For a personal injury lawyer, premises liability is one of the most common arguments to use in clients' cases. The legal notion of premises liability centers on the responsibility that each property owner in America has to keep their place from being a hazard to others. Different kinds of premises liability exist, and here are four of the most common ones a personal injury attorney will encounter.

Long-Term Premises Maintenance

When someone maintains a property, especially one that folks can easily come and go from, they have a duty of care to ensure that the premises themselves are physically safe. This means the owner or a designee should deal with basic maintenance, such as making sure handrails and stairs are safe. If there's an elevator in a building, for example, the owners have a duty to ensure it will function safely. The same goes for making sure that doors and windows operate properly and smoothly so people can use them without fear of injury.

Temporary Hazards

A related concern includes any temporary hazards, such as pooled water on floors. This is a classic cause of slip-and-fall accidents. For example, a spill might occur on a normal day at a grocery store. The store's operator has a duty to staff the location with people who will respond promptly when spills happen. If those people ignore a spill after being told about it, the store may be liable for injuries someone who slips in it might suffer.

This branch of injury law includes cases that involve snow, ice, rain, and leaves that might trigger accidents. It also covers things like unattended equipment on a property, such as wheelbarrows and shovels. Generally, property owners need to rope off areas with hazards and post warning signs.

Negligent Security

In addition to keeping the property safe from hazards, there is also a broader need to secure a location. Notably, this sort of case tends to require some evidence that an area is dangerous enough to justify a heightened level of security. For example, a bar that has a history of violent incidents might be on the hook for injuries a patron suffered if the bar didn't have bouncers, security cameras, and at-the-door screening.

Unrestrained Animals

An incident involving a dog or an exotic animal may also give rise to an injury claim. With dogs, state laws regarding bites vary. However, all states presume premises liability when an exotic animal on a property harms someone.

For more information, contact a personal injury lawyer.