Every property owner, public or private, has a duty of care to keep that property safe. A violation of this duty is known as premises liability. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured as the result of another property owner’s negligence — whether the accident occurred at a store, a neighbor’s home, a school playground, a business office, a museum, a public government building or at some other location — you should seek legal counsel from the topflight personal injury law firm of Levin & Malkin. Located in Hackensack, we serve clients throughout New Jersey and New York.
Premises Liability Lawyer Helping Residents in Bergen County
Our highly skilled attorneys have an outstanding track record of winning premises liability cases. We have won millions of dollars of compensation for our clients and look forward to easing the financial burden you may have suffered. Call Levin & Malkin for a free consultation. We are happy to come to you to discuss the particulars of your situation and will not charge you any attorneys’ fees until we win your case.
Our agile attorneys, armed with a comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of New Jersey and New York personal injury law, are eager to win you substantial damages through skillful negotiations with the insurance provider. In most cases, we win these damages without ever having to enter the courtroom.
What constitutes a premises liability claim?
In order for you to make a legitimate premises liability claim, the law requires that we prove the property owner owed you a duty of care, the property owner breached his or her duty, and your injury was directly caused by that breach.
Types of Premises Liability Cases
While most property owners work hard to keep their buildings and grounds safe and sanitary, there are always some who are too thoughtless, reckless, or lazy, to do proper maintenance. This is especially true when defects or hazardous conditions have been pointed out to property owners and they have taken no steps to remedy or repair them. If you are injured as a result of their negligence, you have a right to sue them for premises liability since if you have suffered a serious personal injury, the law recognizes your right be compensated not only for medical costs but for other financial losses, as well as for your physical and emotional pain.
There are many kinds of premises liability that lead to personal injury, including:
- Pathways or stairs made slippery by water, snow, ice, or other slick substances
- Unconfined dogs who bite or otherwise create a hazard
- Toxic fumes or substances (e.g. lead, mold, asbestos)
- Broken steps, banisters, frayed carpeting, scatter rugs without matting
- Deteriorating roofs or decks
- Exposed grill fires left unattended
- Broken pavement, unmarked holes, obstacles left on stairs or walkways
All of these and many other hazards can cause serious harm to everyone who has a legitimate reason to come on the property: neighbors, guests, landscapers, licensees (such as water meter readers), plumbers or electricians hired by the property owner, postal or delivery workers, salespeople, and passersby. While trespassers have no legitimate right to be on the property, the court is likely to take the side of a trespassing child who has been injured, particularly if there was an attractive nuisance to entice the child onto the property, such as a pool.
If you are unfortunate enough to be seriously injured, you should first get the urgent medical care you require and then, as soon as you are able, contact Levin & Malkin, a law firm you can trust. You will find our attorneys to be compassionate in addition to offering excellent legal support. Whether you have suffered a slip and fall accident, been bitten by a dog, or been made ill by a toxic fume, we are the lawyers to come to. Whether you have suffered a bone fracture, a burn, or a traumatic brain injury, we will see to it that you receive the significant compensation you deserve.
Damages Levin & Malkin Can Win for You
In New Jersey or New York, our first-rate attorneys may be able to win you both kinds of compensatory damages: economic damages which cover monetary costs that can be calculated or estimated, such as medical costs and lost income (present and future) and non-economic damages which are difficult to assign a monetary value, such as pain and suffering, disfigurement, and disability.
In rare cases that are viewed by the court as particularly egregious, as when a property owner has allowed a pit bull trained to be aggressive to fun free on his property and that dog has viciously attacked a child who stepped onto the property to retrieve her ball, punitive damages may also be awarded.
Contact Our Hackensack Premises Liability Lawyer
As with other personal injury claims, the sooner you begin working with a capable attorney, the better the outcome will usually be. For one thing, there is a 2-year statute of limitations for making a premises liability claim.
A more pressing reason to contact Levin & Malkin quickly is that once the incident has occurred, the negligent property owner is likely to move quickly to repair the hole in the walkway or to move the grill inside the garage — in other words, to remove any evidence of wrongdoing. As soon as you contact our attorneys, we will send out a photographer or videographer to document the cause of your injury. Give us a call or fill out a contact form on our website. Remember, we want you to concentrate on healing, so we will come to you.