Chicago Premises Liability Lawyers

Most of us head into the stores, restaurants, and businesses that we frequent with few concerns about our safety, but commercial property owners who fail to uphold their responsibility to maintain safe premises put us all at increased risk. If you or someone you care about has been injured as a result of a property owner or manager’s general negligence or lack of maintenance, it’s time to consult with an experienced Chicago premises liability lawyer. 

You Are Owed a Duty of Care

You may not realize it, but property owners and managers owe their invited guests – their customers, patrons, visitors, clients, and the public at large (generally) – a duty of care, which means they have a direct responsibility in relation to your safety. Property owners are required to maintain their premises, including repairing or removing risk factors that crop up, to the same degree that other reasonable property owners do in similar situations. Property owners are also responsible for identifying safety concerns on their premises and for adequately warning guests about them. 

Premises Liability Claims

In order to bring a successful premises liability claim in Illinois, several elements must be present, including:

• There must have been a risk factor on the premises.
• The property owner or manager must have known about the risk factor in question – or reasonably should have known about it.
• The property owner or manager must have failed to employ the reasonable measures necessary to address the risk factor (whether this means failing to notice it altogether, failing to adequately address it, ignoring it completely, or failing to adequately warn guests).
• As a result of the property owner or manager’s negligence, a guest was harmed. 

If, for example, an uneven restaurant entryway causes you to trip, fall, and become injured, the business may be found liable because uneven entrances are known dangers that should be addressed appropriately (either by fixing the issue or by warning customers like you about it). 

Your Losses

The losses (or legal damages) you experience as a result of a premises liability claim can be considerable, including all the following categories of loss:

• Your medical bills, which may stretch into the future
• Your lost earnings, which can include a change in your ability to earn into the future
• Your pain and suffering, which can exacerbate your other losses and may be the most challenging to overcome

Common Premises Liability Claims

Premises liability claims come in all varieties, but some of the most common fall into the following groupings:

• Slip and fall or trip and fall accidents
• Elevator and escalator accidents
• Fire hazards
• Inadequate security events
• Swimming pool and hot tub accidents

An Experienced Chicago Premises Liability Lawyer Is Standing by to Help

The accomplished Chicago premises liability lawyers at Saks, Robinson & Rittenberg, Ltd., focus our impressive practice on skillfully advocating for the legal rights – and rightful compensation of clients like you. To learn more about how we can help, please don’t put off reaching out and contacting us today.