Property owners in the New Orleans metro area have a responsibility toward visitors to their buildings and grounds. They must take steps to keep the premises reasonably safe, which includes both keeping things in an acceptable state to prevent accidental injuries and taking steps to secure the grounds against criminal activity. If you’ve been hurt, it’s time to learn about premises liability on the West Bank of Greater New Orleans.
Understanding New Orleans Premises Liability Laws
There are certain laws in place in the Crescent City to protect people against injuries incurred on other parties’ properties, including both private land and commercial businesses.
All property owners owe a duty of care to lawful visitors. They must take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm, which can come in the form of both accidents and intentional criminal acts.
Common Hazards Leading to Claims
There are many ways that dangerous conditions on a publicly accessible property can lead to a premises liability claim. Some of the most common hazards leading to claims include:
- Wet or slippery floors
- Broken stairs and loose railings
- Uneven sidewalks
- Merchandise falling from shelves in stores
- Elevator or escalator malfunctions
- Inadequate security that leads to an assault
- Exposure to fire or toxins
- Unsecured construction sites
- Swimming pool accidents
There are many shopping centers, hotels, and other publicly accessible spaces across Algiers, Gretna, Harvey, and Westwego. Oakwood Center in Gretna, alone, is home to 128 shops. All of those shop owners are responsible for accidents and violent incidents that occur on their properties.
Understanding Foreseeability
For the property owner to be held liable, you must prove that the danger you faced was foreseeable. You can do this by showing that the business had:
- Actual notice. If a property owner has direct knowledge of a hazard, as would be the case if a customer in a store told a manager about a spill that caused a slippery floor, that’s considered actual notice.
- Constructive notice. If a condition existed for long enough that most people should have discovered it, as would be the case with a light that has been out in a parking lot for days, the property owner has constructive notice.
If you can show that the property owner had actual or constructive notice of the hazard that caused your injury, it was foreseeable. New Orleans premises liability law makes them liable for any damages that occurred as a result.
A West Bank premises liability attorney can help you gather evidence and witness statements to support your claim. With their help, you can show that the risk you faced was foreseeable and there were reasonable steps that could have been taken to avoid it.
Hire a Premises Liability Lawyer Today
If you’ve been injured on another party’s property, it’s time to hire a premises liability lawyer. The team here at Ron Austin Law is here to help.
We have been in practice since 1995, and in that time, we’ve handled countless complex premises liability claims. Whether you were injured in a slip-and-fall or attacked by another visitor to the property, we can make sure the property owner is held accountable for their role. Contact us to schedule a consultation regarding your premises liability case today.
