When a person or an agency owns a property, that person or agency is responsible for the safety of others who are on that property, even if the other person is trespassing in some instances. There are many different dangerous property conditions that can cause injury to someone who is on said property, and depending on the circumstances of the condition, the owner of the property may be held responsible for the injuries.
On any given property, there are many different objects and machines and conditions that make up the ground and landscape of the property. Things like pools, elevators, animals or even stairs can cause injury if not properly cared for. The law is very clear when it comes to premises liability: if a property owner knows or should reasonably be expected to know about a dangerous property condition, then that property owner has an obligation to eliminate the danger or be responsible for the consequences. Of course not every danger can be eliminated.
In instances where a property condition is irreparably dangerous, or simply cannot be repaired immediately (imagine scheduling an appointment for a repair man for example), then property owners must make an effort to warn others about the dangers so that visitors can avoid the dangers.
As you may be able to guess, there are many complex intricacies with premises liability claims. What qualifies as a dangerous property condition? How much warning is adequate warning when it comes to dangerous property conditions? All of these questions and more serve to make premises liability claims extremely difficult in many instances.
If you or someone you know has been injured by a dangerous property condition in New York, please visit our premises liability website. Our firm has a history of assisting with successful multimillion dollar premises liability claims, and we would be happy to discuss your case with you.