Were you or a family member injured while on someone else’s property in Palm Bay, FL? Property owners in Florida can be held liable when they fail to keep their property reasonably safe, and visitors are injured. Contact an experienced Palm Bay premises liability lawyer at Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law for assistance today.
Our attorneys have over 100 years of experience serving personal injury victims like you. We’ve recovered tens of millions of dollars since we opened our doors.
You may be entitled to substantial compensation for medical bills, loss of income, trauma, pain and more. Count on our team to fight for every dollar. Just contact our law offices in Palm Bay, Florida at (321) 334-3819 to schedule a free consultation today.
If you’ve been injured in a pedestrian accident, Palm Bay motorcycle accident, brain injury, dog bite, or car accident, our injury lawyers have the expertise and resources to help. We’re proud to serve Palm Bay residents with top-tier legal representation.
How Can Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law Help With Your Palm Bay Premises Liability Claim?
All property owners have responsibilities. When they ignore those responsibilities, people are likely to get hurt. Even though the law allows you to seek compensation, it can be tough to get money in your pocket when you’re injured.
You may be dealing with an insurance company that’s fighting your claim. You may not even know how much compensation to ask for. Insurance companies challenge and undervalue legitimate claims every day. Fortunately, our experienced Palm Bay personal injury lawyers know how to help you fight back.
When you hire us, you’ll have a respected law firm in your corner to:
- Investigate to determine who is responsible for your injuries
- Locate and analyze the evidence
- Carefully evaluate your damages as we calculate your case value
- Hire experts to help prove contested issues
- Fight back when the owner claims the injuries were your fault
- Negotiate for a full and fair settlement
Our Palm Bay personal injury attorneys operate on a contingency fee basis. You can get quality legal representation even if you can’t afford upfront fees. We only charge attorneys’ fees if we win. Get started today by contacting our team for a free case review.
Overview of Florida’s Laws on Premises Liability
Premises liability is a subset of personal injury law that holds property owners liable for injuries caused by negligent property maintenance. Under Florida law, property owners must take reasonable steps to keep their property safe when they allow others to enter the premises. Those steps generally include making repairs, conducting inspections, and posting warnings about existing hazards.
How Much Money Is My Palm Bay Premises Liability Claim Worth?
There’s no clear-cut answer to this question. Before a lawyer can estimate your case value, they must evaluate all relevant facts carefully. When we’re preparing your compensation claim, our lawyers in Palm Bay will evaluate all relevant factors, including:
- Your current expenses, including medical treatment costs, rehabilitation, property damage, etc.
- Whether the injury will lead to a long-term impairment
- Your lost earnings to date
- Whether your injury will cause an ongoing loss of income and the value of that loss
- How an injury is expected to impact your future quality of life
- How you’ve suffered due to the accident and injury
The most serious injury claims tend to result in the highest settlements and verdicts. Severe injuries cause more damage. They’re more expensive to treat and change your life in more dramatic ways.
That said, you can count on us to evaluate every factor that’s relevant to your case as we fight for the full compensation you deserve.
What Types of Compensation Can I Recover in a Palm Bay Premises Liability Case?
Under Florida premises liability laws, victims can seek compensation for any loss they have suffered. That includes economic and non-economic losses. Economic damages represent your financial costs, including:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning potential
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage
- Out-of-pocket expenses
Non-economic damages, on the other hand, are your personal, non-monetary losses, including:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Diminished quality of life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of consortium
Rarely do courts in Florida award punitive damages. You might be entitled to these damages only in the case when the defendant’s acts were particularly shocking or even intentional.
How Can Florida’s Shared Fault Laws Impact the Value of My Premises Liability Case?
Property owners often try to pin blame on victims. They might claim you were careless, clumsy, or failed to recognize an obvious risk. Under Florida’s modified comparative negligence law, you only lose your right to damages if your share of fault is more than 50%. If you share some blame but less than 51%, your damages will be reduced according to your share of responsibility.
Dangerous Property Conditions Often Leave Victims Struggling With Serious Injuries
Unsafe property conditions can result in life-changing injuries. Even an injury that seems “minor” can impact your life for years to come. The injury wasn’t your fault, so why should you have to bear the financial costs?
At Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law, we help clients pursue compensation for all types of injuries, including:
- Broken hips
- Broken bones
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Concussions
- Knee injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Wrist and ankle injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Internal injuries
- Respiratory illnesses
- Cancer and other diseases
- Burns
- Amputations
- Paralysis
We also handle extreme cases where victims have suffered catastrophic or fatal injuries. We’re always here to start fighting for your family, so call our Palm Bay premises liability attorneys today.
We Handle All Types of Premises Liability Claims in Palm Bay, FL
Slip and fall accident cases are by far the most common type of premises liability case. However, many different types of hazards can give rise to a valid premises liability claim.
At Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law, we handle all types of premises liability cases, including those involving:
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Negligent security
- Exposure to toxic substances
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Dog bites and animal attacks
- Inadequate property maintenance
- Swimming pool accidents
- Inadequate lighting
- Bed bugs and other accidents in hotels
- Elevator accidents
- Construction site accidents
- Cruise ship accidents
It’s important to report your accident and injury to the property’s owner or management as quickly as possible. Then, you should seek immediate medical attention. Both factors can be the key to proving you deserve compensation at a later date.
How Do I Prove a Palm Bay Property Owner Owes Me Compensation Based on Premises Liability?
Property owners in Florida always have certain obligations. However, they aren’t automatically liable for any injury that happens on their premises. To recover compensation, you’ll have to prove the owner was negligent.
In premises liability cases, that means establishing:
- The defendant owed you a legal duty of care because they owned or were responsible for the property
- You were legally on the premises and not trespassing
- Dangerous conditions existed on the property
- The defendant knew or should have known, about the hazard
- The defendant failed to fix the danger in a reasonable amount of time
- The defendant didn’t provide adequate warning about the danger
- The unsafe property conditions caused your injuries
- You suffered damages
Different levels of duties exist in premises liability cases. The scope of the owner’s duty depends on why you were visiting.
Three classes of visitors exist:
Invitees
People are classified as invitees when they visit a property for a business purpose. Invitees are generally present on the property so the owner can make a profit.
For example, you’re classified as an invitee when you:
- Shop in a grocery store
- Dine in a restaurant
- Attend a baseball game
- Visit the post office
Property owners have heightened duties when it comes to business invitees. Their duties include a responsibility to:
- Fix known hazards
- Inspect the property to identify new risks on a regular basis
- Offer adequate warning about hazardous conditions
These heightened responsibilities make sense. After all, you really have no way of controlling conditions on the business owner’s property.
Licensees
When you visit someone’s property for social purposes, you’re classified as a licensee. You still have permission to be on the premises. You’re just not there for the owner’s profit.
Private property owners also have legal duties under Florida premises liability laws. Those duties are more limited. The owner must warn you about known risks that aren’t obvious. They don’t have an obligation to conduct inspections to locate hidden risks.
Trespassers
When you enter someone’s property without permission, you’re generally not protected by premises liability laws. The owner can’t create intentional dangers designed to hurt you, but they don’t have to keep the property safe for your benefit.
How Long Do I Have to File a Premises Liability Lawsuit After an Accident in Florida?
Timing is important. If you wait too long, you lose your right to take legal action. Under Florida law, the statute of limitations in premises liability cases is two years. The two-year clock starts on the date of your injury.
Contact a Trusted Palm Bay Premises Liability Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Negligent property owners should be accountable for injuries caused by their carelessness. An experienced Palm Bay premises liability lawyer can help you fight for the money you deserve. Contact Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law to schedule your free consultation today.