Did you suffer injuries due to unsafe conditions on someone else’s Boston property? A leaky roof, loose handrail, inadequate lighting, or lack of security could have created dangerous conditions for visitors like you. Massachusetts property owners have a legal duty to maintain safe environments and promptly address hazards. When they neglect these duties, people can get hurt.
The attorneys at Earley Law Group are committed to pursuing maximum compensation for anyone harmed in these accidents. Our premises liability lawyers in Boston have the skill and tenacity to build strong cases backed by careful investigations and evidence. We have more than 600 positive reviews on Google — proof of our dedication and relentless pursuit of justice for our clients.
Call Earley Law today or complete our contact form for a free consultation with a Boston premises liability attorney.
Why Should I Hire a Boston Premises Liability Attorney?
Hiring an experienced lawyer can greatly improve your chances of winning a premises liability claim. These cases are not as straightforward as they may seem.
For one thing, property owners and their insurance companies have a strong incentive to minimize payouts in a premises liability case. They may dispute that the hazard existed, claim you are partially at fault, or argue that the accident was unforeseeable. Overcoming their denials requires in-depth legal knowledge and experience. A Boston premises liability lawyer knows all the applicable laws and how to build a strong, fact-based claim on your behalf.
In addition, proving a premises liability lawsuit requires extensive investigations, evidence gathering, documentation review, and consultation with experts. Your lawyer can photograph the accident scene, obtain maintenance records and incident reports, identify witnesses, consult engineers or safety analysts as needed, and organize all the materials into a compelling case.
Additionally, accurately valuing the full extent of your injuries is no simple task. You must account for your future medical needs, lost earning capacity, and non-economic losses like pain and suffering to accurately calculate all your losses. Premises liability attorneys have the resources and experience to properly assess the potential lifetime cost of your injuries to fight for a fair settlement.
Without legal representation, you put yourself at a steep disadvantage and risk getting an unfairly low settlement. Worse still, you might have your case dismissed altogether. Hiring the right premises liability lawyer gives you the best chance at maximum compensation and lifts the legal burden off your shoulders during your recovery.
With all that in mind, why choose Earley Law for your case? Simple: The Earley Experience. That’s our commitment to making this process as easy as possible for you as we fight for maximum compensation. We believe in providing exceptional customer service for every client. If you are not satisfied with your experience, we will do everything we can to fix it. This commitment to client satisfaction is what sets us apart from other firms.
What Kinds of Damages Can I Pursue in a Premises Liability Case?
Your premises liability compensation depends on your injuries, medical bills, lost income, and other factors. While we cannot promise a specific amount, we will pursue the maximum amount available in your case, which may include money for:
- Past and future medical bills
- Lost wages or other income
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Reduced future income due to a disability
- Diminished quality of life due to your injuries
- Damaged personal property, if applicable
Property owners may argue that visitors caused or contributed to their injuries in an accident. If someone tries this argument with you, don’t panic. First, a premises liability lawyer in Boston can evaluate your case to see if you played a role in the accident. Second, Massachusetts law says you can still recover compensation if you contributed to your injuries, as long as your share of fault is less than that of all other responsible parties.
However, your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault if you played a role in the accident. Because the state’s comparative negligence law could limit your ability to recover money for your losses, you should contact a premises liability attorney from Earley Law. We will fight to secure the maximum financial recovery available under the facts of your case.
Who Is Responsible for an Injury in a Premises Liability Case?
In most cases, whoever owns or manages the property where an accident occurs is liable for any injuries resulting from the accident. Depending on the circumstances, individual homeowners, tenants, individuals or companies who own businesses or multi-unit residences (like apartment buildings), or government agencies may bear responsibility for an accident.
The key to winning a premises liability case is to show that the property owner, manager, or another person owed you a duty of care and failed in that duty. A duty of care means that someone has a legal obligation to keep you safe on their property. However, the level of care someone owes you when you visit depends on the nature of your visit and whether you were on the property legally. The following are three categories visitors fall into in Massachusetts premises liability cases.
Invitees
Invitees are people invited onto someone’s property for the owner’s commercial benefit, like customers at a store or restaurant. Property owners owe the highest duty of care to invitees and must:
- Regularly inspect for hazards
- Fix any unsafe conditions promptly
- Provide adequate warnings about dangers that can’t be eliminated
Licensees
Licensees are individuals present on someone else’s property as casual guests, such as friends, acquaintances, or attendees of informal gatherings. Owners have a duty to:
- Fix any hazardous conditions they know about
- Warn licensees about hidden hazards the owner is aware of
Trespassers
A trespasser is someone who is on someone else’s property without permission. Owners only have to:
- Avoid willfully or wantonly causing trespassers injury
- Warn of artificial hazards like traps that may exist
Massachusetts law says that in most circumstances, you have three years from when you sustained your injuries to file a premises liability lawsuit. While that’s the general rule, there are some situations where you have a much smaller window of time in which to act, particularly those involving government agencies.
Contacting an Earley Law attorney as soon as possible after an accident gives you the best shot at winning your case and recovering maximum compensation for your injuries.
Premises liability covers a wide range of accidents caused by hazardous property conditions. Common examples include:
- Slip, Trip and Fall Accidents – These can occur due to slippery floors, loose carpeting, poor lighting, debris, or other tripping hazards the property owner should have addressed.
- Uneven Pavement – Poorly maintained parking lots, sidewalks, and walkways with cracks, potholes, or elevation changes can easily cause visitors to stumble and fall.
- Negligent Security – Lack of proper lighting, security cameras, locks/gates, or security personnel may enable violent crimes like assaults, robberies, or shootings at residential or commercial properties.
- Dog Bites/Attacks – Property owners can be liable if they fail to control or confine dangerous dogs on their property.
- Stair/Porch Accidents – Loose handrails, missing steps, rotten wood, or other defects on staircases and porches create fall risks.
- Swimming Pool Accidents – Deficiencies in fencing, safety equipment, supervision, or maintenance can lead to drownings or diving injuries.
Premises liability accidents can happen in a variety of locations when property owners fail to keep their facilities reasonably safe. Some common places include:
- Hotels – Hotel guests can suffer injuries due to wet lobby floors, broken furniture, inadequate lighting, poor security, or pool accidents.
- Nightclubs/Bars – Lack of crowd control, overserving alcohol, negligent security, and obstruction hazards may lead to injuries at bars and nightclubs.
- Theme Parks – Ride malfunctions, slippery walkways, broken stairs/handrails, and inattentive staff can put theme park visitors at risk.
- Swimming Pools – Faulty drains/filters, deficient safety equipment, low visibility, and lack of supervision create drowning and injury risks at public pools.
- Apartment Complexes – Hazards like broken elevators and stairwells, icy walkways, poor lighting, and negligent security can cause injuries to apartment tenants.
- Restaurants – Slippery kitchen spills, defective equipment, and lack of routine inspections and maintenance endanger employees and patrons at restaurants.
- Grocery Stores – Cluttered aisles, produce spills, out-of-order restrooms, and unmaintained parking lots increase the chances of accidents at grocery stores.
- Parking Lots – Poor lighting, lack of security, uneven pavement, and debris can cause slips, trips, and falls or violent crimes in parking lots.
- Parking Garages – Hazards like inadequate lighting, broken stairs and elevators, fluid leaks, and structural defects like crumbling concrete can cause accidents in parking garages.
Premises liability accidents often lead to painful and debilitating injuries for victims. Some common examples include:
- Broken bones from serious falls
- Spinal cord injuries causing paralysis
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Severe laceration injuries requiring stitches
- Dislocated or torn joints and ligaments
- Neck and back injuries like herniated discs
- Facial and dental injuries from slip and falls
- Burn injuries from fires or hot surfaces
- Drowning injuries leading to brain damage
- Soft tissue injuries like sprains and strains
- Emotional trauma from violent attacks