Teller County Premises Liability Attorneys

Were You Injured in Another Person’s Premises?

When you enter a space, whether a home, a business, or a site, you don’t expect to be harmed. However, accidents can happen anywhere, anytime. If you were injured on another person’s property, and that person is at fault, you are entitled to compensation for any injuries or losses suffered.

Our experienced attorneys at The Bussey Law Firm, P.C. can help you get the compensation you deserve. We have an impressive track record of gaining favorable compensation for our clients in a range of personal injury cases, whether through a settlement or by taking it to trial.

If you have been injured on another person’s premises in Teller County and want to investigate your legal options or pursue litigation, call our team today at (719) 475-2555 for a free consultation.

Common Examples of Premises Liability

There are many ways a person can be injured on another’s property. However, there are some common examples of premises liability that are often subject to legal action. These include:

• Slipping/tripping accidents
• Dog bites or other animal bites
• Falls
• Drowning
• Electrical accidents
• Fires
• Defective conditions or poorly maintained properties
• Exposure to toxic chemicals

How Does Premises Liability Work?

Premises liability in Colorado is governed by the Colorado Premises Liability Act. This dictates that when a person is injured on a landowner’s property, due to the owner’s negligence (their failure to take reasonable care), the owner is legally liable to pay compensation to the injured party.

Premises liability can be a difficult area of law, as landowners owe differing standards of care based on the legal status of the injured party on their property. In particular, the owner’s liability depends on whether the injured party was an invitee, licensee, or trespasser.

• Invitee: If an invitee is injured on the premises (generally customers or tenants), they can only recover damages caused by the owner’s failure to use reasonable care to protect the invitee from dangers the owner knew or should have known about.
• Licensee: If a licensee is injured on the premises (someone there for social or non-business-related matters), the landowner is only responsible for damage caused by the landowner either:
  a. failing to use reasonable care regarding dangers they knew about; or
  
  b. unreasonably failing to warn the licensee about dangers the owner knew of, but did not create, or that are not usually on the property.
• Trespassers: If the injured party was trespassing on the premises (did not have a right to be there), the owner is only liable for damages caused wilfully or deliberately by them to the trespasser.

Who Can Be Liable?

The term “landowner” for the purposes of premises liability is broader than the common use of the term. A landowner is defined in Colorado legislation as:

“an authorized agent or a person in possession of real property and a person legally responsible for the condition of real property or for the activities conducted or circumstances existing on real property.”

In reality, liability can, therefore, extend not only to owners of the land in the strict sense of the term, but can include tenants, contractors, property managers, event organizers, and vendors satisfying the above test. Whether a person meets the definition of landowner and is liable for injuries for the purposes of premises liability is ultimately a legal determination made by a judge.

The Bussey Law Firm, P.C. Can Fight for You

Commonly in premises liability cases, the defendant’s attorney will attempt to argue the injured party contributed to the accident, to either deny their client’s liability or diminish the compensation the landowner has to pay. Our skilled Teller County injury attorneys will challenge any assertion by the defendant that you are at fault for the accident or should receive diminished compensation.

At The Bussey Law Firm P.C., we have an impressive track record of obtaining substantial compensation for our clients across a range of personal injury cases, whether through aggressively negotiating a settlement or passionately conveying your case in court. Founding attorney Timothy Bussey has over 25 years of legal experience in a range of legal positions and is a top-rated lawyer in Colorado.

Call our team today at (719) 475-2555 so we can fight for you too.