries
- Puncture wounds, lacerations, and other wounds caused by criminal violence
- Concussions
- Soft tissue damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Internal organ damage and bleeding
- Burns
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Regardless of your injuries, call our lawyers for a free case review today.
We Handle All Types of Premises Liability Cases in Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Slips, trips, and falls are the most common type of premises liability claims. However, slip and fall accidents aren’t the only way people get hurt when they visit someone else’s property.
At Marzzacco Niven & Associates, our Lebanon premises liability attorneys handle all types of premises liability claims, including those involving:
- Negligent security
- Swimming pool accidents and the attractive nuisance doctrine
- Bed bug injuries
- Dog bites and animal attacks
- Elevator accidents
- Sporting arena accidents
- Apartment building accidents
- Hotel accidents
- Grocery store accidents
- Construction site accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Assault or rape
- Exposure to toxic chemicals
- Food poisoning
While most of these accidents happen because of simple neglect, it’s important to identify the specific cause of your accident.
Some common reasons that people are injured while visiting someone else’s property include:
- Failure to install proper safety features, including floor mats, railings, and guardrails
- Inadequate security
- Poor lighting
- Failure to properly inspect the property for dangerous conditions
- Negligent hiring and failure to train employees
- Loose carpets, floor mats, cables, and electrical wires
- Slick or slippery floors
- Puddles or spills that haven’t been properly cleaned
- Crumbling pavement
- Uneven pavement and potholes
- Debris, garbage, and other obstacles
- Missing stair treads or damaged stairs
You could have a valid premises liability claim any time you were injured on someone else’s property. Our lawyers in Lebanon are here to evaluate your case and help you understand your legal options. To get started, call our law firm for a free case review today.
Overview of the Premises Liability Laws in Pennsylvania
Premises liability laws in Pennsylvania hold negligent property owners liable when others suffer injuries on their property due to unsafe property conditions.
However, property owners aren’t liable for every injury sustained on their premises. They’re only liable if you can prove that they failed to take reasonable precautions to keep invited visitors and guests safe.
How Do I Prove Liability in a Pennsylvania Premises Liability Case?
Most premises liability cases turn on whether the property owner acted reasonably. To recover compensation, you’ll have to prove that the property owner was negligent in a legal sense. Negligence is a failure to exercise reasonable caution under the circumstances.
As the victim, you’ll have the burden of producing evidence to establish the following four elements:
- The defendant’s legal duty of care
- A breach of duty
- The breach caused the accident
- The damages you sustained
One issue that often arises in premises liability cases is establishing the owner’s duty of care. In other words, you’ll have to prove the scope of the property owner’s responsibilities. Those responsibilities depend on whether you’re classified as a business invitee, licensee, or trespasser.
In Pennsylvania, business owners have a duty to:
- Repair dangerous property conditions in a reasonable amount of time
- Regularly inspect the premises to identify hidden dangers
- Provide adequate warning about dangerous conditions that cannot reasonably be fixed immediately
Typically speaking, you must prove that the owner knew, or reasonably should have known, about the danger. Then you’ll have to prove that the owner failed to fix the danger or provide you with adequate warning.
Private property owners owe a more limited duty to their social guests, who are called licensees. They have a duty to warn about dangerous conditions that they know about. However, there’s no duty to inspect the premises for hidden risks.
Property owners typically aren’t liable for injuries sustained by trespassers who enter the property illegally. A limited exception exists for trespassing children who are attracted onto the premises by an attractive nuisance, such as a swimming pool or abandoned appliance.
How Long Do I Have to File a Premises Liability Lawsuit After an Accident in Pennsylvania?
In most cases, you have only two years to file a personal injury lawsuit under Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations. Once the two-year deadline passes, you’ll be barred from seeking compensation for your injuries.
There are very few exceptions. If your case is based on negligent security, however, you may have more time while the defendant handles a criminal defense.
Contact a Lebanon Premises Liability Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Contact an experienced Lebanon premises liability lawyer to learn more about your legal rights before accepting any insurance settlement. At Marzzacco Niven & Associates, we offer free consultations so you can get the legal advice you deserve without worrying about the cost.