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Wet & Slippery Floors
Spills, leaks, tracked-in water, cleaning operations, and other slippery conditions can create fall hazards.
Dallas–Fort Worth Premises Liability Lawyer
Dangerous property conditions
can cause serious injuries.
Businesses and property operators may have responsibilities concerning dangerous conditions that can injure customers, visitors, tenants, and others lawfully on the property.
The Piri Law Firm represents people throughout Dallas–Fort Worth after serious injuries involving unsafe commercial, residential, and other properties.
HazardIdentify condition
NoticeInvestigate knowledge
VideoPreserve evidence
LossDocument injuries
DFWNorth Texas representation
Direct Answer
What is a premises liability claim in Texas?
A premises liability claim generally involves an injury allegedly caused by a condition of real property. Whether a property owner or occupier may be legally responsible depends on issues including the injured person's status, the nature of the condition, what the defendant knew or reasonably should have known, warnings, and the surrounding facts.
Dangerous Conditions
The hazard can take many forms.
Premises cases are not limited to wet floors. Unsafe stairs, broken walking surfaces, inadequate maintenance, falling objects, poor lighting, and other property conditions can cause significant injuries.
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Unsafe Stairs
Broken steps, inconsistent stair dimensions, loose surfaces, inadequate handrails, or poor lighting may contribute to falls.
03
Uneven Walkways
Broken pavement, elevation changes, potholes, damaged flooring, and other walking-surface defects can create tripping hazards.
04
Falling Objects
Improperly stored merchandise, fixtures, materials, or other objects can cause serious head and bodily injuries.
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Poor Lighting
Inadequate illumination can make stairs, elevation changes, obstacles, and other hazards difficult to see.
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Maintenance Failures
Inspection, repair, cleaning, and maintenance practices may become important when determining how long a dangerous condition existed.
Evidence Can Disappear
The condition that caused the injury may be gone within minutes.
A spill may be cleaned, damaged merchandise removed, surveillance footage overwritten, or a defective area repaired. Early investigation can help document what the property looked like when the incident occurred.
Photographs and video of the condition
Surveillance footage
Witness and employee information
Incident and maintenance records
Building The Case
Four questions can shape a premises liability investigation.
What condition caused the injury?
The investigation begins by identifying the specific property condition and documenting how it contributed to the incident.
Who controlled the property?
Ownership alone may not answer the question. Tenants, management companies, contractors, operators, and others may have responsibilities concerning the area.
Was the danger known?
Evidence concerning inspections, prior complaints, employee observations, recurring conditions, maintenance, and the length of time a hazard existed may become important.
Was there an adequate warning?
The presence, absence, location, visibility, and adequacy of warning signs or other measures may affect the analysis.
Where Injuries Happen
Unsafe conditions can exist across many types of property.
The legal and factual investigation depends on who possessed or controlled the location and the circumstances under which the injured person entered the property.
Retail Stores
Spills, merchandise, displays, entrances, aisles, and walking surfaces can create hazards for customers.
Restaurants
Food, liquids, grease, cleaning operations, flooring, and high foot traffic can contribute to dangerous conditions.
Apartments
Stairs, walkways, common areas, lighting, balconies, and other property conditions may require investigation.
Hotels
Guest rooms, pools, stairs, corridors, entrances, parking areas, and common spaces can present hazards.
Office Buildings
Lobbies, stairs, elevators, parking structures, walkways, and maintenance operations can be involved in injury claims.
Parking Areas
Potholes, broken pavement, wheel stops, poor lighting, debris, and elevation changes may create dangerous conditions.
Construction Areas
Temporary conditions, debris, openings, equipment, barriers, and changing walking surfaces may create risks.
Private Property
Residential and other privately controlled locations can also present conditions capable of causing serious injury.
Notice & Documentation
How long was the danger there?
Premises cases can turn on evidence showing whether the person or entity responsible for the property knew about the condition or whether the circumstances support another basis for liability. Inspection procedures, surveillance video, maintenance records, prior reports, employee testimony, and the condition itself may all matter.
Serious Injuries
A fall or property hazard can cause more than a temporary injury.
The severity of a premises case depends on the actual medical consequences, not simply the type of incident.
Traumatic Brain Injury
A fall or falling object can cause significant neurological and cognitive injury.
Explore →Spinal Cord Injury
Severe falls can damage the spine and, in catastrophic cases, the spinal cord.
Explore →Orthopedic Trauma
Falls can cause fractures and serious injuries involving hips, knees, shoulders, wrists, and other joints.
Explore →Pelvic Fractures
High-impact falls can cause painful pelvic injuries requiring significant treatment and rehabilitation.
Explore →Chronic Pain & CRPS
Some injuries can develop into persistent pain and complex regional pain syndrome.
Explore →Scarring & Disfigurement
Broken glass, sharp objects, falls, and other dangerous conditions can cause permanent visible injuries.
Explore →Catastrophic Injuries
Serious premises incidents can cause permanent impairment and lifelong medical needs.
Explore →Wrongful Death
Families may have claims after fatal falls and other dangerous-property incidents.
Explore →Frequently Asked Questions
Premises liability questions.
What should I do after being injured on someone else's property?
Seek appropriate medical care, report the incident, photograph the condition if possible, identify witnesses, preserve clothing or footwear when relevant, and keep records related to medical treatment and the incident.
Is a business automatically responsible if I fall on its property?
No. An injury occurring on property does not automatically establish liability. The legal analysis depends on the dangerous condition, the parties' knowledge and duties, warnings, control of the property, and other circumstances.
Can surveillance video be important in a premises liability case?
Yes. Video may show the condition, how long it existed, how the incident occurred, employee activity, inspections, warnings, or other relevant events. Some systems overwrite recordings quickly.
Who can be responsible for an unsafe property condition?
Depending on the facts, potentially relevant parties can include owners, tenants, businesses, management companies, contractors, maintenance providers, or others who possessed or controlled the property or condition.
How long do I have to file a premises liability lawsuit in Texas?
Texas generally applies a two-year limitations period to personal injury claims, although exceptions can apply. Evidence at the property may disappear or be altered much sooner.
Confidential Consultation
What Are You Facing?
Tell us where the incident happened, what condition caused the injury, whether it was reported, whether photographs or video exist, whether anyone witnessed what happened, and what medical treatment followed.
Call833-FOR-PIRI
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