What Is Premises Liability Coverage?
When a customer steps into a store or restaurant, a renter moves into an apartment building, or a person visits an office building, they have a right to a reasonable expectation of safety. Property owners and business managers are legally obligated to consider the safety of those lawfully on their property, especially when they invite them there for business purposes.
Unfortunately, sometimes a single act of negligence, like putting off a repair or failing to maintain a building or parking lot sufficiently, ends in a serious accident. Premises liability coverage protects the property owner from devastating financial losses.
Contact a premises liability attorney in Salt Lake City today at (385) 404-6398 to pursue financial compensation for your injuries
Common Premises Liability Injuries
When a safety hazard exists on a property and the property owner fails to promptly recognize and repair the problem, they are liable for the damages if a person who is lawfully on the property (not trespassing or committing a crime) sustains an injury. Common examples of premises liability claims include the following accidents and incidents:
- Slip-and-fall injuries (learn more about public safety standards in Utah)
- Pool accidents
- Staircase accidents
- Elevator or escalator accidents
- Assaults due to insufficient security
- Structure fires
- Gas leaks
- Ceiling or balcony collapses
- Injuries from inadequate maintenance
- Faulty appliance injuries
- Injuries caused by inadequate lighting
Dog bites also fall under premises liability insurance coverage for both commercial and private property owners — a Salt Lake City dog bite lawyer is here to fight insurance companies not giving you the settlement you deserve.
How Does Premises Liability Coverage Work In Personal Injury Cases?
Most personal injury cases are resolved through a direct claim against the appropriate insurance policy—for instance, car insurance after an accident and malpractice insurance after a medical malpractice injury. After an injury caused by property owner negligence, the injury victim typically files a claim against the property owner’s premises liability policy. The policy limit typically covers the injury victim’s damages.
Once an injury victim’s attorney provides a demand package containing evidence of the property owner’s liability and a list of the injury victim’s economic and non-economic damages, the insurance adjuster assigned to the case begins negotiating a settlement with the attorney and injury victim. Sometimes, all parties meet for mediation sessions to arrive at an acceptable settlement amount.
Only about five percent of cases require the claim to become a lawsuit litigated in court. This occurs when an insurance company wrongfully denies the claim or significantly undervalues it with a low settlement offer that doesn’t cover the injury victim’s damages.
What Types of Damages Are Covered by Premises Liability Insurance?
Accidents with serious injuries like broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, debilitating back or neck injuries, or burns are costly to treat and sometimes leave the injury victim facing an uncertain future or reduced ability to earn a living. Common damages claimed against a property owner’s premises liability coverage include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Future income loss/diminished earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for catastrophic damages such as loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, loss of limb, the loss of one of the senses, or the loss of an organ
If a loved one dies in a preventable accident on commercial property, the property owner’s premises liability coverage provides wrongful death benefits to a close surviving family member.
How Can a Premises Liability Lawyer Help Me?
Despite their compassionate ads, insurance companies are in the business of making profits. They often do so at the injury victim’s expense, especially if the injury victim doesn’t have assertive legal representation through a personal injury attorney.
Call Handy & Handy Attorneys at Law at (385) 404-6398 or contact us online for experienced legal counsel and prompt action to file a well-executed claim against the negligent property owner’s premises liability insurance.