Huntertown
Slip and Fall
ATTORNEY

DELVENTHAL LAW

We Have The Experience You Can Trust

Owning property in Indiana comes with certain obligations, one of which is to keep the property reasonably safe for visitors. When someone is invited onto property and gets injured, a question arises about whether the property owner is responsible. Indiana’s premises liability law sometimes assigns responsibility to owners, especially when they create or ignore hazards on the property. This is the duty of care that property owners must follow.

If you were injured on someone’s property, contact Delventhal Law Office today. Our Huntertown slip and fall lawyer will review the facts to determine whether you are entitled to compensation for your injuries.

HAZARDS ON PROPERTY ARE A LEADING CAUSE OF INJURY

Many of our clients reach out after they were injured in a business or private residence after being invited inside. For example, a store that opens its doors is inviting customers to step into its stores.

Unfortunately, certain hazards end up causing a person to slip and fall, suffering serious injuries in the process. Our clients have slipped on:

• Ice
• Snow
• Pools of water
• Condensation
• Mopped floors
• Freshly waxed floors
• Worn carpeting
• Loose carpets
• Debris on the floor
• Poorly constructed stairs

In addition, poor lighting can make it hard for a person to see where they are stepping, which increases the likelihood of a fall.

HOW A HUNTERTOWN SLIP AND FALL LAWYER CAN HELP WITH PROVING FAULT

Although no owner absolutely guarantees that you won’t be injured, Indiana law identifies certain duties an owner must follow depending on who is on the property:

• If you were invited onto the property, then the property owner owes you a duty of reasonable care. This duty typically requires fixing known hazards and reasonably inspecting the property to find hidden defects.
• If you are on the property for your own enjoyment but with the owner’s permission as a licensee, then the owner does not owe a duty of reasonable care. Instead, they must warn you of any hidden defects they know about and refrain from doing anything that increases the risk you face.
• If you are trespassing on the property, then the owner must refrain from wantonly injuring you and not increase the risk you face. The law is slightly different if a child is trespassing due to an attractive nuisance.

What is “reasonable” care? That will depend on the circumstances. For example, in a store, it is reasonable to expect staff to promptly clean up spills they know about and to regularly check the aisle for debris or other hazards. In situations where the owner can’t immediately neutralize a hazard, it is reasonable to rope off an area and/or warn visitors.

At our firm, we carefully review the facts, including searching out surveillance video and any witnesses to the incident. We try to reconstruct what happened to better understand whether owners satisfied their duties.

We also move quickly to file a lawsuit, if necessary. Indiana Code § 34-11-2-4 gives victims two years from the accident to file, and any delay could result in dismissal.

CONTACT OUR HUNTERTOWN SLIP AND FALL LAWYER TODAY

Although there are countless Indiana personal injury lawyers, not all have the experience of Delventhal Law Office. Our firm is well positioned to aggressively negotiate a settlement with an insurer or even go into court if necessary to vindicate your rights. To get started, call us today at (260) 484-6655.