A premises liability accident is a personal injury event that arises out of negligent property ownership. When a property owner or controller fails to maintain a premises and keep it reasonably safe for visitors, preventable accidents and injuries can happen. Premises liability accidents may arise out of a dangerous condition or property defect that the owner reasonably should have noticed and repaired. Common premises liability accidents include Mesquite slip and falls, Mesquite dog bites, fires and burns, hazardous substance exposure, elevator/escalator accidents, and swimming pool accidents.
Premises liability accidents generally give the victim the right to file a personal injury claim against the negligent property owner. A premises liability accident claim requires the injured party (the plaintiff) to prove that the property owner was negligent in his/her care of the property. In other words, that a reasonable and prudent owner would have noticed the hazard and remedied it, preventing the accident. It is the plaintiff’s burden to prove through evidence and witness testimony that the condition existed, the owner should have known about it, and that the owner was negligent in failing to repair it prior to the accident.