Premises Liability on Government Property
Springfield Injury Attorney Reviews the Facts
Slip and fall accidents have the potential to cause serious personal injuries, and they are among the leading causes of both traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. When a person is hurt on government property, however, the legal procedures are different from an injury occurring on private property. Springfield injury lawyer David W. Ransin is dedicated to helping you receive deserved financial compensation after a personal injury occurring on state, city or municipal property.
Governmental Premises Liability in Missouri
Historically, our state was exempt from tort and premises liability, meaning individuals could not sue the state for negligence. This is no longer true, and the state has both premises and tort liability, such as when a government employee causes a car accident or truck accident during the course of employment. Additionally, the government having premises liability for their properties meaning you can sue a governmental entity if:
- The property was in dangerous condition at the time of the injury. Examples of dangerous conditions can include icy or snowy sidewalks, wet floors, lack of handrails, improper lighting, etc.
- The injury directly resulted from the dangerous condition.
- The dangerous condition created a reasonably foreseeable risk of harm of the kind of injury that you actually incurred.
- Either a government employee within the course of employment created the dangerous condition, or a public entity had knowledge of the dangerous condition in sufficient time to have taken measures to protect against the dangerous condition.
Special Rules Apply to Government Property
Once an injury occurs, special laws apply to file a lawsuit against the state, a city or municipality. The law requires the individual give the government strict notice of the intent to file a lawsuit within 90 days of the accident. This is an incredibly short period of time.
Any victim who misses this deadline and fails to provide proper legal notice will have no recourse against the government entity responsible for the injury. Therefore, if you were a pedestrian injured on a city sidewalk or government building, it is essential to obtain representation immediately or risk losing the claim completely.
Contact Ransin Injury Law if Injured on Government Property
Slip and fall accidents have serious consequences for all victims but particularly the elderly, who may suffer broken bones and other personal injuries that require hospitalization and extensive medical treatments. Victims who need representation the most are often still recovering from the incident when the deadline is looming, but you cannot hesitate to retain legal representation.
Contact Ransin Injury Law immediately after an injury occurring on government property. If you are not healthy enough to travel to our office for a consultation, David W. Ransin will personally come to your home or hospital to ensure your rights are protected and no deadlines are missed.